Nintendo’s recently launched Switch 2 console has already had a vulnerability discovered by enthusiasts. Security researcher David Buchanan was the first to report an exploit for the Nintendo console, leveraging a weakness within the device’s shared library. He demonstrated how a userland vulnerability could alter program behavior without accessing the system kernel, for instance, by forcing the console to display custom graphics in a chessboard pattern.
First userland ropchain exploit on the Switch 2
Source: https://t.co/gLAAycocwX pic.twitter.com/pqU1E09VOR— SwitchTools (@SwitchTools) June 5, 2025
The exploit employs a technique known as Return-Oriented Programming (ROP), where a hacker manipulates the return address in memory, compelling the program to execute foreign code. However, in this particular instance, the vulnerability is limited to the user level; it does not grant root access or “hack” the console in a deeper sense. Furthermore, Buchanan himself conceded that such a demonstration lacks practical utility and could, theoretically, simply be a YouTube video, though the developer community has corroborated the vulnerability’s authenticity.
Nintendo traditionally adopts a stringent stance on device modification. The company has previously cautioned that it may render a console inoperable if a user attempts to alter system account services. The Switch 2’s user agreement also explicitly prohibits any interference with its software.
