Critical NTFS bug in Windows 10 can corrupt HDD/SSD filesystem
Let me start off by declaring, DO NOT try to replicate/attempt what we write here in this article as it's very dangerous. A new vulnerability in Windows 10 has been detected, in specific if you have an NTFS formatted HDD/SSD.
And yes, NTFS if what pretty much everybody uses in Windows 10. Explained in its most simple essence the bug envokes triggering the filesystem/volume on a storage unit (NTFS formatted) to become corrupt. All you need to do is type one command line, and you can do so with limited privileges meaning you do not need to be an admin. And that by itself makes this a big vulnerability. Do NOT try this yourself! You have been warned:
Running this one command line causes hard drive errors that immediately corrupt the file system. The user is thereby forced to restart the computer to repair the damaged file system. The issue was found by infosec researcher Jonas L. A disk can be corrupted simply by accessing the $ i30 NTFS attribute in a folder. The command line shown below the precise example command that can damage the file system of a disk. The Windows ntfs index attribute, or $ i30 string, is associated with a directory that contains a list of files and subfolders of a folder. In some cases, the ntfs index may also contain deleted files and folders, which can be useful for sending the problem report to Microsoft. It is unclear why access to this attribute damages the disk, Jonas betokens that a registry key that would help diagnose the problem is not working. After running the command in Windows 10 command prompt and pressing Enter, the user will see an error message saying "The file or folder is corrupt and cannot be read." Windows 10 will immediately start displaying notifications asking the user to restart their PC and recover the damaged disk volume. On reboot, disk check is performed to repair the hard disk, reports Dutch website Hardware Info, who's source was securitynewspaper.
The vulnerability was discovered around the Windows 10 April 2018 update and has not been resolved to this day. according to a spokesperson for Microsoft, a solution is being worked on as soon as possible.
Rumor: Microsoft might share information on extremely critical vulnerability later today - 01/14/2020 03:53 PM
It's tagged as a rumor, but you can rest assured it'll become a fact. Keep an eye out on your Tuesday patches, and apply them. According to Krebs On Security, Microsoft is about to release an extre...
Critical Vulnerabilities in VLC Media Player Spotted and Patched - 06/27/2019 08:18 AM
VideoLAN has addressed a critical double-free vulnerability in the VLC media player that could allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code on target systems. This security loophole can be used to pla...
More than HP printer models vulnerable to two very critical vulnerabilities - 08/07/2018 08:31 AM
Over a hundred HP inkjet printers are vulnerable to remote code execution vulnerabilities that are classified by HP as critical. By exploiting the vulnerabilities, an attacker could remotely execut...
Eight new Spectre Variant Vulnerabilities for Intel Discovered - four of them critical - 05/03/2018 10:55 AM
News has just started spreading that researchers have sighted another eight Spectre like vulnerabilities in Intel processors, all resemble Spectre, four of them are critical. The new vulnerabilities ...
Adobe Warns About Critical Flash Zero-Day Bug - 04/13/2011 10:30 AM
A critical vulnerability exists in Flash Player 10.2.153.1 and earlier versions (Adobe Flash Player 10.2.154.25 and earlier for Chrome users) for Windows, Macintosh, Linux and Solaris, Adobe Flash Pla...
Senior Member
Posts: 5742
Joined: 2012-11-10

How do you even find something like this? It seems so oddly specific.
Senior Member
Posts: 5740
Joined: 2003-07-23
Isn't FAT32 an old file format used by HDD's rather than SSD's?
Senior Member
Posts: 10561
Joined: 2013-01-17
There is no relation between file system and underlying type of disk.
FAT32 has limitations like maximum size of file due to data structures in use, it has no some features like transactions (kinda), intrinsic compression and encryption... But still it has its niche. It is free for use and it is easier to implement in firmware, so most of media players (and maybe phones) use it to format its storage.
There is updated version - exFAT.
Senior Member
Posts: 2054
Joined: 2010-05-26
That is funny, "The vulnerability was discovered around the Windows 10 April 2018 update and has not been resolved to this day".
-a solution is being worked on as soon as possible. like really soon or another 3 years?
Senior Member
Posts: 10561
Joined: 2013-01-17
It is, you can format all your disks in FAT32 or exFAT.