Nintendo has published on its Japanese site an alert concerning two official accessories: the Wi-Fi USB Connector NTR-010 and the Wi-Fi Network Adapter WAP-001. The two accessories, sold between 2005 and 2013 to connect certain consoles to the Internet, including the Nintendo DS, do not have sufficient security protocols according to 2022 standards. The Japanese firm is asking players to no longer use them.
Internet-related technologies are advancing at breakneck speed. Come to think of it, it hasn’t been that long since all of our devices have been connecting to the internet. And they’ve been doing it automatically for even less time thanks to the WiFi network. A network that has become considerably more secure in recent years by adopting increasingly complex access protocols. We went from WEP in 1999 to WPA3 in 2018, to WPA in 2003 and to WPA2 in 2004.
Read also – WiFi: how to secure the home network
When you develop a connected product, unfortunately you don’t think that these technologies will not only evolve quickly, but that they will also prevent users from using them or pose a risk to their personal data. Let’s take two examples. the Nabaztag, a cute little connected rabbit, can only support a WEP access key, a protocol whose use is strongly discouraged because it is too weak in terms of security. From then on, the rabbit is as useful as a paperweight or a door stopper, despite the existence of servers that continue to keep newer rabbits alive (the Nabaztag-tag).
Nintendo accessories to connect the DS are obsolete
Second example, the Nintendo DS. It’s a very good portable console, with a very rich toy library. But to connect it to the Internet and access certain services included in the games, you need a very special connection. Either a WEP router or one of the accessories Nintendo sold at the time. And these represent today a risk to user safety. It’s not us who say it, but Nintendo, through its official website.
On the official support of the Japanese firm, it is indicated that two network accessories, used to connect certain consoles to the Internet, including the Nintendo DS (but also compatible with the Wii, the 3DS and the Wii U), are now archaic and dangerous. for player safety. The two accessories are the Wi-Fi USB Connector NTR-010 and the Wi-Fi Network Adapter WAP-001. The name of the models is important, because there are several versions. Some support newer protocols, while these are blocked in WEP.
The first accessory was sold from 2005 to 2010 and the second from 2008 to 2013. Both are protected by WEP keys that are too easy to decrypt. And the WAP-001 router is even, by default, unsecured. In addition, it is possible to rewrite the firmware of the router and use it to deliver malicious code to devices that connect to it. Nintendo therefore asks all players who own one of these two devices to deactivate them and use another method to access the Internet.
Source : nintendo
