In December last year, Nintendo released a remaster update for its obsolete 3DS messaging app Exchange note.
There were a lot of fans wondering what was really going on at the time, as it didn’t look at all remastering. Nintendo’s patch notes provided with this software update said they “fixed some issues,” but, as usual, they weren’t worked out.
It turns out the story goes a little deeper, with the “OatmealDome” data analyzer conveying how the note-sharing service had a vulnerability in the message analyzer that could be exploited via StreetPass; in turn, it allowed an “attacker” to execute any code he wanted.
The individual behind this discovery “mrnbayoh‘received $ 1,682 from Nintendo (via HackerOne) as a reward. So here it is: this “likely” explains why Nintendo released an update years after disabling the app’s main feature.
In case you don’t remember, this free service was effectively discontinued in 2013 when Nintendo discovered that users were exchanging offensive material. It then turned off online functionality, limiting it to the local wireless network.