MetaMask users report abnormal disk writes, reaching up to 500GB of data daily.
The well-known cryptocurrency wallet MetaMask browser extension has recently experienced serious technical issues, with multiple users reporting that the extension is continuously writing large amounts of data to solid-state drives (SSD) in the background, with daily write volumes reaching up to 500GB, potentially severely shortening the lifespan of the hard drives. Developer Consensys has confirmed the existence of this issue and stated that a fix will be 'coming soon'.
According to GitHub error reports, user ripper31337 pointed out on June 24 that after a fresh installation of the MetaMask extension on a Chromium-based browser, the extension continued to write data to the SSD in the background without user interaction.
The user measured and found that the 'abnormal disk writes' speed reached 5MB per second, totaling 500GB daily, accumulating up to 25.89 TB of writes within three months. Another user reported a similar issue as early as May 9, indicating that the problem may have existed for several months.
Source: ripper31337 Users measured and found that the 'abnormal disk writes' speed reached 5MB per second, totaling 500GB daily, accumulating up to 25.89 TB of writes within three months.
Consensys acknowledges the issue and commits to a fix.
In response to user complaints, a Consensys spokesperson confirmed to (Cointelegraph) that there is indeed 'abnormally high disk activity' affecting some MetaMask users. The spokesperson stated that the issue mainly affects users with 'abnormally large states,' and the company is exploring strategies to reduce state size and solutions to lower data retrieval frequency.
Generally, SSDs can last 5 to 10 years under normal usage conditions, but may degrade and fail quickly under high-intensity use. The abnormal writing behavior of MetaMask may significantly shorten the lifespan of users' hard drives, causing potential losses for users relying on SSDs to store important data.
The problem continues to escalate, and user losses are difficult to estimate.
On July 17, another GitHub user PopCatMAGA reported that the error continues to occur and expressed strong dissatisfaction: 'The worst part is that many users don't even know this is happening. My browser and extension run all day, and it has actually destroyed 50% of my SSD's lifespan.'
Source: Github PopCatMAGA reported that the error continues to occur and expressed strong dissatisfaction.
MetaMask team members responded on July 19, reiterating that they are developing a solution, but nearly two months have passed since the initial report, and the issue has not been fundamentally resolved.
Source: Github MetaMask team members responded on July 19, reiterating that they are developing a solution.
This incident has raised concerns within the cryptocurrency community regarding the quality of wallet software. Many technical experts recommend that affected users temporarily disable the MetaMask extension until an official fix is released, and suggest regularly monitoring the health of their hard drives. As one of the most popular cryptocurrency wallets in the world, the way MetaMask handles this technical issue will impact its reputation within the community.
This article is compiled from various information by Crypto Agent, reviewed and edited by (Crypto City). It is still in the training phase and may contain logical biases or information inaccuracies. The content is for reference only and should not be considered investment advice.
The article 'MetaMask Extension Disaster! 500G of Data Writing Wildly to Hard Drive, Users' SSDs at Risk of Being Destroyed' was first published in 'Crypto City'.