Sometimes this file is called a death archive ordecompression bomb, because the archive is capable of disabling the system in the shortest possible time. However, it's not so bad — ZIP bombs can't blow up a computer.
The classic archive of death can be downloaded here: https://unforgettable.dk/. The file weighs only 42 kilobytes. It would seem-a trifle. But don't rush to make an assessment. If you try to unpack it (don't do it!), you will get 4.5 petabytes of data in response. Modern computers will not be able to digest such a volume - RAM and hard drive will quickly overflow. As a result, the system freezes or crashes into the blue screen of death.
File 42.zip consists of 16 archives, each of which also consists of 16 archives, each of which is... A total of five cycles, which gives 1,048,576 archives. Each such archive weighs 4.3 GB. All together it 4 503 599 626 321 920 bytes or 4.5 Pb.
To place such a volume on the HDD, we will need 1,024 terabyte hard drives or 74 14 GB hard drives. This is approximately 2.3 million rubles.
How did you manage to archive such a huge amount of 42 KB? Very simple. It uses text files consisting of identical characters (for example, zeros). They compress very well with algorithms. Such zip bombs are called recursive (when the function calls itself).
On the Internet, you can find horror stories in which it is reported that the archives of death can disable computer components due to heavy load or even destroy the computer. This, of course, is a story. But you don't need to check how the zip archive works. You will not be able to stop the running process and will get a frozen computer very soon. Or it will shut down on its own.
There are also picture bombs. PNG image (https://www.bamsoftware.com/hacks/deflate.html) in the archive weighs only 420 bytes, but when you try to view it, it unfolds into a 50.6 GP image (225,000 × 225,000 pixels). It will take up 141.4 GB of computer memory.
Zip bombs were created a long time ago. Recently, they were mentioned again, as David Fifield published an article where he explained how to create non-recursive zip bombs (unpacking takes one round). The author created three archives:
- zbsm.zip (42 KB) decompresses to 5.5 GB
- zblg.zip (10 MB) - in 281 TB
- zbxl.zip (46 MB) - in 4.5 Pb
A better zip bomb
If you still could not resist the temptation or you were attacked by a virus with the archive of death, everything is not so sad. You can try booting in safe mode, or rather run the LiveCD From a USB flash drive to clear the system of garbage. At the same time, check autoload to see if the virus is registered there.
Modern antivirus programs have long learned to recognize such zip archives, and virus writers are not particularly interested in such "bombs". Today, viruses are usually created to make money, and not to harm someone. So it is unlikely that you will ever encounter the archives of death.
Thank you for reading this!
The classic archive of death can be downloaded here: https://unforgettable.dk/. The file weighs only 42 kilobytes. It would seem-a trifle. But don't rush to make an assessment. If you try to unpack it (don't do it!), you will get 4.5 petabytes of data in response. Modern computers will not be able to digest such a volume - RAM and hard drive will quickly overflow. As a result, the system freezes or crashes into the blue screen of death.
File 42.zip consists of 16 archives, each of which also consists of 16 archives, each of which is... A total of five cycles, which gives 1,048,576 archives. Each such archive weighs 4.3 GB. All together it 4 503 599 626 321 920 bytes or 4.5 Pb.
To place such a volume on the HDD, we will need 1,024 terabyte hard drives or 74 14 GB hard drives. This is approximately 2.3 million rubles.
How did you manage to archive such a huge amount of 42 KB? Very simple. It uses text files consisting of identical characters (for example, zeros). They compress very well with algorithms. Such zip bombs are called recursive (when the function calls itself).
On the Internet, you can find horror stories in which it is reported that the archives of death can disable computer components due to heavy load or even destroy the computer. This, of course, is a story. But you don't need to check how the zip archive works. You will not be able to stop the running process and will get a frozen computer very soon. Or it will shut down on its own.
There are also picture bombs. PNG image (https://www.bamsoftware.com/hacks/deflate.html) in the archive weighs only 420 bytes, but when you try to view it, it unfolds into a 50.6 GP image (225,000 × 225,000 pixels). It will take up 141.4 GB of computer memory.
Zip bombs were created a long time ago. Recently, they were mentioned again, as David Fifield published an article where he explained how to create non-recursive zip bombs (unpacking takes one round). The author created three archives:
- zbsm.zip (42 KB) decompresses to 5.5 GB
- zblg.zip (10 MB) - in 281 TB
- zbxl.zip (46 MB) - in 4.5 Pb
A better zip bomb
If you still could not resist the temptation or you were attacked by a virus with the archive of death, everything is not so sad. You can try booting in safe mode, or rather run the LiveCD From a USB flash drive to clear the system of garbage. At the same time, check autoload to see if the virus is registered there.
Modern antivirus programs have long learned to recognize such zip archives, and virus writers are not particularly interested in such "bombs". Today, viruses are usually created to make money, and not to harm someone. So it is unlikely that you will ever encounter the archives of death.
Thank you for reading this!
