A new Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S and Xbox One SystemOS kernel exploit called Collateral Damage was released online today, giving users total control over the SystemOS virtual machine to do things normally not possible in retail mode.
The Collateral Damage exploit, which was developed by Emma Kirkpatrick and Lander Brandt, targets systems running kernel versions 25398.4478, 25398.4908, and 25398.4909 and uses the Game Script UWP application. As explained by one of the exploit's developers on X/Twitter, this isn't a jailbreak, as SystemOS is the virtual machine where apps run, which is the same environment users get control over when enabling dev mode. As such, the exploit doesn't allow piracy but essentially gives users full control of SystemOS without dev mode.
Being the first release, the Collateral Damage Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S exploit is not fully reliable, as it relies on a CPU side channel as well as race conditions, which can fail. In case they do fail, the console will simply crash and reboot, so there should not be any danger of bricking a system. Additionally, the exploit is best used offline for obvious reasons.
Even without this exploit, which could definitely lead to some interesting developments, the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S were already homebrew-friendly systems thanks to dev mode. Multiple emulators for older gaming systems can already run on the systems, and some recent developments may lead to Microsoft's current-generation systems emulating PlayStation 3 games even before the PlayStation 5.
About the author: Francesco De Meo has been covering video games and technology since 2012, starting his career at small outlets like Gamersyndrome and GeekSnack. After joining Wccftech gaming section in 2015, he quickly expanded his video gaming coverage with in-depth reporting, interviews with iconic industry figures such as Grasshopper Manufacture founder and No More Heroes creator Goichi "Suda51" Suda, Resident Evil series creator Shinji Mikami, Team NINJA's president and Nioh series director Fumihiko Yasuda, and Silent Hill creator Keiichiro Toyama, reviews and on-the-ground coverage of major industry events such as Gamescom and E3. When he's not reporting or reviewing, Francesco can be found playing the genres he loves most, spending time with his six cats, reading, writing music, playing guitar and drumming for his progressive rock band.
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