{
  "id": 15182847,
  "title": "Modder finishes nine-year Xbox 360 voltage glitch mod with a $4 microcontroller, cracks the console open",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/17/modder-finishes-nine-year-xbox-360-voltage-glitch-mod-with-a-4",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-10-17T11:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Tom's Hardware",
    "slug": "tom-s-hardware",
    "url": "https://www.tomshardware.com/video-games/retro-gaming/modder-finishes-nine-year-xbox-360-voltage-glitch-mod-with-a-usd4-microcontroller-cracks-the-console-open-tiny-microcontroller-dumps-nand-and-flashes-timing-files-to-bypass-cpu-cryptography"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "An enterprising modder has successfully cracked the Xbox 360 with a $4 microcontroller, ending a nine-year pursuit. The hack involves sending a signal into the CPU's reset pin, which tricks the processor into executing incorrect instructions, enabling the injection of any code. This bypasses the console's complex security measures. The modder, Joshua Kennedy, first attempted the hack using a specialized hardware setup involving a voltage-glitching chip, but later switched to a more affordable Raspberry Pi Pico. The Pico's precision timing capabilities allowed him to execute the hack successfully, despite the need for intricate timing down to the nanosecond level. This achievement marks the culmination of a long-standing effort to exploit the console's vulnerabilities.",
  "summary": "Modder glitch-hacks his Xbox 360 with the help of a $4 microcontroller — operation shows the power of the Rasperry Pi Pico",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}