360 Hacker: Microsoft made me do it

Contrary to popular belief, not all hackers are pale kids who hole up in their parents' basements, listen to techno, and practice identity theft to pay off their energy-drink addictions. For some, the reason for manipulating computers and electronics echoes the words of George Mallory--"Because it is there."

When Microsoft's Xbox 360 hit retailers last November, it quickly became the hacking community's Mount Everest. And according to a report by The Wall Street Journal, it wasn't just because the machine was the newest, shiniest, coolest gadget of the 2005 holiday season.

"It's about overcoming the challenge Microsoft has set out there," Andrew "Bunnie" Huang told WSJ. Microsoft certainly touted the security of its machine during its development, claiming it would be nearly impossible to crack. "[Microsoft has] bragged about the security for the Xbox 360, so now it's like: Well, let's see," Huang said.

Huang was the first to crack the original Xbox back in 2001. Since then, an entire Xbox modding subculture has sprung up, with numerous developers creating dashboards and alternate, often Linux-based, operating systems for the console. Ads offering to physically mod Xboxes are a common sight on Internet classifieds sites like Craigslist.org, with hardware-heads often willing to swap out hard drives and flash BIOSes for a small fee.

While regular Xbox modding has become a cottage industry of sorts, no one has completely solved the Xbox 360 yet. Some progress has been made, though, and Huang thinks it's only a matter of time. "Things are different from a few years ago. The stakes are higher for Microsoft and the hacking community has intensified its efforts."

Via Gamespot