Do not do it. Most people will not experience browsing to root Windows 10 folders, but in case someone is exploring the bowels of their PC software, it is best to stay away from entering this file path into the browser. : “\. globalroot device condrv kernelconnect ”. Not only will your PC crash instantly, but it will also provide you with the dreaded blue screen of death (BSOD), from which your PC may not be able to recover. Do not do it!
Seconds Tom’s guide, the error was recently discovered by the Windows security researcher Jonas Lykkegaard, who has been tweeting about the issue since October 2020. Lykkegaard explained that when the path is opened before Windows 10, regardless of whether the user has administrative privileges or not, the system cannot properly check has errors trying to connect to the path, resulting in a BSOD lock.
Aside from developers, there’s no reason why an average Windows 10 user would want to delve deeper into root folders, especially at the kernel level; the Windows kernel is a crucial program that allows the operating system to run, controlling everyday processes such as running drivers and starting and ending programs. It is what connects the user to the hardware. But it is still important to keep in mind that this error exists.
Although Gizmodo has not tested the link ourselves (with great caution it could kill one of our few test PCs), both Tom’s Guide and BleepingComputer they have sacrificed a PC for the cause. The PC that used Tom’s Guide got stuck in an auto-repair boot loop. BleepingComputer didn’t say if its PC came out alive, but it did confirmed this bug is present in Windows 10 version 1709 and later.
The bug can also provide hackers with a way to perform denial of service (DoS) attacks, which can shut down a computer or network, making it completely inaccessible to users. But in this case, a hacker may not need to flood the system with repeated requests, as would normally happen in a DoS attack; only the above file path could be entered.
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Lykkegaard explained that a hacker could easily trick someone into downloading or clicking on a Windows URL file (.url) that would automatically lead them to the problematic path and subsequently crash their PC.
A Microsoft spokesman told BleepingComputer: “Microsoft is committed to investigating the reported security issues and we will provide updates to the affected devices as soon as possible.” So it looks like Microsoft knows the problem and is working to fix it, but it has no timeline for when a patch will be released to Windows 10 version 1709 or higher users. In the meantime, don’t try to navigate to the file path, and be sure to watch out for suspicious links and files that may appear in your inbox or anywhere else on the Internet.