Xbox cracking project goes Linux

The Neo Project, a group of computing hobbyists using distributed computing techniques to crack security challenges, has released a Linux version of its Xbox cracking software. Operation Project X is a small, downloadable application that uses otherwise idle PC resources to try to guess the 2,048-bit encryption code used by Microsoft's Xbox game console. Cracking the security code would allow hackers to run homemade software on unmodified game machines, satisfying a $100,000 hacking contest sponsored by Lindows founder Michael Robertson.

The Linux version of the software not only runs on PCs using the open-source operating system but also could conceivably run on the Xbox itself. Hackers have created several Xbox versions of Linux designed to run on modified game machines.