Wii U Boot1 Exploit: Data Recovery Leads to 'Paid the Beak'
2025-07-19
This post details how a team, through recovering data from destroyed Nintendo Wii U factory test SD cards, unexpectedly discovered and exploited a Boot1 vulnerability. WiiCurious gathered numerous damaged SD cards, and DeadlyFoez used expert soldering skills to repair and read the data. Reverse engineer Rairii found a Boot1 vulnerability within this data and developed an exploit called 'paid the beak,' capable of fixing most Wii U software bricks. Additionally, the team developed methods using a Raspberry Pi Pico and PICAXE 08M2 to mimic the factory-specific tool needed to trigger the vulnerability. This exploit provides a more accessible way to fix Wii U bricks, avoiding the need for console disassembly and soldering.
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Data Recovery