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In a Throwback To the '90s, NTFS Bug Lets Anyone Hang Or Crash Windows 7, 8.1 (arstechnica.com)

Posted by msmash on from the windows-crash dept.

Windows 7 and 8.1 (and also Windows Vista) have a bug that is reminiscent of Windows 98 age, when a certain specially crafted filename could make the operating system crash (think of file:///c:/con/con). From an ArsTechnica report: The new bug, which fortunately doesn't appear to afflict Windows 10, uses another special filename. This time around, the special filename of choice is $MFT. $MFT is the name given to one of the special metadata files that are used by Windows' NTFS filesystem. The file exists in the root directory of each NTFS volume, but the NTFS driver handles it in special ways, and it's hidden from view and inaccessible to most software. Attempts to open the file are normally blocked, but in a move reminiscent of the Windows 9x flaw, if the filename is used as if it were a directory name -- for example, trying to open the file c:\$MFT\123 -- then the NTFS driver takes out a lock on the file and never releases it. Every subsequent operation sits around waiting for the lock to be released. Forever. This blocks any and all other attempts to access the file system, and so every program will start to hang, rendering the machine unusable until it is rebooted.

3 of 128 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Doesn't work for me by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Try browsing to file:///c:\$MFT\123 in IE and see what happens...

  2. Re:Doesn't work for me by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Yup, this works. Just coming back after a hard reboot :o

  3. Works on NT 3.51 too by Scoth · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Just for funsies I loaded up my Windows NT 3.51 VM I have around for no good reason and tried it, and it immediately hard-locked. Must be a very old bug.