New security measures implemented in a recent Xbox hardware update have been broken by hackers less than three weeks after the revised consoles hit the shelves, allowing mod chip groups to update their products for compatibility with the new hardware.

The new security system, which was thought to disable the operation of all previously existing mod chips, was broken in under a week of work by a UK-based group of enthusiasts keen to get the Linux operating system running on Xbox hardware. The new system was rolled out by Microsoft along with a number of other hardware changes designed to cut the manufacturing costs of the console.

The programmers responsible for the hack now fully expect Microsoft to respond by updating the Xbox yet again, fixing the loophole that they used to compromise the security of the platform. It seems likely that this will become a regular cycle for the Xbox, as Microsoft's engineers race to keep the console's protection systems one step ahead of hackers.

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