3DS Console Banwave - 26/5/17

Important Information
HOW TO (likely) AVOID THE BAN: (See attached image)
1. TURN OFF WIFI
2. Go to Friend List, click Settings in the corner of the screen, go to settings, and DISABLE Share Currently Playing Game.
3. Go to System Settings -> Internet Settings -> SpotPass -> Sending of System Information; turn it OFF.
Optionally, avoid running homebrew from, or installing it to, the Home Menu, as a CIA.

This does NOT GUARANTEE THAT YOU WILL NOT BE BANNED. IT IS A SAFETY NET.
NOBODY IS SAFE.


What we know so far about the bans:
People are getting banned. and it is by the use of data, sent from your console to Nintendo.
We do not presently know how Nintendo determines which consoles to ban.
They can look at any data sent from your 3DS, to or through their servers.

What we think the cause may be:
Friend services sends Nintendo your currently playing title, if you don't disable this in the Friend List settings. If this includes a custom, homebrew or invalid title (not officially released by Nintendo) it triggers a ban.
SpotPass also periodically sends Nintendo "system information", including all installed titles, including homebrew, and the other shop, unless you opt out of system information sending, in the Spotpass settings in Internet Settings.
eShop, the home menu theme shop, and embedded/DLC eShop applet (collectively, eCommerce Services), may be reporting title information to Nintendo servers.

What we think aren't related at all:
Fire Emblem Echoes; Pokemon; in-game cheating; save editing; pokemon genning; any specific game in general.

What we're certain shouldn't be triggering bans:
sighax, boot9strap, arm9loaderhax; upgrading to boot9strap; running homebrew from an entrypoint in an official app, applet or game (e.g., browserhax, menuhax, ninjhax); .3dsx homebrew applications themselves, running from a homebrew entrypoint.

What could be risky to do, and may trigger bans:
- Running any game ROM backups, including your own game backups
- Installing and running any kind of CIA's
- making a ROM backup from a game cartridge and installing it to NAND
- installing homebrew to the home menu
- running homebrew from the home menu
- using the other shop or any ticket/titlekey managers
- going on the eShop with homebrew installed to your home menu
- leaving SpotPass on, or leaving Friend List "show friends what you're playing" on
- using unofficial or pirated themes in CIA format (themes installed "raw" through Themely or similar should be fine)

What data is being transferred?
- Friends list data, presence information, Favorite Title information, Now Playing information, game/battle join information. This includes your currently running title.
- Matchmaking data for all games. This includes your current playing game, ranking and player information, DLC owned, and so forth.
- SpotPass (BOSS) service subscription data. This includes all titles you have installed, which have SpotPass enabled.
- StreetPass service beacon and user data. This includes all titles you have installed, which have StreetPass enabled.
- eShop, DLC/eShop Applet, and Theme Shop, when launched, may send a list of installed titles and themes to Nintendo.
- When the system checks for an update, it retrieves a list of title versions. This request should not have user-sensitive data.
F.A.Q's!
Please don't ask these questions again.

Q: Am I at risk for getting banned?
A: Yes!

Q: What regions are affected by the banwave?
A: All.
Q: What firmwares are affected by the banwave?
A: All. Only the latest one will allow you to connect online, though, so that's moot.
Q: What CFW/Luma versions/bootstraps are affected by the banwave?
A: All.
Q: What 3DS models are affected by the banwave?
A: All.
Q: What homebrew methods are affected by the banwave?
A: All.

Q: I got banned after upgrading to b9s, is it causing the bans?
A: A9LH and B9S alone are not the reasons you are being banned. Both those and other CFW are susceptible to banning.

Q: Is the ban wave over? Will it end? WHEN WILL IT END?!?!?!?!?!?
A: "Never."

Q: Will there be a solution for consoles that are already banned?
A: No. It is a permanent ban.

Q: How do I know if I'm banned?
A: Go online, open Friends List. If you get an Error 002-0102, you are banned.
Q: Will doing this ban me?
A: It shouldn't, if you only open Friends List and nothing else, and be sure to have read the information on How To Avoid The Ban.

Q: Can I still play online with my SpotPass or Friend List info sharing disabled?
A: Yes.

Q: Is my NNID banned or affected on other consoles?
A: No. Your NNID will continue to work, and Miiverse and eShop will work as expected.

Q: What can I still do online while I'm banned?
A: Use the Internet Browser, buy things on the eShop, access Miiverse (not post?), use homebrew with internet connectivity, and use local multiplayer.
Q: Ban "waves"? How many ban waves have there been, or will there be? Will there be more?
A: The concept of a ban wave is misleading.
Nintendo is likely logging information sent from your 3DS system to their servers, which is invalid (for instance, currently playing a homebrew title in Friends List.)
When they see your information is invalid, it will flag your account for review.
At an irregular interval, these flags will become bans permanently.

Q: My 3DS was in sleep mode. Can I still be banned?
A: YES. It seems to be banning with SpotPass data, which is sent while your 3DS is asleep. Read the other pins for information on how to avoid bans.

Q: Is this a server/NNID ban or a console ban?
A: Console ban. It affects your console-specific data. This data is not spoofable, and must come from a legitimate 3DS.
FAQ's about BAN CIRCUMVENTION

Q: How do I circumvent the ban?
A: We won't go in depth here. It requires another 3DS that's not banned, to extract "console-specific data" from and copy to your 3DS.

Q: What is console-specific data/information?
A: Generally, anything specific to your console, including OTP and NAND CID.
However, in this case, we're referring to nandrw:/sys/LocalFriendCodeSeed_B, aka LFCS, and possibly other files.

Q: Will a system transfer remove my ban status?
A: No. You are banned. You wouldn't be able to system transfer, either.

Q: Will NNID injection or NNID bypassing/ban circumvention work?
A: No, for 99% of cases. This is a console ban, triggered on connection with your valid, banned console-specific information.

Q: If the system that a copied LocalFriendCodeSeed_B came from is banned, does the dumped one get banned too?
A: Yes. Do not steal LocalFriendCodeSeed_B's, do not use public LFCS's, and do not use one on more than one console at once, as they will be banned.

Q: Why can't an LFCS_B just be edited or generated?
A: It's console-specific information signed at the provisioning step, at the factory, by processes which register and confirm your console's identity. It's RSA signed. The provisioning private key is sacrosanct, so as to keep malicious people

from making "genuine" clones of 3DS systems.

Q: Will the bootrom keys/boot9strap help us to generate/modify and re-sign the LFCS?
A: Absolutely not. The LFCS is signed with an RSA signature at the factory, by Nintendo; and is verified serverside, by Nintendo. At no point is the key outside of the factory, ever.
Q: Will this signature ever be cracked or brute-forced? Is it vulnerable to sighax?
A: Not before the 3DS online services have ceased. You cannot count on a vulnerability in their signature checking system, because it is server-side.