f3probe

f3probe is a command line tool used to analyze the capacity and integrity of flash-based media such as USB drives, memory cards, and solid-state drives (SSDs). It is part of the F3 (Fight Flash Fraud) project, which aims to prevent counterfeit flash devices from being sold and identify faulty or poor-quality flash storage.

The tool works by writing a series of predefined test patterns to the storage media and verifying if the data was correctly written and read back. This process helps to determine the true capacity of the flash storage and identify any potential issues such as overwriting, incorrect capacity reporting, or damaged sectors. It can also measure the performance of the storage device.

The f3probe command is typically used to gather information about the flash media, including the manufacturer, model, firmware version, and controller chip information. This information can be useful in identifying counterfeit or substandard flash devices that falsely report their capacity or have poor performance.

By detecting and reporting counterfeit or faulty flash devices, f3probe helps users make informed decisions when purchasing or using flash storage. It helps to ensure the reliability and integrity of the data stored on these devices and protects against potential data loss or corruption.