3DS:Luma3DS/PIN lock: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 02:27, 25 September 2022

With Luma3DS' configuration menu, you can create a PIN lock using ABXY and the four D-Pad directions which must be entered before the system can boot into payloads (such as GodMode9) or into HOME Menu. If you have a splash screen active, the splash will always display after the PIN is entered correctly.

This PIN can easily be bypassed by anyone who knows what they're doing, so it is generally only useful as a childproofing measure.

PIN Setup

Hold SELECT while powering on your device to enter the Luma3DS configuration menu
Press A on the PIN lock to choose a number of buttons to use for your PIN (4, 6, or 8)
Press START to exit the Luma3DS Configuration screen
You will be prompted to enter the PIN using ABXY and the DPad
- The PIN will be set as soon as you enter all the buttons (there will be no confirmation)
- If you make a mistake, press SELECT to clear your inputs

PIN Screen Customization

These two types of customization are incompatible. If both are present, the PIN Splash will always override the PIN Message.

PIN Message

If you place a text file with the name pinmessage.txt in SD://luma that is at most 800 characters long, the message inside that file will be displayed on the bottom screen of the PIN screen. Due to how Windows handles line breaks, Luma3DS may display a ♪ character at the end of each line if the message was written on Windows.

PIN Splash

By placing a splash image file named splashpin.bin in SD://luma that has the same dimensions as a splashbottom.bin (320x240), that image will be displayed on the bottom screen of the PIN screen. See here for instructions on creating a splash image file.

Limitations

PIN Bypass

A PIN set via Luma3DS can be pretty easily bypassed through multiple methods:

The PIN itself is stored as a file on the SD card (SD://luma/pin.bin), so if it is deleted, Luma3DS acts as if it never existed and allows you to boot normally.
- This does not disable the setting in the configuration menu; if you boot into Luma configuration again but don't disable the PIN option, it will prompt you for a new PIN as normal.
Switching out the boot.firm file can disable the PIN:
- If upgrading or downgrading Luma3DS, config.ini / config.bin may be reset, which includes disabling the PIN
- boot.firm on SD card normally supersedes boot.firm on CTRNAND, which includes any PIN configuration that might be on CTRNAND
If using fastboot3DS instead of boot9strap, the fastboot3DS chainloader acting earlier in the boot process than Luma means that you can boot into GodMode9 and delete pin.bin before the PIN menu can appear

PIN Bruteforce

The Luma3DS PIN screen allows you unlimited tries with no delay to guess the PIN, meaning that even if none of the PIN Bypass methods are available to you, you can still force your way into the system. This is mostly impractical - the maximum number of PINs are 4096 for 4 digits, 262,144 for 6 digits, and 16,777,216 for 8 digits - but the possibility still remains, and against a 4-digit PIN it's even relatively feasible.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-With Luma3DS' [[3DS:Luma3DS/Configuration|configuration menu]], you can create a PIN lock using ABXY and the four D-Pad directions which must be entered before the system will boot. However, note that due to its limitations, it is impractical for all purposes except as a childproofing measure.
+With Luma3DS' [[3DS:Luma3DS/Configuration|configuration menu]], you can create a PIN lock using ABXY and the four D-Pad directions which must be entered before the system can boot into payloads (such as GodMode9) or into HOME Menu. If you have a [[3DS:Splash screens|splash screen]] active, the splash will always display ''after'' the PIN is entered correctly.
+This PIN can easily be bypassed by anyone who knows what they're doing, so it is generally only useful as a childproofing measure.
 ==PIN Setup==
-Hold {{B|SELECT}} while powering on your device to enter the Luma3DS Configuration Menu, then press {{B|A}} on the <code>PIN lock</code> to choose a number of digits to use for your PIN: 4, 6, or 8. Once you have chosen a number, press {{B|START}} to exit the Luma3DS Configuration screen. At this point, you will be prompted to enter the PIN using ABXY and the DPad - once you have entered the number of digits you chose, the PIN will be set, so be careful not to push a button incorrectly. Once set, you will be prompted for the PIN before you can access the Luma3DS Chainloader, Luma3DS Configuration, or boot into the system.
-If you have a [[3DS:Splash screens|splash]] active, the splash will always display ''after'' the PIN is entered correctly.
+# Hold {{B|SELECT}} while powering on your device to enter the Luma3DS configuration menu
+# Press {{B|A}} on the <code>PIN lock</code> to choose a number of buttons to use for your PIN (4, 6, or 8)
+# Press {{B|START}} to exit the Luma3DS Configuration screen
+# You will be prompted to enter the PIN using ABXY and the DPad
+#* The PIN will be set as soon as you enter all the buttons (there will be no confirmation)
+#* If you make a mistake, press SELECT to clear your inputs
 ==PIN Screen Customization==
-{{warning|These two types of customization are incompatible. If both are present, the PIN Splash will always override the PIN Message.}}
+{{info|These two types of customization are incompatible. If both are present, the PIN Splash will always override the PIN Message.}}
 ===PIN Message===
-If you place a text file with the name <code>pinmessage.txt</code> in <code>SD://luma</code> that is at most 800 characters long, the message inside that file will be displayed on the bottom screen of the PIN screen, with new lines also adding the ♪ character at the end of the previous line.
+If you place a text file with the name <code>pinmessage.txt</code> in <code>SD://luma</code> that is at most 800 characters long, the message inside that file will be displayed on the bottom screen of the PIN screen. Due to how Windows handles [[Wikipedia:Newline|line breaks]], Luma3DS may display a ♪ character at the end of each line if the message was written on Windows.
 ===PIN Splash===
-By placing a splash image file named <code>splashpin.bin</code> in <code>SD://luma</code> that has the same dimensions as a <code>splashbottom.bin</code> '''(320x240)''', that image will be displayed on the bottom screen of the PIN screen.
+By placing a splash image file named <code>splashpin.bin</code> in <code>SD://luma</code> that has the same dimensions as a <code>splashbottom.bin</code> '''(320x240)''', that image will be displayed on the bottom screen of the PIN screen. See [[3DS:Splash_screens#Creating_a_splash_screen|here]] for instructions on creating a splash image file.
 ==Limitations==
 ===PIN Bypass===
-A PIN set via Luma3DS is easy to get rid of via multiple methods - all of them understandable, as either you could potentially lock yourself out of your own system otherwise or the weakness is outside of Luma's control - but regardless, it weakens its practical value even when Luma is installed as bootloader (FIRM0/1). The potential weaknesses allowing for this are as follows:
+A PIN set via Luma3DS can be pretty easily bypassed through multiple methods:
-* The PIN itself is stored as an encrypted file, <code>SD://luma/pin.bin</code>, but if deleted, Luma3DS acts as if it never existed and allows you to boot normally.
+* The PIN itself is stored as a file on the SD card (<code>SD://luma/pin.bin</code>), so if it is deleted, Luma3DS acts as if it never existed and allows you to boot normally.
-** Notably, this does not zero out the setting in the configuration menu; if you boot into it again but don't manually zero out the setting, it will prompt you for a new PIN afterward.
+** This does not disable the setting in the configuration menu; if you boot into Luma configuration again but don't disable the PIN option, it will prompt you for a new PIN as normal.
-* If you use a different <code>boot.firm</code> to boot the 3DS, the new payload ignores the presence of <code>pin.bin</code> and automatically disables the PIN when booting you into its configuration menu, also allowing you to set your own as a result.
+* Switching out the <code>boot.firm</code> file can disable the PIN:
-** This applies in three ways, as follows:
+** If upgrading or downgrading Luma3DS, <code>config.ini</code> / <code>config.bin</code> may be reset, which includes disabling the PIN
-::#Changing out the payload on the SD, or using a payload from elsewhere on the SD.
+** <code>boot.firm</code> on SD card normally supersedes <code>boot.firm</code> on CTRNAND, which includes any PIN configuration that might be on CTRNAND
-::#On a system that normally boots from the CTRNAND, inserting a usable SD with <code>boot.firm</code> on its root.
+* If using [[3DS:Fastboot3DS|fastboot3DS]] instead of [[3DS:Boot9strap|boot9strap]], the fastboot3DS chainloader acting earlier in the boot process than Luma means that you can boot into GodMode9 and delete <code>pin.bin</code> before the PIN menu can appear
-::#Booting a flashcart via [[3DS:Ntrboot|ntrboot]] that is configured to boot a <code>boot.firm</code>; this method supersedes a PIN from Luma installed on SD, CTRNAND, and FIRM0/1.
-* If using [[3DS:Fastboot3DS|fastboot3DS]] instead of [[3DS:Boot9strap|boot9strap]], the fastboot3ds chainloader being earlier in the boot process than Luma means that you can boot into GodMode9 and delete <code>pin.bin</code>, as above, before the PIN menu can appear.
+===PIN Bruteforce===
-===Pin Bruteforce===
 The Luma3DS PIN screen allows you unlimited tries with no delay to guess the PIN, meaning that even if none of the PIN Bypass methods are available to you, you can still force your way into the system. This is mostly impractical - the maximum number of PINs are 4096 for 4 digits, 262,144 for 6 digits, and 16,777,216 for 8 digits - but the possibility still remains, and against a 4-digit PIN it's even relatively feasible.