Difference between revisions of "Zammis Clark Breach"
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− | The '''Zammis Clark Breach''' ( | + | [[File:2 TB.png|thumb|A screenshot purportedly showing the full size and file count of the leaked data.]] |
+ | The '''Zammis Clark Breach''' (also known as the "Gigaleak" and the "2020 Nintendo data leak") was a data breach of internal Nintendo files carried out by British security researcher Zammis Clark. | ||
− | The breach occurred in March 2018 when Zammis Clark illegally | + | The breach occurred in March 2018 when Zammis Clark illegally obtained access to Nintendo's internal network, accessing servers used for the development of Nintendo's games and consoles. Zammis downloaded a large number of files from these servers rumoured to total over 2.54 terabytes<ref name=":1">https://archive.nyafuu.org/vp/thread/38502730/#38508085</ref>, including the source code and development files for various Nintendo games as well as development repositories for Nintendo systems including the Wii, [[iQue Player]], and 3DS. |
− | The earliest known date | + | The earliest known date associated with the breach is March 13th, 2018; this is the modified date for every folder in the [[Emeralds.7z|September 2nd leak]]'s files. The build of the second archive in the [[October 2020 Pokémon Sword leaks|October 21st leak]] was also made on the same day. The last known date associated with the breach is May 25th, 2018; a [[October 2020 Pokémon Sword leaks|build of Pokemon Sword]] from this date was leaked in October 2020. |
− | + | While the contents of the breach have not been released publicly in full, a number of files from the breach have been gradually leaked to the public since it occurred, ranging from the initial release in April 2018 up to September 2022. While the initial releases were done by Zammis himself, Zammis disappeared from the Internet (presumably due to prosecution by law enforcement) in late 2018 before news reports were released in early 2019 stating that he had been arrested for the breach. Reportedly, he was not incarcerated due to concerns over his autism making him a potential target while in prison. | |
− | |||
− | While the contents of the breach have not been released publicly in full, | ||
Even though Zammis has been arrested and is presumably no longer allowed to access the Internet unsupervised, files from his breach continue to be leaked to the public (primarily on 4chan), implying that Zammis gave out data to a number of individuals prior to his arrest who are now slowly distributing it to the public. | Even though Zammis has been arrested and is presumably no longer allowed to access the Internet unsupervised, files from his breach continue to be leaked to the public (primarily on 4chan), implying that Zammis gave out data to a number of individuals prior to his arrest who are now slowly distributing it to the public. | ||
− | |||
− | |||
==Timeline of Releases== | ==Timeline of Releases== | ||
===April 2018 - April 2020=== | ===April 2018 - April 2020=== | ||
− | '''2018, April''' | + | This was the very beginning of the Nintendo data leaks. Things including undiscovered Pokemon demos, debug ROMs, data from the 80s and 90s, and more data would be released during this period. Some of the most important leaks, the "Holy Grails" of rare gaming data also happened during this period. |
+ | |||
+ | '''2018, April 27''' | ||
− | Zammis releases the [[iQue Player]] SDK and its unencrypted ROMs through the SUXXORS scene release group <ref>https://nintendosoup.com/nintendos-ique-player-hacked-fifteen-years-after-launches/</ref> | + | Zammis releases the [[iQue Player]] SDK and its unencrypted ROMs through the SUXXORS scene release group.<ref>https://nintendosoup.com/nintendos-ique-player-hacked-fifteen-years-after-launches/</ref> |
'''2018, May 26''' | '''2018, May 26''' | ||
− | Zammis | + | Zammis shares the Pokemon Spaceworld 97 ROMs with the pret Discord server, through a Firefox Send link with a limit of 20 downloads.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20200728044057/https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/705829278851268649/736921633515896872/post.jpg</ref> |
'''2018, May 31''' | '''2018, May 31''' | ||
Line 28: | Line 27: | ||
Pokemon Spaceworld 97 Silver ROM leaks to 8chan.<ref>https://i.imgur.com/y31FWhm.png</ref> | Pokemon Spaceworld 97 Silver ROM leaks to 8chan.<ref>https://i.imgur.com/y31FWhm.png</ref> | ||
+ | |||
+ | '''2018, September 9''' | ||
+ | |||
+ | Hiccup shares the [[lotcheck]] spreadsheets he received from Zammis in the Video Game Preservation Collective (VGPC) Discord server. | ||
'''2019, Feb 18''' | '''2019, Feb 18''' | ||
− | Helix Chamber releases the Pokemon Red/Green/Blue prototype assets they received from Ganix.<ref>https://i.imgur.com/wHIQ1CJ.png</ref> These were later found in the Gold/Silver/Crystal source code leak. | + | Helix Chamber releases the Pokemon Red/Green/Blue prototype assets they received from Ganix.<ref>https://i.imgur.com/wHIQ1CJ.png</ref> These were later found in the [[Gen2.7z|Gold/Silver/Crystal source code leak]]. |
'''2019, June 17''' | '''2019, June 17''' | ||
− | Ganix shares a Japanese Diamond | + | Ganix shares a Japanese Diamond debug ROM with The Cutting Room Floor (TCRF)<ref>https://i.imgur.com/sN3Z4Jh.png</ref> Discord server, claiming to have dumped it from a cartridge. He also supplemented it with a picture of the cartridge<ref>https://i.imgur.com/5etiK9n.png |
− | https://i.imgur.com/Iadwsl6.jpg</ref> | + | https://i.imgur.com/Iadwsl6.jpg</ref>, and mentioned that he modified a few strings in the ROM in order to protect the safety of the developers. This (claiming to have dumped it from a cartridge) was later believed to be a lie as the ROM was most probably compiled from the Diamond/Pearl source code. |
'''2019, December 19''' | '''2019, December 19''' | ||
− | Ganix uploads Diamond/Pearl beta sprites | + | Ganix uploads the Diamond/Pearl beta sprites and a friend of his leaks the site URL to 4chan.<ref>https://i.imgur.com/wL3L1rv.png</ref> This was later found in the [[pokemon_dp_VER20060816.zip|full Diamond/Pearl source code leak]]. |
'''2020, March 19''' | '''2020, March 19''' | ||
− | A debug build of Pokemon Blue and Yellow was released to 4chan. The release also included a file named <code>CRYSTAL_BY_NUM.SYM</code> as well as screenshots of: an internal Game Boy manual, official Game Boy emulator, debug menu of Pokemon Gold, and Pokemon Diamond/Pearl prototype. <ref>https://i.imgur.com/OQ50o2a.png</ref> | + | A debug build of Pokemon Blue and Yellow was released to 4chan. The release also included a file named <code>CRYSTAL_BY_NUM.SYM</code> as well as screenshots of: an internal Game Boy manual, an official Game Boy emulator, a debug menu of Pokemon Gold, and a Pokemon Diamond/Pearl prototype. <ref>https://i.imgur.com/OQ50o2a.png</ref> |
− | Said file, the official Game Boy emulator, and the debug build of Pokemon Gold was later found in the Gold/Silver/Crystal source code leak. The internal Game Boy manual was | + | Said file, the official Game Boy emulator, and the debug build of Pokemon Gold was later found in the [[Gen2.7z|Gold/Silver/Crystal source code leak]]. The internal Game Boy manual was found in the ''Gigaleak'' and the Pokemon Diamond/Pearl prototype could be compiled from the source code in the ''Gigaleak'' as well. |
'''2020, April 11''' | '''2020, April 11''' | ||
− | Nintendo lotcheck spreadsheets for Nintendo Entertainment System, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Nintendo 64, Nintendo 64DD, Virtual Boy, Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, Nintendo DSi, Pokemon Mini | + | The Nintendo lotcheck spreadsheets previously shared on VGPC (on 2018, September 9) were released to 4chan. The spreadsheets contain data for these consoles: Nintendo Entertainment System, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Nintendo 64, Nintendo 64DD, Virtual Boy, Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, Nintendo DSi, Pokemon Mini. (These were previously sent by Zammis on Discord in 2018, and were not redistributed by the unknown group responsible for the other leak releases.)<ref>https://i.imgur.com/uYmwKBa.png</ref> |
'''2020, April 12''' | '''2020, April 12''' | ||
− | [[ | + | [[osrc.zip|Pokemon Blue/Yellow's localization source code]] was released to 4chan, with the password ''poke1024''.<ref>https://i.imgur.com/yTFaP4j.png</ref> On the same day, debug builds of Pokemon Gold and Silver were also released to 4chan.<ref>https://i.imgur.com/us6TyAH.png</ref> |
'''2020, April 25''' | '''2020, April 25''' | ||
Line 84: | Line 87: | ||
*000400000001A8A00.3120 | *000400000001A8A00.3120 | ||
− | ===May 2020 | + | ===May - December 2020, the "Gigaleak" era=== |
+ | In May of 2020, a new era of leaking had begun. More and more data from wack0's data breach would continue to be leaked to [[Pokemon Proto General]] on 4chan, rapidly increasing in volume with every new leak. Lots of very important [[BroadOn]], [[iQue]] and Wii-related data was leaked during this time. | ||
+ | |||
'''2020, May 2''' | '''2020, May 2''' | ||
''<small>Main page: [[unsorted.7z]]</small>'' | ''<small>Main page: [[unsorted.7z]]</small>'' | ||
− | + | Source code and documentation for the iQue Player and Wii was released on 4chan. This leak consisted of two [[BroadOn]] source trees, including the [[IOS]] source code and project page and the [[iQue Player]] software source code. As part of the iQue Player files, some internal data relating to the Nintendo 64 (similar to the contents of the [[oman.rar|Oman Archive]]) was found in the leak as well.<ref>https://i.imgur.com/COFLHEo.png</ref> | |
'''2020, May 7''' | '''2020, May 7''' | ||
Line 99: | Line 104: | ||
'''2020, May 9''' | '''2020, May 9''' | ||
− | "Factory firmware setup cartridge for EUR n2DSXL" was released to 4chan. Shortly after, [[ | + | ''<small>Main page: [[3DS_manu.7z]]</small>'' |
+ | |||
+ | "Factory firmware setup cartridge for EUR n2DSXL" was released to 4chan. Shortly after, [[3DS_manu.7z|the full factory files]] (including the previous firmware setup cartridge) were released. <ref>https://i.imgur.com/sogDewS.png</ref> | ||
'''2020, May 19''' | '''2020, May 19''' | ||
+ | |||
+ | <small>''Main page: [[gen3.7z]]''</small> | ||
[[Gen3.7z|Pokemon Ruby/Sapphire/FireRed/LeafGreen's Japanese source code]] was released to 4chan.<ref>https://i.imgur.com/c5XUZiZ.png</ref> | [[Gen3.7z|Pokemon Ruby/Sapphire/FireRed/LeafGreen's Japanese source code]] was released to 4chan.<ref>https://i.imgur.com/c5XUZiZ.png</ref> | ||
Line 111: | Line 120: | ||
'''2020, May 23''' | '''2020, May 23''' | ||
− | [[ | + | [[ctr.7z|Source code and documentation for the Nintendo 3DS]] was released to 4chan.<ref>https://i.imgur.com/MwWazSn.png</ref> On the same day, [[svn_v1.068.zip|source code to the Nintendo 3DS's Virtual Console]] was released to 4chan<ref>https://i.imgur.com/GJ327LN.png</ref>, as well as [[pokemon_dp_VER20060816.zip|Pokemon Diamond/Pearl's Japanese source code]].<ref>https://i.imgur.com/aLAD9Km.png</ref> |
'''2020, May 24''' | '''2020, May 24''' | ||
− | [[ | + | [[ctr-etc.7z|More source code for the Nintendo 3DS]] was released to 4chan.<ref>https://i.imgur.com/tUUyyud.png</ref> |
'''2020, May 29''' | '''2020, May 29''' | ||
− | Nintendo's titlekey generation | + | Nintendo's titlekey generation code for Wii/DSi/WiiU/3DS was released to 4chan.<ref>https://i.imgur.com/0EcgYcz.png</ref> |
'''2020, July 24''' | '''2020, July 24''' | ||
− | Big leak of [[Other.7z|source code and prototypes of multiple Super Nintendo Entertainment System games]], [[ | + | Big leak of [[Other.7z|source code and prototypes of multiple Super Nintendo Entertainment System games]], [[20100713cvs_backup.tar.7z|full source code to Pokemon Diamond/Pearl]] (including all commits since 2006, March 8), [[netcard.7z|the source code and ROM files for the unreleased iQue NetCard]], [[other.7z|CGB and AGB bootrom source code]], as well as [[other.7z|lotcheck master ROMs of Nintendo Entertainment System and Famicom games]] were released to 4chan. This was termed the ''Gigaleak''.<ref>https://i.imgur.com/LnRJsOz.png</ref> |
'''2020, July 26''' | '''2020, July 26''' | ||
Line 139: | Line 148: | ||
'''2020, September 9''' | '''2020, September 9''' | ||
− | 3 archives were released to 4chan on this day<ref>https://i.imgur.com/hAGdlTr.png</ref>, the contents of those files include: [[ | + | 3 archives were released to 4chan on this day<ref>https://i.imgur.com/hAGdlTr.png</ref>, the contents of those files include: [[platinum.7z|Pokemon Platinum's Japanese source code and its associated SDKs]], lotcheck master ROMs of Game Boy and Game Boy Color, NTR bootrom source code, TWL IPL source code, iQue ROMs, Wii Sports Resort and Wii Fit Plus internal documentation, and many other documentation. The folders inside this leak were all modified on 3/13/2018. |
The lotcheck master ROMs had 240 ROMs that did not match the No-Intro 2020-09-05 database of GB and GBC. A non-exhaustive list of the unreleased ROMs are as follows: | The lotcheck master ROMs had 240 ROMs that did not match the No-Intro 2020-09-05 database of GB and GBC. A non-exhaustive list of the unreleased ROMs are as follows: | ||
Line 163: | Line 172: | ||
'''2020, October 17''' | '''2020, October 17''' | ||
− | 5 archives were released to 4chan on this day<ref>https://i.imgur.com/OMjpDRq.png</ref>, the contents of those files include: [[ | + | 5 archives were released to 4chan on this day<ref>https://i.imgur.com/OMjpDRq.png</ref>, the contents of those files include: [[git_program170525momiji.zip|full source code to Pokemon Sun/Moon]] (including all commits from 2014-2017), previously unseen Wii factory and repair tools (32 different versions of SDboot, Wii Backup Disc source code, previously unseen Pre-Repair Check Disk source code, Mii Support Disc), Wii factory software (121J/RVL_DIAG) source code, [[wiidump.7z|many RVL_SDK and NDEV software prerelease internal versions]], [[ios-releases.tar.7z|every single version of IOS + tons of new IOS source code]], Wii System Menu 1.0 RC1 (pre-1.0, has unused content). |
'''2020, October 21''' | '''2020, October 21''' | ||
Line 179: | Line 188: | ||
'''2020, December 21''' | '''2020, December 21''' | ||
− | 2 archives, as usual. [[Documents.7z]] and [[NintendoSDK_fromSSD_IKEDA_20151124.zip]] were released to 4chan. These archives contain a Switch SDK from 2015 as well as several documents detailing Nintendo's efforts to handle hacking, including targeting specific hackers and exploits. Not only that, | + | 2 archives, as usual. [[Documents.7z]] and [[NintendoSDK_fromSSD_IKEDA_20151124.zip]] were released to 4chan. These archives contain a Switch SDK from 2015 as well as several documents detailing Nintendo's efforts to handle hacking, including targeting specific hackers and exploits. Not only that, it also has a bunch of documents detailing other things, such as prototype Nintendo hardware and forgotten plans circa 2013-2014. |
'''2020, December 22''' | '''2020, December 22''' | ||
− | One new archive, [[Secure.7z]], was released to 4chan. This archive contains a bunch of leaked presentations and spreadsheets | + | One new archive, [[Secure.7z]], was released to 4chan. This archive contains a bunch of leaked presentations and spreadsheets, as well as source code for the Switch GameCard bootrom. It also contains plans for a different (yet familiar) design for the Nintendo Switch, the early oval design people saw in leaks from 2015 and 2016. |
'''2020, December 24''' | '''2020, December 24''' | ||
− | A few new archives were released | + | A few new archives were released to 4chan. 3 of these archives contain 3 revisions of [[t210_t214_brom.7z|the Switch's bootrom]], and the fourth archive contains a [[eevee.zip|beta ROM of the game Pokemon Let's Go Eevee]]. This game can only be run through hactool after using dev-keys however, as it hasn't been signed for retail consoles. |
+ | |||
+ | A comment on 4chan prior to this predicting that the Switch bootrom would be the final release strongly implied that this would have been the last release of data from the breach, at least from the entities responsible for the majority of the 2020 releases.<ref>https://archive.nyafuu.org/vp/thread/45746254/#45747887</ref> After this, no further leaking would continue for the next seven months, leading many people to believe the Nintendo leaks were over. | ||
+ | |||
+ | ===July 2021 - Present=== | ||
+ | '''2021, July 20''' | ||
+ | |||
+ | In lieu of popular rumors saying the Switch bootrom from December would be the end of the leaks, on July 20, 2021, the community was blown away with a total of 10 new leaks of internal Nintendo data posted to 4chan. These contained datasheets for the Wii and Switch, several source code repositories related to the Wii and GameCube (such as the source code for a Nintendo internal version of Revolution SDK 3.2, and the source code for the GameCube startup menu), more diagnostic tools, an undiscovered prototype of Pokemon Let's Go Eevee, and much more. | ||
+ | |||
+ | '''2022, September 18''' | ||
+ | |||
+ | 3 archives were released to 4chan, <code>crush.tar.gz.001</code> , <code>crush.tar.gz.002</code>, and <code>crush.tar.gz.003</code><ref>https://i.imgur.com/R6YVOTH.png</ref>. This leak contains several internal Wii disc images, including the "Wii Crusher", a disc that restores the Wii to its initial factory state before having the System Menu & firmware installed. This gives a way to install "sdboot" or "nandboot" on the Wii, official bootloaders that can run custom code from the SD card or internal NAND, which would allow for BootMii as boot2 on any Wii (including Family Edition and Mini consoles). | ||
+ | |||
+ | The following files are in the tar archive: | ||
+ | |||
+ | *<code>RV122E0A00.rvm</code> | ||
+ | *<code>RV121J0A10.rvm</code> | ||
+ | *<code>RV100J0A00.rvm</code> | ||
+ | *<code>RV064J0A00.rvm</code> | ||
+ | *<code>RV005E0A00.rvm</code> | ||
+ | *<code>crusher_eu.dev_part</code> | ||
+ | *<code>crusher_jp.dev_part</code> | ||
+ | *<code>crusher_kr.dev_part</code> | ||
+ | *<code>RVL-008J-v0.prod_part</code> | ||
+ | *<code>RVL-008K-v0.prod_part</code> | ||
+ | *<code>RVL-008P-v0.prod_part</code> | ||
+ | *<code>UPDATEPARTITION_CRUSHER_JP-v0.prod_part</code> | ||
+ | *<code>UPDATEPARTITION_CRUSHER_KR-v0.prod_part</code> | ||
+ | *<code>UPDATEPARTITION_CRUSHER-v0.prod_part</code> | ||
==Status of Source Code== | ==Status of Source Code== | ||
Line 197: | Line 234: | ||
!Status | !Status | ||
!When they were leaked | !When they were leaked | ||
− | |||
|- | |- | ||
|DMG bootrom | |DMG bootrom | ||
|Not leaked | |Not leaked | ||
− | |||
| | | | ||
|- | |- | ||
Line 207: | Line 242: | ||
|Leaked | |Leaked | ||
|2020, July 24 "gigaleak" | |2020, July 24 "gigaleak" | ||
− | |||
|- | |- | ||
|AGB bootrom | |AGB bootrom | ||
|Leaked | |Leaked | ||
|2020, July 24 "gigaleak" | |2020, July 24 "gigaleak" | ||
− | |||
|- | |- | ||
|NTR bootrom | |NTR bootrom | ||
|Leaked | |Leaked | ||
|2020, September 9 | |2020, September 9 | ||
− | |||
|- | |- | ||
− | |TWL | + | |TWL bootrom |
− | | | + | |Not leaked |
− | |||
| | | | ||
|- | |- | ||
− | |Horizon (3DS) | + | |Horizon (3DS) bootrom |
|Leaked | |Leaked | ||
|2020, May 23 | |2020, May 23 | ||
− | |||
|- | |- | ||
− | | | + | |Erista (Switch) bootrom |
|Leaked | |Leaked | ||
− | |2020, | + | |2020, Dec 24 |
− | |||
|- | |- | ||
− | |Switch | + | |Mariko (Switch) bootrom |
|Leaked | |Leaked | ||
|2020, Dec 24 | |2020, Dec 24 | ||
− | |||
|} | |} | ||
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==Ganix== | ==Ganix== | ||
− | After Zammis released the Spaceworld 97 ROMs to the pret | + | After Zammis released the Spaceworld 97 ROMs to the pret Discord server with a limit of only 20 downloads, Team Spaceworld (TSW) was founded, made up of people who got the ROM. TSW's goals were to write documentation as well as create a translation for the Spaceworld ROMs. Zammis talked about the files he had in TSW, and sent it to several people for archival. He also shared screenshots. Soon after the Spaceworld ROM was shared in pret, screenshots of the build were slowly posted to 4chan's /vp/ board. The hype ramped up and was at a maximum when the ROM got leaked. The translation was never finished (files for an unfinished translation were released on 2020, Apr 22 - this was presumed to have been from TSW) and TSW becomes quiet. |
− | |||
− | Soon after the Spaceworld ROM was shared in pret, screenshots of the build were slowly posted to 4chan's /vp/ board. The hype ramped up and was at a maximum when the ROM got leaked. The translation was never finished (files for an unfinished translation were released on 2020, Apr 22 - this was presumed to have been from TSW) and TSW becomes quiet. | ||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | + | Ganix was one of the people whom Zammis entrusted his data with. He anonymously shared the Blue/Yellow assets with Helix Chamber and helped create the Pokethon ROM (using the Blue/Yellow source code and prototype assets). In December 2019, when Ganix uploaded the Diamond/Pearl beta sprites, a friend of his leaked the URL and doxxed him on 4chan. Ganix then admitted to uploading the beta sprites as well as other actions on the Glitch City Laboratories Forums, stating he had deleted everything.<ref>https://archives.glitchcity.info/forums/board-2/thread-8950/page-0.html</ref> | |
− | In April 2020, Ganix posted screenshots of the following: Pokemon Mystery Dungeon (GBA) debug menu, Pokemon Generation 3 games' debug menu and Pokemon Ranger builds in the Hall of Origin Discord server.<ref>https://i.imgur.com/TlFkkQz.png</ref> He deleted those messages shortly after posting them. These were later | + | In March 2020, everything else TSW still had (given to them by Ganix) were released on 4chan (refer to the 2020, March 19 leak above). Ganix got furious and made a long statement on Discord, saying how TSW could not be trusted. He also referred to the content Zammis gave him as "bad data", resulting in that phrase becoming synonymous with him. In April 2020, Ganix posted screenshots of the following: Pokemon Mystery Dungeon (GBA) debug menu, Pokemon Generation 3 games' debug menu and Pokemon Ranger builds in the Hall of Origin Discord server.<ref>https://i.imgur.com/TlFkkQz.png</ref> He deleted those messages shortly after posting them. These were later released on 4chan (refer to 2020, May 19 and 2020, September 30 leaks above).<references /> |
==See also== | ==See also== | ||
Line 365: | Line 387: | ||
*[[List of leaked files from the Zammis Clark Breach]] | *[[List of leaked files from the Zammis Clark Breach]] | ||
*[[Leaks/Downloads]] | *[[Leaks/Downloads]] | ||
− | *[https://protocrystal.neocities.org/timeline.html "Gigaleak Timeline" | + | *[https://protocrystal.neocities.org/timeline.html "Gigaleak Timeline"] |
{{LeakNavbox}} | {{LeakNavbox}} | ||
__FORCETOC__ | __FORCETOC__ |
Latest revision as of 01:25, 12 October 2024
The Zammis Clark Breach (also known as the "Gigaleak" and the "2020 Nintendo data leak") was a data breach of internal Nintendo files carried out by British security researcher Zammis Clark.
The breach occurred in March 2018 when Zammis Clark illegally obtained access to Nintendo's internal network, accessing servers used for the development of Nintendo's games and consoles. Zammis downloaded a large number of files from these servers rumoured to total over 2.54 terabytes[1], including the source code and development files for various Nintendo games as well as development repositories for Nintendo systems including the Wii, iQue Player, and 3DS.
The earliest known date associated with the breach is March 13th, 2018; this is the modified date for every folder in the September 2nd leak's files. The build of the second archive in the October 21st leak was also made on the same day. The last known date associated with the breach is May 25th, 2018; a build of Pokemon Sword from this date was leaked in October 2020.
While the contents of the breach have not been released publicly in full, a number of files from the breach have been gradually leaked to the public since it occurred, ranging from the initial release in April 2018 up to September 2022. While the initial releases were done by Zammis himself, Zammis disappeared from the Internet (presumably due to prosecution by law enforcement) in late 2018 before news reports were released in early 2019 stating that he had been arrested for the breach. Reportedly, he was not incarcerated due to concerns over his autism making him a potential target while in prison.
Even though Zammis has been arrested and is presumably no longer allowed to access the Internet unsupervised, files from his breach continue to be leaked to the public (primarily on 4chan), implying that Zammis gave out data to a number of individuals prior to his arrest who are now slowly distributing it to the public.
Contents
Timeline of Releases
April 2018 - April 2020
This was the very beginning of the Nintendo data leaks. Things including undiscovered Pokemon demos, debug ROMs, data from the 80s and 90s, and more data would be released during this period. Some of the most important leaks, the "Holy Grails" of rare gaming data also happened during this period.
2018, April 27
Zammis releases the iQue Player SDK and its unencrypted ROMs through the SUXXORS scene release group.[2]
2018, May 26
Zammis shares the Pokemon Spaceworld 97 ROMs with the pret Discord server, through a Firefox Send link with a limit of 20 downloads.[3]
2018, May 31
Pokemon Spaceworld 97 Gold ROM leaks to 4chan.[4]
Pokemon Spaceworld 97 Silver ROM leaks to 8chan.[5]
2018, September 9
Hiccup shares the lotcheck spreadsheets he received from Zammis in the Video Game Preservation Collective (VGPC) Discord server.
2019, Feb 18
Helix Chamber releases the Pokemon Red/Green/Blue prototype assets they received from Ganix.[6] These were later found in the Gold/Silver/Crystal source code leak.
2019, June 17
Ganix shares a Japanese Diamond debug ROM with The Cutting Room Floor (TCRF)[7] Discord server, claiming to have dumped it from a cartridge. He also supplemented it with a picture of the cartridge[8], and mentioned that he modified a few strings in the ROM in order to protect the safety of the developers. This (claiming to have dumped it from a cartridge) was later believed to be a lie as the ROM was most probably compiled from the Diamond/Pearl source code.
2019, December 19
Ganix uploads the Diamond/Pearl beta sprites and a friend of his leaks the site URL to 4chan.[9] This was later found in the full Diamond/Pearl source code leak.
2020, March 19
A debug build of Pokemon Blue and Yellow was released to 4chan. The release also included a file named CRYSTAL_BY_NUM.SYM
as well as screenshots of: an internal Game Boy manual, an official Game Boy emulator, a debug menu of Pokemon Gold, and a Pokemon Diamond/Pearl prototype. [10]
Said file, the official Game Boy emulator, and the debug build of Pokemon Gold was later found in the Gold/Silver/Crystal source code leak. The internal Game Boy manual was found in the Gigaleak and the Pokemon Diamond/Pearl prototype could be compiled from the source code in the Gigaleak as well.
2020, April 11
The Nintendo lotcheck spreadsheets previously shared on VGPC (on 2018, September 9) were released to 4chan. The spreadsheets contain data for these consoles: Nintendo Entertainment System, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Nintendo 64, Nintendo 64DD, Virtual Boy, Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, Nintendo DSi, Pokemon Mini. (These were previously sent by Zammis on Discord in 2018, and were not redistributed by the unknown group responsible for the other leak releases.)[11]
2020, April 12
Pokemon Blue/Yellow's localization source code was released to 4chan, with the password poke1024.[12] On the same day, debug builds of Pokemon Gold and Silver were also released to 4chan.[13]
2020, April 25
Pokemon Gold/Silver/Crystal's source code was released to 4chan, which included Spaceworld 99 Gold and Silver.[14]
2020, April 28
Titlekeys for DSiWare and WiiWare titles were released to 4chan.[15] These were generated using the Wii/DSi/WiiU/3DS titlekey generation algorithm, which was later released. 3DS .cia files of the following titles were also released:
- Mew Trading App(E)
- NinoTool
- O-Power ROM
- Mew Trading App(J)
- CTR-N-NAGA
- CTR-N-AJZA
- CTR-N-AXDA
- Pokémon Anti-Cheat
- Don't touch this title (This is NDO Production Test Title)
- CTR-N-AJ7A
2020, April 29
3DS .cia files of the following titles were released:
- 000400000001A8A00.1040
- 000400000001A8A00.2080
- 000400000001A8A00.3120
May - December 2020, the "Gigaleak" era
In May of 2020, a new era of leaking had begun. More and more data from wack0's data breach would continue to be leaked to Pokemon Proto General on 4chan, rapidly increasing in volume with every new leak. Lots of very important BroadOn, iQue and Wii-related data was leaked during this time.
2020, May 2
Main page: unsorted.7z
Source code and documentation for the iQue Player and Wii was released on 4chan. This leak consisted of two BroadOn source trees, including the IOS source code and project page and the iQue Player software source code. As part of the iQue Player files, some internal data relating to the Nintendo 64 (similar to the contents of the Oman Archive) was found in the leak as well.[16]
2020, May 7
Main page: hw.7z
Header files of the 3DS version of Horizon OS was released to 4chan.[17]
2020, May 9
Main page: 3DS_manu.7z
"Factory firmware setup cartridge for EUR n2DSXL" was released to 4chan. Shortly after, the full factory files (including the previous firmware setup cartridge) were released. [18]
2020, May 19
Main page: gen3.7z
Pokemon Ruby/Sapphire/FireRed/LeafGreen's Japanese source code was released to 4chan.[19]
2020, May 21
Pokemon X/Y "distribution rom for debug" was released to 4chan.[20]
2020, May 23
Source code and documentation for the Nintendo 3DS was released to 4chan.[21] On the same day, source code to the Nintendo 3DS's Virtual Console was released to 4chan[22], as well as Pokemon Diamond/Pearl's Japanese source code.[23]
2020, May 24
More source code for the Nintendo 3DS was released to 4chan.[24]
2020, May 29
Nintendo's titlekey generation code for Wii/DSi/WiiU/3DS was released to 4chan.[25]
2020, July 24
Big leak of source code and prototypes of multiple Super Nintendo Entertainment System games, full source code to Pokemon Diamond/Pearl (including all commits since 2006, March 8), the source code and ROM files for the unreleased iQue NetCard, CGB and AGB bootrom source code, as well as lotcheck master ROMs of Nintendo Entertainment System and Famicom games were released to 4chan. This was termed the Gigaleak.[26]
2020, July 26
Main page: bbgames.7z
iQue/BroadOn localization source code for multiple Nintendo 64 games were released to 4chan. This was termed the Gigaleak 2 and received media attention for containing partial Super Mario 64 source code including unused data.[27]
2020, September 2
Main page: emeralds.7z
Pokemon Emerald's localization source code, as well as ATI's Wii source tree (including full hardware source code for the Wii) and the Wii Startup Disc partition data, was released to 4chan.[28] The Emerald source also included a map editor; a screenshot of it was floating around in 4chan prior to this leak, and the leak proved that it was genuine.
2020, September 9
3 archives were released to 4chan on this day[29], the contents of those files include: Pokemon Platinum's Japanese source code and its associated SDKs, lotcheck master ROMs of Game Boy and Game Boy Color, NTR bootrom source code, TWL IPL source code, iQue ROMs, Wii Sports Resort and Wii Fit Plus internal documentation, and many other documentation. The folders inside this leak were all modified on 3/13/2018.
The lotcheck master ROMs had 240 ROMs that did not match the No-Intro 2020-09-05 database of GB and GBC. A non-exhaustive list of the unreleased ROMs are as follows:
- Lunar Chase (X in English)
- Sutte Hakkun (1996 and 1998 builds)
- Gargoyle's Quest II (English)
- "Kick Attack" (Magnetic Soccer in Japanese)
- Game Boy Camera Hello Kitty
- Gimmick Land aka Tomato Adventure
- Hajimari no Mori (GBC version)
- Pokemon Picross
- Edd the Duck
- Donkey Kong Land III prototype
- Workboy
- MBC3 tester
- MBC5 tester
2020, September 30
Debug and demo builds of Pokemon Ranger and Mystery Dungeon, irisSDK, and lotcheck master ROMs of Famicom Disk System were released to 4chan.[30]
2020, October 17
5 archives were released to 4chan on this day[31], the contents of those files include: full source code to Pokemon Sun/Moon (including all commits from 2014-2017), previously unseen Wii factory and repair tools (32 different versions of SDboot, Wii Backup Disc source code, previously unseen Pre-Repair Check Disk source code, Mii Support Disc), Wii factory software (121J/RVL_DIAG) source code, many RVL_SDK and NDEV software prerelease internal versions, every single version of IOS + tons of new IOS source code, Wii System Menu 1.0 RC1 (pre-1.0, has unused content).
2020, October 21
Main page: October 2020 Pokémon Sword leaks
2 archives, develop_Develop_30_20171222164419.zip
and develop_Develop_264_20180326134219_Sword.zip
and were released to 4chan on this day[32]. The first archive is a debug build of Pokemon Sword/Shield dated 2017, December 22 with the password ejfid934. The second archive contains a debug build of Pokemon Sword/Shield dated 2018, March 26, along with a .nss file. The password is JF9034jf.
2020, October 22
Main page: October 2020 Pokémon Sword leaks
2 new archives, develop_Develop_562_20180525204848_Sword.zip.001
and develop_Develop_562_20180525204848_Sword.zip.002
were released to 4chan on this day. The password is f9fdja9.
2020, December 21
2 archives, as usual. Documents.7z and NintendoSDK_fromSSD_IKEDA_20151124.zip were released to 4chan. These archives contain a Switch SDK from 2015 as well as several documents detailing Nintendo's efforts to handle hacking, including targeting specific hackers and exploits. Not only that, it also has a bunch of documents detailing other things, such as prototype Nintendo hardware and forgotten plans circa 2013-2014.
2020, December 22
One new archive, Secure.7z, was released to 4chan. This archive contains a bunch of leaked presentations and spreadsheets, as well as source code for the Switch GameCard bootrom. It also contains plans for a different (yet familiar) design for the Nintendo Switch, the early oval design people saw in leaks from 2015 and 2016.
2020, December 24
A few new archives were released to 4chan. 3 of these archives contain 3 revisions of the Switch's bootrom, and the fourth archive contains a beta ROM of the game Pokemon Let's Go Eevee. This game can only be run through hactool after using dev-keys however, as it hasn't been signed for retail consoles.
A comment on 4chan prior to this predicting that the Switch bootrom would be the final release strongly implied that this would have been the last release of data from the breach, at least from the entities responsible for the majority of the 2020 releases.[33] After this, no further leaking would continue for the next seven months, leading many people to believe the Nintendo leaks were over.
July 2021 - Present
2021, July 20
In lieu of popular rumors saying the Switch bootrom from December would be the end of the leaks, on July 20, 2021, the community was blown away with a total of 10 new leaks of internal Nintendo data posted to 4chan. These contained datasheets for the Wii and Switch, several source code repositories related to the Wii and GameCube (such as the source code for a Nintendo internal version of Revolution SDK 3.2, and the source code for the GameCube startup menu), more diagnostic tools, an undiscovered prototype of Pokemon Let's Go Eevee, and much more.
2022, September 18
3 archives were released to 4chan, crush.tar.gz.001
, crush.tar.gz.002
, and crush.tar.gz.003
[34]. This leak contains several internal Wii disc images, including the "Wii Crusher", a disc that restores the Wii to its initial factory state before having the System Menu & firmware installed. This gives a way to install "sdboot" or "nandboot" on the Wii, official bootloaders that can run custom code from the SD card or internal NAND, which would allow for BootMii as boot2 on any Wii (including Family Edition and Mini consoles).
The following files are in the tar archive:
RV122E0A00.rvm
RV121J0A10.rvm
RV100J0A00.rvm
RV064J0A00.rvm
RV005E0A00.rvm
crusher_eu.dev_part
crusher_jp.dev_part
crusher_kr.dev_part
RVL-008J-v0.prod_part
RVL-008K-v0.prod_part
RVL-008P-v0.prod_part
UPDATEPARTITION_CRUSHER_JP-v0.prod_part
UPDATEPARTITION_CRUSHER_KR-v0.prod_part
UPDATEPARTITION_CRUSHER-v0.prod_part
Status of Source Code
Bootroms
Name | Status | When they were leaked |
---|---|---|
DMG bootrom | Not leaked | |
CGB bootrom | Leaked | 2020, July 24 "gigaleak" |
AGB bootrom | Leaked | 2020, July 24 "gigaleak" |
NTR bootrom | Leaked | 2020, September 9 |
TWL bootrom | Not leaked | |
Horizon (3DS) bootrom | Leaked | 2020, May 23 |
Erista (Switch) bootrom | Leaked | 2020, Dec 24 |
Mariko (Switch) bootrom | Leaked | 2020, Dec 24 |
Pokemon
Name | Status | When they were leaked | Region | Includes full source control? |
---|---|---|---|---|
Red/Green | Not leaked | |||
Blue/Yellow | Leaked | 2020, April 12 | Localization | No |
Gold/Silver | Leaked | 2020, April 25 | All | Yes (there are compressed archives of the source at different points in time) |
Crystal | Leaked | 2020, April 25 | All | No |
Ruby/Sapphire | Leaked | 2020, May 19 | Japan | No |
FireRed/LeafGreen | Leaked | 2020, May 19 | Japan | No |
Emerald | Leaked | 2020, September 2 | Localization | No |
Diamond/Pearl | Leaked | 2020, May 23 and 2020, July 24 | All | Yes |
Platinum | Leaked | 2020, September 9 | Japan | No |
HeartGold/SoulSilver | Not leaked | |||
Black/White | Not leaked | |||
Black 2 /White 2 | Not leaked | |||
X/Y | Not leaked | |||
Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire | Not leaked | |||
Sun/Moon | Leaked | 2020, October 17 | - | Yes |
Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon | Leaked | 2020, October 17
*cuts into mid development |
- | Yes |
Ganix
After Zammis released the Spaceworld 97 ROMs to the pret Discord server with a limit of only 20 downloads, Team Spaceworld (TSW) was founded, made up of people who got the ROM. TSW's goals were to write documentation as well as create a translation for the Spaceworld ROMs. Zammis talked about the files he had in TSW, and sent it to several people for archival. He also shared screenshots. Soon after the Spaceworld ROM was shared in pret, screenshots of the build were slowly posted to 4chan's /vp/ board. The hype ramped up and was at a maximum when the ROM got leaked. The translation was never finished (files for an unfinished translation were released on 2020, Apr 22 - this was presumed to have been from TSW) and TSW becomes quiet.
Ganix was one of the people whom Zammis entrusted his data with. He anonymously shared the Blue/Yellow assets with Helix Chamber and helped create the Pokethon ROM (using the Blue/Yellow source code and prototype assets). In December 2019, when Ganix uploaded the Diamond/Pearl beta sprites, a friend of his leaked the URL and doxxed him on 4chan. Ganix then admitted to uploading the beta sprites as well as other actions on the Glitch City Laboratories Forums, stating he had deleted everything.[36]
In March 2020, everything else TSW still had (given to them by Ganix) were released on 4chan (refer to the 2020, March 19 leak above). Ganix got furious and made a long statement on Discord, saying how TSW could not be trusted. He also referred to the content Zammis gave him as "bad data", resulting in that phrase becoming synonymous with him. In April 2020, Ganix posted screenshots of the following: Pokemon Mystery Dungeon (GBA) debug menu, Pokemon Generation 3 games' debug menu and Pokemon Ranger builds in the Hall of Origin Discord server.[37] He deleted those messages shortly after posting them. These were later released on 4chan (refer to 2020, May 19 and 2020, September 30 leaks above).
- ↑ https://archive.nyafuu.org/vp/thread/38502730/#38508085
- ↑ https://nintendosoup.com/nintendos-ique-player-hacked-fifteen-years-after-launches/
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20200728044057/https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/705829278851268649/736921633515896872/post.jpg
- ↑ https://i.imgur.com/UsGGX4x.png
- ↑ https://i.imgur.com/y31FWhm.png
- ↑ https://i.imgur.com/wHIQ1CJ.png
- ↑ https://i.imgur.com/sN3Z4Jh.png
- ↑ https://i.imgur.com/5etiK9n.png https://i.imgur.com/Iadwsl6.jpg
- ↑ https://i.imgur.com/wL3L1rv.png
- ↑ https://i.imgur.com/OQ50o2a.png
- ↑ https://i.imgur.com/uYmwKBa.png
- ↑ https://i.imgur.com/yTFaP4j.png
- ↑ https://i.imgur.com/us6TyAH.png
- ↑ https://i.imgur.com/jMc7Pp1.png
- ↑ https://i.imgur.com/DoxjTNE.png
- ↑ https://i.imgur.com/COFLHEo.png
- ↑ https://i.imgur.com/B40eALm.png
- ↑ https://i.imgur.com/sogDewS.png
- ↑ https://i.imgur.com/c5XUZiZ.png
- ↑ https://i.imgur.com/duSgmWe.png
- ↑ https://i.imgur.com/MwWazSn.png
- ↑ https://i.imgur.com/GJ327LN.png
- ↑ https://i.imgur.com/aLAD9Km.png
- ↑ https://i.imgur.com/tUUyyud.png
- ↑ https://i.imgur.com/0EcgYcz.png
- ↑ https://i.imgur.com/LnRJsOz.png
- ↑ https://i.imgur.com/x9ovGMK.png
- ↑ https://i.imgur.com/v8tPfo3.png
- ↑ https://i.imgur.com/hAGdlTr.png
- ↑ https://i.imgur.com/yNAgyhK.png
- ↑ https://i.imgur.com/OMjpDRq.png
- ↑ https://i.imgur.com/1L21KDA.png
- ↑ https://archive.nyafuu.org/vp/thread/45746254/#45747887
- ↑ https://i.imgur.com/R6YVOTH.png
- ↑ Credit: Starfrost
- ↑ https://archives.glitchcity.info/forums/board-2/thread-8950/page-0.html
- ↑ https://i.imgur.com/TlFkkQz.png
See also