Preventing fraudulent flash memory

[Jeb E.]

Do a simple Google search or eBay search for microSD or FLASH memory and you'll quickly realize something: There are some great prices out there! That is, until you actually get the memory device in your hands, test it out, and it fails within a matter of hours. There needs to be something out there, a common technology practice, to correctly and accurately test these memory modules the first time the user plugs in the device in order to prevent imminent data failure at an unexpected moment.

I have the idea for the GNOME Disk Utility in Ubuntu -- To accurately test any new memory module installed with the consent of the user the second the module is plugged in and allowed to gain ROOT access to the filesystem. A simple test like this can save the general public tonnes of money when it comes to buying memory, keep malicious codes from entering our loved computer systems, and help educate us on how to choose the correct memory technology, where to buy it, and what to look for, etc.. Included in this idea I have is an optional form to report certain module types into a larger database that is interconnected between all computers using the GNOME Disk Utility and connected to the internet for even faster emergency diagnosis with instant fraudulent device recognition that will then push a warning to the user to remove the module at once and a set of instructions on how to properly request a refund for their counterfeit device.

Something like this has never before been integrated into mainstream computing methods, and it's about time a smart, automated, self-learning, user-teaching system like this is implemented.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 14.04
Package: gnome-disk-utility 3.10.0-1ubuntu3
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.13.0-27.50-generic 3.13.11
Uname: Linux 3.13.0-27-generic x86_64
NonfreeKernelModules: nvidia
ApportVersion: 2.14.1-0ubuntu3.2
Architecture: amd64
CurrentDesktop: Unity
Date: Wed Jul 9 13:15:58 2014
InstallationDate: Installed on 2014-02-19 (140 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 13.10 "Saucy Salamander" - Release amd64 (20131016.1)
ProcEnviron:
 LANGUAGE=en_US
 PATH=(custom, no user)
 XDG_RUNTIME_DIR=<set>
 LANG=en_US.UTF-8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
SourcePackage: gnome-disk-utility
UpgradeStatus: Upgraded to trusty on 2014-04-18 (82 days ago)

[Seth Arnold (seth-arnold)]

Do note that checking all 64 gigabytes of your new memory stick will take more than six hours; it'll be over five and a half hours just to write data to all blocks, let alone taking the time to read the data back from the blocks.

The badblocks program is available for those who are suspicious of a good deal...

[Andrea Azzarone (azzar1)]

It's not a unity bug/missing feature. Marking as invalid.

[Jeb E. (jebeld17)]

It **is** valid. If enough testing is done on these fake, unauthorized chipsets, the easier it will be for an instant "fake or broken" status to pop up on the screen to alert the user before continuing, bringing education of fake NAND/FLASH memory to the publics' eyes and hopefully alarming OEMs to crack down on these fake chipsets harming their brands. The more information in the database (with consent of the users, of course), the better and quicker. And adding the BadBlacks program and list of faulty chipsets will even further improve reliability of catching a bad chipset before it's too late.