Xbox security issues and forensic recovery methodology (utilising Linux)

Though marketed as a games console, the Xbox internals demonstrate that it is more comparable to a legacy free PC than to the construction of any of its gaming system rivals. Once exploited the Xbox can be used to execute illegal software and/or to run Linux installations - hence allowing such a system to be used as any home PC with full email and Internet access. The console can then be used to harbour indecent images, illegal software, fraudulent documents or anything else that a standard PC might. Mod chips and exploits of the Xbox are not only easy to execute, requiring little technical knowledge, but they are also inexpensive; some Xbox mod chips cost less than a new game. Furthermore, the digital evidence and evidence trails associated with such a system are similar to those of home PCs. This paper presents a methodology of assessing an Xbox system's evidential value and the methodology of extracting and examining a console should it be deemed of potential forensic value.