Fnf Softmod

[Tadeo Lentz]

Asoftmod is a method of using software to modify the intended behavior of hardware, such as video cards, sound cards, or game consoles in a way that can overcome restrictions of the firmware, or install custom firmware.[1]

Video cards that can be modified using software to faster versions (without regard to clock speed) usually contain mostly the same hardware. Softmodding a card should not include changing the video card's BIOS, as that is a BIOS flash.[citation needed] Currently only four softmods are known,[citation needed] a Radeon 9500 NP to a 9500 Pro (128 bit) or 9700 (256 bit), a Radeon 9800SE (with 256-bit L-shaped memory layout on the PCB) to a Radeon 9800 Pro, a GeForce 6200 to a 6600, and a GeForce 6800NU to a 6800GT. The act of a softmod usually enables pixel rendering pipelines, though may also include other enhancements. A softmodded card may not always reach the same performance as the real card it has been changed to, but the difference should be very little; and generally not noticeable. The softmodding is not guaranteed to always work; sometimes the pipelines have been disabled for a reason, e.g., a defect that produces artifacts when enabled.

Softmods for Xbox used to include a font exploit installed through exploits in savegame code for MechAssault, Splinter Cell, 007: Agent Under Fire, and Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4. Usage of the Splinter Cell or Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4 disc is generally recommended as any version of the game will run the exploit, whereas certain production runs of Mechassault and Agent Under Fire are needed to use the exploit. Originally, via a piece of software called "MechInstaller" created by members of the Xbox-linux team, an additional option could be added to the Xbox Dashboard for booting Linux. The Font-hack works by exploiting a buffer underflow in the Xbox font loader which is part of the dashboard. Unfortunately, since the Xbox requires the clock to be valid and the dashboard itself is where you set the clock there is problem if the RTC backup capacitor discharges. The Xbox will detect that the clock isn't set and therefore force the dashboard to be loaded which then promptly reboots due to the buffer overflow exploit. Upon restarting, the Xbox detects the clock is invalid and the process repeats. This became known as the infamous "clockloop".[2]

There is no whole-system (that will allow full root access and installing homebrew) softmod for Xbox 360 consoles. However, ways were found to modify the firmware of the DVD drive of the console. This allows the system to play games from "backup" (non-original) game discs. This requires opening of the console but no additional hardware such as a modchip is permanently installed into the system. Microsoft responded by introducing console ban system. If the data stream from the DVD drive indicated signs of unauthorized use, Microsoft would permanently ban the console from using Xbox Live service. The ban never expires and can only be fixed by purchasing another console. Other measures, such as introducing new hardware revisions to prevent modifications and checking/updating the drive firmware during dashboard updates, have been made too.

The Xbox One went through its lifecycle without having its security compromised. However in June 2024, a userland exploit was disclosed for a Microsoft Store app called GameScript that allowed for arbitrary code execution, becoming one of the few potential entry points into the system. Microsoft removed the app from the store a few days after disclosure, effectively closing the entry point for those who did not have it downloaded already.

A couple of weeks later, the same developer who published the userland exploit released a follow up which achieves kernel access while in Retail mode. This is roughly equivalent than having to paying for a developer license. However, due to the Xbox One's security architecture, the console security is still mostly intact and further mitigations are necessary in order to become a HEN (homebrew enabler). A payload exists that allows for simple file system access over the network from a computer.

The Xbox Series X and Series S are vulnerable to the same exploits for the Xbox One, and similarly have security measures where the console security is still mostly intact and further mitigations are necessary in order to become a HEN (homebrew enabler).

Much like the Xbox, it is possible to softmod almost any PSP. Using various exploits (such as the TIFF exploit or specially crafted savegames from games such as Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories, Lumines, and later GripShift) or original unprotected firmware, the user can run a modified version of the PSPs updater, that will install custom firmware. This newer firmware allows the booting of ISOs, as well as running unauthorized (homebrew) code. A popular way of running homebrew code to softmod the PSP is by using the Infinity method.

Wii softmodding is also closely related to the methods used to softmod Xboxes and PSPs. The first known method of loading unsigned code on a Wii (without a hardware mod) is known as the Twilight hack. This allowed users to run unsigned .dol/.elf files. The exploit was superseded by the development of Bannerbomb, which allows a user to run unsigned code on the console without relying on an exploit within a game. Bannerbomb works by using a malformed banner to inject a loader program into the Wii Menu program in memory. As the Wii Menu crashes, an unsigned executable is executed. Bannerbomb was superseded by Letterbomb, which uses a glitch in the Wii Message Board to crash the Wii Menu and load the .dol/elf file, allowing the user to install the Homebrew Channel.

These types of exploits have enabled the development and use of third-party homebrew applications, such as the Homebrew Channel, third-party games, media players, and many others. It can also be used to launch game backups, and opened the door to videogame copyright infringement. The Wii homebrew community generally discourages the use of the term "softmod" to refer to Wii homebrew in general, as it is considered to have negative connotations due to its association with copyright violation. As hardware modifications do not help the use of third-party software due to the console's security architecture, software modification is implied whenever homebrew software is in use. The term is therefore used to refer to software modifications that perform the same function as existing hardware modifications, that is, those that enable the use of copied games.

The Wii U can be softmodded with various exploits. As of February 2024 the easiest way to softmod a Wii U is by using the DNSpresso exploit which leverages several bugs in the network stack, and achieves kernel access, in addition to having a specially crafted SD card inserted. This works on the latest firmware revisions. This in turn can be used to install CFW (custom firmware). Currently the most supported CFW is Aroma. Other choices of CFW are Mocha, Haxchi, and Tiramasu.

Softmodding a Wii U allows users to run homebrew, load game backups, bypass region checks, and change fan and CPU/GPU speeds. Notably, the Wii U is backwards compatible with Wii games (vWii), however softmodding also unlocks backwards compatibility with GameCube games like its predecessor, as the hardware required to emulate is present on the motherboard - despite this, Nintendo did not implement GameCube disc reading for the Wii U, effectively disabling this backwards compatibility.

USB storage can be used to store games; this is the only way to store and play Wii U games outside of the internal memory. Wii and GameCube games can be played if stored on the specially crafted SD card used to softmod the Wii U, or if they are stored on USB storage.

Previously, a few Virtual DS games could be exploited with specially crafted savegames to install a permanent CFW which is active as soon as the console powers on. However, after the eShop closure this method is now impossible to do unless the game was downloaded pre closure.

The original PlayStation can be softmodded with the TonyHax exploit.[3] The exploit is compatible with all North American and European consoles except the launch model (SCPH-100x), but is not compatible with Japanese consoles. It is also compatible with early versions of the PlayStation 2 (SCPH-3900x or older), although only for booting PS1 discs. TonyHax can be booted either with a gamesave exploit (usually Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2, 3, or 4, hence the name, but several other games are also supported), or except on the PS2, directly from a specially-flashed memory card. The exploit allows the console to boot homebrew, foreign-region games, and CD-R copies. Some PlayStation models are partially incompatible (slow load times, skipping audio and video) with phthalocyanine CD-Rs, preferring the older standard cyanine discs. TonyHax is not a permanent exploit; the drive is re-locked when the console is powered off or rebooted, requiring the user to re-load the exploit every time a CD-R or foreign game is booted.

An older method was to boot an original legitimate disc with the lid close sense button held down, quickly swap the disc with a CD-R copy or foreign disc, remove that disc and reinsert the original, and then swap for the CD-R or foreign disc again. This had to be carefully timed, and if done incorrectly could damage the drive or disc(s).

Disc swapping was used early on to bypass the PlayStation 2 copy protection, by taking advantage of certain trigger discs such as 007: Agent Under Fire or Swap Magic, homebrew could be loaded. This was done by inserting the trigger disc, blocking the lid open sensor then hotswapping with a homebrew disc. Although difficult to execute correctly, the universality of the method was often used in order to softmod.

One of the earliest softmods developed - the Independence Exploit - allows the PlayStation 2 to run homebrew by exploiting a buffer overflow in the BIOS code responsible for loading original PlayStation games. This method, however, only works on models V10 and lower, excluding the PlayStation 2 slim, while still requiring a disc to be burned.[4]

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