# A QR code can hack your old Switch

> Nintendo's screenshot-sharing QR codes hid a memory bug that let a nearby attacker run code on first-gen Switch consoles.
- Title: A QR code can hack your old Switch · PCMAG | Shortify
- Summary: Nintendo's screenshot-sharing QR codes hid a memory bug that let a nearby attacker run code on first-gen Switch consoles. Update your original Switch to…
- Keywords: nintendo switch, security, qr codes, patch, vulnerability, technology, code, hack, old, Switch, PCMAG
- Source: PCMAG — https://pcmag.com/news/time-to-patch-nintendo-switch-can-be-hacked-using-qr-codes
- Author: Michael Kan
- Published: 2026-09-14T14:40:42+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: nintendo switch, security, qr codes, patch, vulnerability, technology
## Nintendo flags a Switch flaw
Nintendo issued a security advisory for the first-gen Switch. The bug sits in the feature that sends your game screenshots over to a phone.
## The QR code is the door
Send to Smartphone puts a QR code on the console screen so your phone can pull a screenshot or clip wirelessly. That code is what attackers abuse.
## Scan it, own it
Researchers found a proximity-based remote attack: someone who scans the displayed code can run their own code on the console or pull data off it.

> they could run unauthorized code on your Nintendo Switch console or obtain information stored on the console
## Mario Kart Live too
The same trick works on the QR code shown when you pair the kart accessory for Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit, not just screenshot transfers.
## A buffer overflow underneath
CVE-2026-82079 is a stack-based buffer overflow: data written past the end of a memory buffer spills into neighboring memory, which can crash the system or open a path in.
## Patch it in a minute
An attacker has to be physically close, and Nintendo already shipped the fix in version 23.0.0. Go to HOME Menu, System Settings, System, and update. Switch 2 isn't affected.
## Key takeaway

Update your original Switch to system version 23.0.0 now; the fix is already out and takes a minute from System Settings.