Fake Samsung SSD spotting comes to CrystalDiskInfo as AI crunch drives sophisticated counterfeit market — free open-source software can flag clones by checking firmware, PCI Vendor ID

Noriyuki "hiyohiyo" Miyazaki, the developer of CrystalDiskInfo, has announced an important new feature in version 9.9.0: the ability to detect fake Samsung SSDs. The update is very useful given the sharp rise in counterfeit Samsung SSDs. When CrystalDiskInfo identifies a drive as inauthentic, it clearly labels the device with a [FAKE] label at the front to make it easy for users to spot the counterfeits.

While the developer has not provided an in-depth explanation of the technical details behind this detection method, they have shared that the function will rely on periodic updates for the time being. We suspect the program may be cross-referencing firmware and other S.M.A.R.T. data from the legit drives to weed out the bad ones. As a result, users may need to update CrystalDiskInfo regularly. Nonetheless, Miyazaki has expressed plans to roll out an improved version of the authentication feature in the near future.

In a test conducted with ITG Marketing, the tester demonstrated the effectiveness of CrystalDiskInfo’s new counterfeit-detection feature. The program quickly flagged a Samsung 990 Pro clone. Specifically, CrystalDiskInfo identified the PCI Vendor ID as belonging to a controller manufactured by Maxio, not Samsung. The firmware version also came out to 8888888, which is also bogus. It's easy for fraudsters to manipulate the physical labels and maybe even the name of how the drive shows up in Windows, but the controller's PCI Vendor ID is harder to falsify.

The verification feature is still a work in progress, which is why it requires regular updates. If you ever encounter a fake Samsung SSD, you can help contribute to improving CrystalDiskInfo’s detection feature. The developer encourages users to share their experiences by exporting the scan results as a text file and either emailing it directly to the developer or uploading it to the CrystalDiskInfo bulletin board.

CrystalDiskInfo, which has been around for 18 years now, is a powerful utility that reads the S.M.A.R.T. data from your storage drives and translates the cryptic raw values into valuable information we can understand. The program offers a wealth of information that spans from basic metrics, such as drive temperatures, to more advanced data, such as when helium starts to leak out of helium-filled hard drives.

CrystalDiskInfo has amassed over 90 million downloads during its lifetime. Miyazaki's commitment to improving the software has made it one of the best out there, and with the addition of this new Samsung SSD authenticity checker, it's more useful than ever.

Follow Tom's Hardware on Google News, or add us as a preferred source, to get our latest news, analysis, & reviews in your feeds.

Zhiye Liu is a news editor, memory reviewer, and SSD tester at Tom’s Hardware. Although he loves everything that’s hardware, he has a soft spot for CPUs, GPUs, and RAM.