AI-assisted hackers crack Nikon firmware encryption, flashing custom features onto Z8 and other cameras
jedisct1 · x · 2026-11-15
Independent developers, using LLMs alongside Ghidra and QEMU emulators, have cracked Nikon's firmware encryption and started flashing custom features onto cameras including the Z8, Z7, Z6, Z5 and Z30. The work has spread across Chinese social media, GitHub and Reddit.
Key technical details:
- Nikon reused legacy XOR keystreams even on EXPEED 7 flagships like the Z8/Z9, so nikon-fw-key-tool can decrypt official firmware;
- Modified ARM/Thumb assembly is re-signed into .bin files that pass checksum checks during a normal in-menu firmware update;
- Changes are validated in open-source QEMU hardware emulators before flashing real hardware.
Warning: nearly all Z-series hacks are experimental, require compiling your own official Nikon .bin, and carry real bricking risk — at least one Z9 owner has already run into trouble.
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