SX OS is colloquially known as a “piracy-enabling” custom firmware that stole code from open-source projects and sold it back to the community. Various groups have been working on a crack for SX OS since its release, but this has led to someone exploiting that and packaging brick code as a cracked SX OS that was distributed on many popular console hacking sites.

This fake SX OS was distributed on the likes of GBATemp, several Switch hacking Discords, and Telegram channels. Several people downloaded the payload only to find that it bricks your Nintendo Switch.

A user by the name of Create_ on GBATemp explained how exactly this brick payload works. Rather than just replacing the console NAND with random rubbish, it overwrites the GPT and part of the PRODINFO. PRODINFO is console specific, meaning that unless you backed up your NAND beforehand, the Switch is now permanently bricked.

This comes after Team Xecuter, developers of SX OS, were accused of including brick code in their CFW for people trying to crack the software. They removed the code in an update, stating it was nothing more than a test for budding developers.

KitGuru Says: Whilst the Team Xecuter bricking was a bit more specialised towards developers, this SX OS “crack” is the first cautionary tale in the Switch hacking community. Do you have any tales of bricking your consoles?

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