Book Review: Title: Hacking the Xbox: An Introduction to Reverse Engineering Author: Andrew "bunnie" Huang Publisher: No Starch Press ISBN: 891450291 Review Date: March 26, 2004 Rating: 10/10

Hacking the Xbox: An Introduction to Reverse Engineering, is an in-depth guide to the internals of the Xbox, and descriptions of hands on modifications that can be made to it. It also describes the technical and legal aspects of reverse engineering at both high and low levels. This is an excellent book for anyone interested in understanding how a Xbox (or PC) really works.

Pros:

• Understand about hacking and reverse engineering.

One of the themes behind the book is who reverse engineers these types of devices, and why do they do it. There are many interesting interviews with members of the Xbox team.

• Excellent description of computer architecture.

If you've ever stared at your computer's motherboard and wondered what all the components do, Chapter 2 will explain it all. If you're not familiar with the actual electronics that make your box tick, you'll get a lot out of this section.

• Step by step modification instructions (with photos).

There are three modifications that are described in the book, starting from easist to most difficult: adding a different colored LED, building a USB adapter, and replacing the power supply. There are detailed instructions on soldering and where to get the tools and parts.

• Computer security overview.

Understand what security measures Microsoft used on the Xbox (both hardware and encryption).

• Legal issues of hacking and reverse engineering.

Chapter 12 was contributed by Lee Tien, Senior Staff Attorney with the Electronic Frontier Foundation. There is a detailed description of what are the major legal issues facing "hackers" today regarding intellectual property: patents, copyrights, and trade secrets. This is an excellent resource for understanding the DMCA and other harmful laws. This is a must read.

Cons:

• Needs more information on software mods.

The book is written from a hardware perspective. There is a chapter on software modifications, but a little more detail would be nice. Of course, this book was written before many of the software mods were discovered and made popular.

In a nutshell, this is a wonderful book. It is great reading for anyone interested in computer internals, no matter if you own an Xbox or not.