Switch 2 Security Compromised
Nintendo’s remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time has reportedly been dumped the same day it launched on the Switch 2. Copies of the original 1.0.0 release and its 1.1.1 update are already circulating outside Nintendo's official distribution channels, with the update file size reported at 23 GB.
The leak follows the early distribution of physical cartridges, which allowed hackers to access the game files prior to the official release date. While the game is circulating, it remains largely unplayable on PC emulators, with users reporting significant graphical issues including washed-out visuals, black screens, and rendering errors.
The unauthorized distribution of the game files has been linked to the use of specific extraction tools, including a software jailbreak identified as ns2jb. This exploit was developed by security researcher Sammy Hajhamid.
Exploit Capabilities and Limitations
Hajhamid previously detailed the exploit's functionality, noting that it allows for homebrew execution, reverse engineering, and access to Switch 2 peripherals through MMIO without the need for a physical modchip. Despite these capabilities, the jailbreak is tethered, requiring reactivation upon console restarts, and does not provide full kernel-level access.
The same extraction methodology has reportedly been applied to other titles, including Deltarune Chapters 1-4 and Mario Kart World. Nintendo has not issued a formal statement regarding the Ocarina of Time dump, though the application previously used to facilitate the jailbreak, SmileBASIC 4, has been removed from the Nintendo eShop.
This incident adds to a history of security challenges for the platform. Since the console's launch in 2025, various attempts to run custom code have been documented, and the company has actively pursued legal action against repositories hosting unauthorized game backups.
This is not the first time hackers have found a way into Nintendo's hardware. Just a day after Switch 2 went on sale in June 2025, an exploit that allowed hackers to run custom code on the system popped up, although it did not provide root access or a full jailbreak. Cartridge-based backups have also caused headaches. In August this year, we reported that Nintendo had targeted more than 400 GitHub repositories, with 401 repos removed following seven Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) notices. Several Yuzu forks were among the affected projects.
Nintendo has not publicly commented on the Ocarina of Time dump or the nsj2b exploit yet. However, SmileBASIC 4, the application used to launch the jailbreak, has disappeared from the Nintendo eShop following the exploit’s disclosure.
