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Hacking "What is a legit cia?" (and other noob CIA questions ANSWERED)

 
 

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Chad
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please link to this thread when people (noobs) don't understand something, or think they have a 'great idea' about a 'legit' oot cia, ha.

What is a CIA?
Packed content, that can be installed on your 3ds to give the game/app/content.
A CIA contains the contents, a TMD, and a ticket.
CIA files are only really for eshop/digital content.
Although, some people do like to convert 3ds game card dumps to 'cia'/eshop format, because they want them on their home menu etc.

What is a legit (clean/perfect) CIA?
A 'legit' CIA means that the signatures are valid.
A legit cia will work in sysnand, without needing hacks to load it (like gw, cfw etc) -- although we need hacks to INSTALL the cia. :)
The ticket will have a signature, the TMD will have a signature, I'm sure there are more signatures too in the CIA.
When you buy a game/download an update, nintendo generates YOU (ONLY YOU) a signature for the file.
If you edit the file, the signature will not be valid anymore.
If you remove your console id, so that the cia will install on other people's 3DSs, the signature is not valid.
If you patch the demo play count so you can remove the 5, 10, 30 play limit from the demo, the signature is not valid.
If you patch the dlc permissions to set that you have permission for all the dlc, the signature will not be valid.
If you decrypt the contents and edit the game, make it region free, or translate the game it etc, and then re-encrypt, the signature will not be valid.
Only nintendo can create these signatures.

What is a universal/preinstalled legit CIA?
Preinstalled content is special, the signature generated by nintendo is for every console.
If I buy a game from eshop, I can make a legit cia, but it will not be 'universal', in sysnand, it would only work with my 3DS.
For the universal CIAs, they will work on sysnand for everyone. (naturally, region lock still exists)


My tool FunkyCIA lets you create CIAs from your eshop content.
You can make 'warez' CIAs, for sharing etc.
You can make personal legit CIAs, that will work without hacks ONLY on your console.
-- keep in mind at the moment we still cannot use these cias... they just don't install :(
You can make universal legit cias that work on sysnand for everyone (only from preinstalled content)
 
 

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