Seagate’s fraudulent HDDs now embody the IronWolf Professional lineup

In context: Earlier this month, an investigation revealed that Chinese language cryptocurrency farmers are passing off their used laborious drives as new and promoting them to shoppers and retailers. The scandal primarily concerned Seagate Exos server collection HDDs between 12 and 16TB. Samples confirmed utilization between 15,000 and 50,000 hours.

Final week, the researchers at Lutz Labs who uncovered the fraud discovered that the rip-off is extra widespread than they initially thought. Based mostly on emails acquired after breaking the information, investigators found that the scammers had tampered with utilization metrics in lots of Seagate Ironwolf and Ironwolf Professional NAS drives so they might move as new, including to the variety of fashions affected.

The scammers accomplish the ruse by deleting the SMART utilization logs, affixing a bogus manufacturing date sticker, altering the serial quantity, after which repackaging them as “new.” Even checking the drive’s guarantee exhibits it to be good till 2029. Nonetheless, the staff factors out a number of methods to inform if these HDDs are used.

The primary and easiest factor to do is bodily examine the drive. Search for dents, scratches, and different put on on the housing. Additionally, examine the SATA connector intently for indicators of use, like scuff marks from connecting or disconnecting the system. Take a look at the manufacturing date sticker placement. It needs to be degree and in the suitable place.

An internet guarantee examine is usually a tell-tale signal, too. Lutz Labs notes that Seagate does not understand how lengthy it is going to take for a drive to succeed in a buyer, so it often provides just a few months to the guarantee. A fraudulent HDD’s guarantee might be precisely 5 years from the pretend manufacturing date.

Patrons can even verify the HDD’s age utilizing SMART monitoring instruments like Smartmontools or SeaTools. This software program lets customers view Seagate’s field-accessible reliability metrics (FARM). It can point out how lengthy the drive was in use. Investigators discovered some that had logged over 50,000 hours.

It’s value noting that the researchers questioned whether or not Toshiba and Western Digital drives have been affected by the identical fraud. After testing samples utilizing Smartmontools, researchers discovered that Toshiba and WD drives returned errors when validating FARM values. Toshiba confirmed that its drives solely used SMART logs, and Western Digital didn’t reply to a request to remark.

Seagate continues to be standing agency that it’s going to not change the drives because it didn’t distribute them. Nonetheless, it might like anybody with a bogus HDD to contact fraud@seagate.com with particulars as they’re nonetheless investigating the matter.