Hackers Uncover Nintendo Switch 2 Vulnerability Just a Day After Launch — Enables Custom Code Execution

Oh man, so get this. This dude, David Buchanan—totally just poking around, as one does—finds this sneaky loophole in the brand new Nintendo Switch 2. Like, seriously, the thing just hit the shelves and boom, someone’s already messing with it. Classic.

Anyway, Buchanan’s no average Joe. On this site called Bluesky, he shows off what he found: a soft spot in the Switch 2’s shared library. I’m not sure why this stuck with me, but it’s called a “userland Return-Oriented Programming exploit.” Sounds fancy, right? But basically, he’s rewriting the script on this machine, making it do weird stuff like splash custom graphics on the screen. Why? Who really knows. Maybe for kicks?

And I saw this image—didn’t I tell you about it? It’s like, checkerboard graphics all courtesy of David. Reminds me of a time I tried doodling on my buddy’s whiteboard, but I digress. Anyway—wait, where was I?

Right, so this isn’t gonna let you crack open the Switch and mess with its guts. It’s kind of superficial, like putting stickers on it—looks cool but won’t help you drive it like a stolen Ferrari. Buchanan even jokes, saying it might be a YouTube vid and not some groundbreaking hack—though those in the know say it’s real. Go figure.

Oh, and Nintendo, being the gatekeepers of gaming, they’re super stringent. Tweak their stuff, and they might just punish your poor console. Like, seriously, the Switch 2 agreement’s all “no funny business!” I can almost hear it in a stern teacher voice—creepy.

So yeah, someone might eventually crack this thing open, jailbreak style, and then what? I kind of imagine Nintendo with their army of lawyers. But until then, we’re just waiting. And waiting. Who knows what’ll happen next?

Side note: if you’re into all this tech mumbo jumbo, Tom’s Hardware’s got the goods. They say, “Stay tuned!” or something similar. But, hey, maybe you already knew that.