The long wait is over, the Nintendo Switch 2 has hit the shelves, and you can get it across various retailers. This handheld promised significant upgrades from the original, and one of those, for better or worse, was tighter security when it comes to modding the console.

Before the launch, we saw that any attempts to mod the Switch 2 or tamper with it physically cause it to become unresponsive and could also lead to legal action. That being said, where there is a will, there is a way; a hacker has already found the first exploit in breaking the indomitable wall of security of the Switch 2. It’s not much just yet, but it’s at least something.

Is the Switch 2 vulnerable?

A zero-day exploit was recently posted online by David Buchanan. The exploit is known as userland ROP, and while this isn't a major step in ‘hacking’ the Switch 2, it is something to start with, and we'll explain what it means.

What userland ROP means is that you take the control flow of the program, take control of it, and use it to run already existing pieces of code. So, this allows you to use code that is already written by the devs at Nintendo in a way outside of the intended use case.

This doesn't allow you to use external or your own written code, as there is a failsafe for that and will brick the Switch 2; however, maybe this will open avenues for other forms of tampering, which only time will tell.

One thing is for certain, though: the modding community takes these barriers as challenges and will try its best to break the Switch 2. So, the question that many are asking is: How long will it take to complete hacking the Switch 2? And a comment on this Reddit post put it very aptly: “Every device is hackable, it's just a matter of time”.

About the Author

Ussamah Mehmood

Ussamah works as a content writer and editor at BGFG. He is experienced in tech, hardware, gaming, and marketing.