Si vous vous intéressez un peu aux outils IA, vous connaissez sûrement Claude, l’assistant IA dernière génération d’Anthropic. Depuis la sortie de sa version 3, c’est d’ailleurs devenu mon meilleur pote pour coder à la vitesse de l’éclair. j’ai même pris un abonnement payant en rusant un peu.

Toutefois, le seul truc qui me ralentissait dans mes grandes ambitions, c’était de devoir copier-coller à la main tous mes fichiers de code dans la fenêtre de contexte de Claude pour ensuite lui demander d’analyser ça, et me proposer des corrections ou une nouvelle fonction. Mais ça, c’était avant car je suis tombé sur un petit bijou opensource qui va vous changer la vie : AiFormat.

Ce petit outil en ligne de commande vous permet de sélectionner des fichiers et dossiers, et de les convertir automatiquement dans un format optimisé pour Claude. En deux clics, tout est dans le presse-papier, prêt à être envoyé à votre IA préférée.

Sous le capot, AiFormat utilise Ink, une chouette librairie pour créer des CLI avec une belle interface utilisateur. Ça vous permet de filtrer et naviguer dans vos fichiers, de les sélectionner avec les flèches, et tout ça de façon super intuitive.

Pour l’installer et le prendre en main, c’est hyper simple, tout est expliqué sur la page Github du projet. Ça commence par un simple :

npm install --global aiformat

Ensuite, pour utiliser aiformat, accédez au répertoire contenant les fichiers et dossiers que vous souhaitez partager avec Claude puis lancez la commande suivante :

aiformat

Le créateur a eu la bonne idée de mettre le projet en opensource (MIT license), du coup n’hésitez pas à y jeter un œil et même contribuer si le cœur vous en dit. La communauté vous dira merci !

Franchement, si vous utilisez souvent Claude pour coder ou analyser des projets, c’est un indispensable à avoir dans sa boîte à outils. Ça vous fera gagner un temps fou au quotidien.

Severe D-Link Security Vulnerability Discovered – CVE-2024-3273 and CVE-2024-3274 Hard-Coded Credential Backdoor

The cybersecurity landscape has been significantly impacted by the discovery of two vulnerabilities in D-Link NAS devices, designated as CVE-2024-3273 and CVE-2024-3274. These vulnerabilities affect multiple (approx 92,000 internet facing devices, the bulk of which are UK based) D-Link NAS models that are no longer supported by the manufacturer due to their end-of-life (EOL) status. This detailed analysis aims to unpack the complexities of these vulnerabilities, their operational implications, and the necessary user responses.

Impact and Affected D-Link NAS Model:

The confirmed list of affected D-Link NAS models includes:

These devices, pivotal in small office/home office (SOHO) environments for data storage and management, are now susceptible to remote attacks that could compromise sensitive data integrity, availability, and confidentiality.

CVE-2024-3273: Command Injection Vulnerability Explained

CVE-2024-3273 exposes a command injection flaw within the web interface of affected D-Link NAS devices. The vulnerability is located in the handling of the system parameter within the nas_sharing.cgi script, which improperly sanitizes user-supplied input. This oversight allows authenticated remote attackers to inject and execute arbitrary shell commands encoded in base64. The execution context of these commands is particularly concerning, as it typically runs under the web server’s privileges, potentially leading to unauthorized access to the system, modification of system settings, or initiation of a denial of service (DoS) attack.

Technical Dive into CVE-2024-3274: Hardcoded Credentials

CVE-2024-3274 reveals a hardcoded credential vulnerability, manifesting as a backdoor account (messagebus) embedded within the device firmware. This account, notably lacking a password, permits unauthenticated remote access to the device’s administrative interface. The presence of such hardcoded credentials significantly lowers the complexity of unauthorized device access, making it a critical vulnerability. This backdoor could be exploited in tandem with CVE-2024-3273 to elevate privileges or gain persistent access to the compromised device.

Who Found the D-Link Vulnerability?

The vulnerabilities were disclosed by a security researcher operating under the pseudonym “netsecfish,” who provided detailed technical insights and proof-of-concept (PoC) code. This disclosure highlighted the risk of widespread exploitation, given the estimated 92,000 devices exposed online across various regions, including the UK, Thailand, Italy, and Germany. The timing of the disclosure, subsequent to the affected models reaching their EOL, exacerbated concerns around feasible mitigation strategies.

You can find the full and very detailed outlining of the Vulnerability and Potential attack vector HERE on Netsecfish’s github listing

Mitigation Strategies for Users Who Are Still Using A D-LInk NAS

In light of D-Link’s stance on not providing firmware updates for EOL products, affected users are faced with limited mitigation options. The primary recommendation is the retirement and replacement of vulnerable devices. Interim measures, for those unable to immediately replace their devices, include isolating the NAS devices from the internet, implementing strict network segmentation, and employing firewall rules to restrict access to the management interface. Additionally, monitoring for unusual network activity can provide early detection of exploitation attempts.

D-Link Official Response

D-Link has acknowledged the vulnerabilities but emphasized the EOL status of the affected models, which precludes official firmware updates or patches. The company has issued advisories urging users to replace outdated devices with supported models. This situation underscores the importance of adhering to device lifecycle policies and maintaining an updated infrastructure to mitigate security risks.

You can see the full official D-Link Response HERE

At the time of writing, there is no mention of this on their social media pages. Hopefully this changes, as the potential 82,000 internet facing units in the wild need to be addressed.

Exploitation in the Wild of the hard-code credential D-Link Vulnerability

GreyNoise, a cybersecurity firm specializing in analyzing internet-wide scan traffic to identify threats, has provided valuable insights into the exploitation attempts of the D-Link NAS vulnerabilities. According to their analysis, a significant uptick in scan activity targeting the specific vulnerabilities CVE-2024-3273 and CVE-2024-3274 was observed shortly after their disclosure. This activity suggests that attackers are actively seeking out vulnerable D-Link NAS devices for exploitation. GreyNoise’s findings indicate that the exploitation attempts are not isolated incidents but part of a broader effort by malicious actors to identify and compromise affected devices. The data collected by GreyNoise highlights the real-world implications of these vulnerabilities and serves as a critical alert for organizations and individuals to take immediate protective actions against potential unauthorized access and exploitation of their D-Link NAS devices.

You can learn more about this on Greynoise’s official page on this matter HERE

The D-Link NAS Series is Still For Sale (Technically)

Despite the end-of-life status and known vulnerabilities of D-Link NAS models DNS-340L, DNS-320L, DNS-327L, and DNS-325, these devices continue to find a marketplace on platforms such as eBay and other online resale venues. This ongoing sale of used units poses a significant cybersecurity risk, as many sellers and buyers may not be fully aware of the devices’ vulnerability to exploits. Alarmingly, at the time of writing, it is reported that over 80,000 of these units remain actively internet-facing, directly exposing them to potential exploitation by attackers leveraging the CVE-2024-3273 and CVE-2024-3274 vulnerabilities. The persistence of these devices in active operational environments underscores the critical need for heightened awareness and proactive measures among current users. Potential buyers should be cautioned against acquiring these models, and existing users are strongly advised to consider secure alternatives that receive current manufacturer support and updates, mitigating the risk of compromise.

I own a Synology/QNAP NAS, Should I Care? How to Automatically Get Updated When Synology and QNAP NAS Vulnerabilities are Reported

Pretty much ALL of the brands in NAS, Data Storage and Cloud services have these security advisory pages, but the idea of checking these pages manually (i.e. bookmark etc) every day, week or month is too much of a hassle for many. On the other hand, they all arrive with an RSS feed link that allows users to subscribe to updates BUT many users are not even aware of how to apply an RSS feed (it’s a complex XML feed of text that needs to be injected into an appropriate RSS feed client/agent – so yeah, hardly noob friendly). So, in order to make this 1000x easier, I have (and by me, I mean Eddie the Web Guy spent time on it and I made this article!) made this page that will be constantly updated with the latest vulnerabilities reported on the popular NAS brands and storage-related manufacturers. It is still being built (so more brands are being added) but it will allow you to just chuck your email address below (will not be used for profit or spamming etc) and then you will get an alter EVERY TIME a new security vulnerability is updated by the brands (this is automated, so it will appear here as soon as it appears on the respective security advisory page). Additionally, there will be links back to the brand/manufacturer site so you can find out more about individual exploits and vulnerabilities, how they work, what they do and (most importantly) give you a better idea of whether you should update your NAS/Storage system or not. I hope you find it helpful and if you have any recommendations or idea of what we should add to this page/service to make it even better – let us know in the comments or directing here – https://nascompares.com/contact-us

Sign Up Below to Get Updates as New Vulnerabilities Are Reported

Want to follow specific category? Also Read...DISCONNECT YOUR D-LINK NAS FRONAS Security, the Dos and DON'QNAP NAS Security Check List -D-Link DWR-978 5G SIM Router RD-Link DWR-978 5G SIM Router RD-Link DMS-106XT 10GbE and 2.5D-Link DMS-106XT 10GbE and 2.5D-Link DWA-X1850 Wi-Fi 6 USB AD-Link EXO AX5400 WiFi6 RouterD-Link DWR-2101 Review - The A Subscribe You can also follow specific search terms:

Find an updated vulnerability list here:

Comprehensive User Recommendations

Beyond immediate mitigation, users should consider several best practices for network device security:

• Conduct regular security audits of network devices.
• Update all devices to the latest firmware versions where possible.
• Employ network firewalls and intrusion detection systems to monitor and control inbound and outbound traffic.
• Practice the principle of least privilege by restricting device access to necessary personnel.

Conclusion

The vulnerabilities identified as CVE-2024-3273 and CVE-2024-3274 in D-Link NAS devices present significant security challenges. The absence of official firmware updates for these EOL products necessitates proactive user measures to mitigate risks. This analysis serves as a call to action for users to evaluate their network security posture critically, implement robust security measures, and ensure that all network-attached storage devices operate within their supported lifecycle.

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Want to follow specific category? Also Read...DISCONNECT YOUR D-LINK NAS FRONAS Security, the Dos and DON'QNAP NAS Security Check List -D-Link DWR-978 5G SIM Router RD-Link DWR-978 5G SIM Router RD-Link DMS-106XT 10GbE and 2.5D-Link DMS-106XT 10GbE and 2.5D-Link DWA-X1850 Wi-Fi 6 USB AD-Link EXO AX5400 WiFi6 RouterD-Link DWR-2101 Review - The A Subscribe You can also follow specific search terms:

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WE LOVE COFFEE

Mauvaise nouvelle ! Un chercheur en sécurité du nom de « Netsecfish » vient de dénicher une faille bien vicieuse dans les NAS D-Link. C’est pas un petit bug de rien du tout puisque c’est une backdoor (porte dérobée) qui permet carrément d’exécuter des commandes à distance sur votre NAS ! Ce qui est flippant, c’est qu’il y aurait plus de 92 000 appareils exposés sur Internet qui seraient vulnérables à cette RCE.

D’après Netsecfish, la faille se planque dans le script « /cgi-bin/nas_sharing.cgi », qui gère les requêtes HTTP GET et qui autorise un compte caché avec le nom d’utilisateur « messagebus » et un mot de passe vide. Et en plus de cette porte dérobée, il y a également une faille d’injection de commande via le paramètre « system » qui permet d’exécuter tout et n’importe quoi sur le NAS. Une vraie passoire donc !

Quand on sait que sur nos NAS, on stocke à peu près tout, de nos photos perso à nos backups, je pense que là, on peut dire que ça craint. Bien sûr, vous vous dites sûrement : « Pas de panique, D-Link va corriger ça vite fait bien fait« .

Ah ah, que vous êtes drôles vous. Bah oui, parce que les modèles concernés sont en fin de vie, obsolètes, has been (comme vos t-shirts), donc D-Link ne compte pas développer de patch. Bouuuh les affreux ! La seule solution, c’est donc remplacer votre vieux NAS par un modèle plus récent. Ouin… Cela dit, je pense que les clients D-Link passeront à la concurrence… Au hasard Synology ????

92 000 appareils exposés, ça fait une belle brochette et même si c’est du vieux matos, ça doit trainer chez pas mal de monde et d’entreprises qui doivent encore l’utiliser et qui ne seront même pas au courant de ce problème, sauf s’ils lisent mon site évidemment ^^.

Bref, si vous avez un vieux NAS D-Link qui traîne dans un coin, éteignez-moi ça vite fait. Et par pitié, ne le laissez pas exposé sur Internet, sauf si vous aimez vivre dangereusement.

Source

Vous vous souvenez sûrement de Neuralink, la startup fondée par Elon Musk qui veut révolutionner les interfaces cerveau-machine ? Eh bien, figurez-vous que leur premier cobaye humain, un certain Noland Arbaugh, s’est amusé comme un petit fou avec son nouveau gadget greffé dans le ciboulot !

Ce cher Noland, un jeune homme de 29 ans paralysé des épaules jusqu’aux pieds suite à un accident de plongée, a eu l’immense privilège de recevoir l’implant Neuralink N1 en janvier dernier. Et croyez-moi, il n’a pas perdu de temps pour tester son joujou high-tech !

Lors d’un livestream sur X (l’ex-Twitter, vous suivez ?), notre cher patient a fait une démonstration époustouflante en jouant aux échecs sur ordi rien qu’avec la force de son esprit. Tel un Jedi de la stratégie, il a déplacé les pièces sur l’échiquier virtuel en un clin d’œil, laissant les spectateurs bouche bée.

Mais ce n’est pas tout ! Noland nous a confié qu’il avait déjà passé une nuit blanche à s’éclater sur Civilization VI, le célèbre jeu de stratégie. Avant son opération, il devait compter sur un pote pour l’aider à jouer, ce qui était loin d’être idéal pour enchaîner les parties jusqu’au bout de la nuit.

Maintenant, grâce à son implant miracle, il peut s’adonner à sa passion sans limites ! Enfin, presque… La seule contrainte, c’est d’attendre que son gadget se recharge quand il a épuisé toute la batterie. Mais bon, c’est un détail quand on peut à nouveau profiter des joies du gaming de manière autonome, non ?

Et ce n’est pas fini ! Notre champion a aussi réussi l’exploit de terminer deuxième à Mario Kart 8 Deluxe en affrontant son père et un ami. Pas mal pour un débutant qui pilote son kart à la force de la pensée !

Bien sûr, comme le souligne Noland, tout n’est pas encore parfait avec cette technologie. Il reste du chemin à parcourir pour que Neuralink tienne toutes ses promesses. Mais avouez que c’est quand même un sacré bond en avant pour redonner de l’autonomie et des loisirs aux personnes paralysées. Bravo Elon 🙂

D’ailleurs, le grand gourou de la tech, ne compte d’ailleurs pas s’arrêter là. Son objectif ultime ? Utiliser les implants pour « shunter » les signaux du cortex moteur directement vers les membres paralysés, histoire de contourner les lésions de la moelle épinière. Carrément !

Mais avant d’en arriver là, Neuralink va devoir convaincre les autorités américaines que ses expériences sont éthiques et sans danger, car la startup a déjà fait polémique avec ses tests sur les animaux, accusée d’avoir provoqué des souffrances inutiles sur des singes, des cochons et probablement Bruno Le Maire si on en croit la dernière annonce du déficit français.

Espérons que cette success story avec Noland ouvre la voie à des essais cliniques plus larges, histoire de transformer la vie d’autres personnes dans sa situation. En attendant, on peut toujours rêver au jour où on pourra tous s’affronter sur Civilization ou Mario Kart par la simple force de notre cerveau !

Perso, si Neuralink me permet de débrancher à la demande le son de mes oreilles quand j’ai les enfants dans les pattes, je me le fait implanter tout de suite !

Source

Le ministère des Affaires étrangères russe a déclaré que les satellites Starlink de la société SpaceX pouvaient être « des cibles légitimes ». Parallèlement, l'armée russe s'approvisionne en satellites Starlink pour mener sa guerre en Ukraine.

Des élus américains déclarent que la société d'Elon Musk a bloqué des connexions satellites de l'armée américaine sur l'Ile de Taïwan.

Le renseignement militaire ukrainien affirme que l'armée russe déploie des kits de connexion par satellite de la société Starlink, propriété d'Elon Musk. Plusieurs images récupérées sur les réseaux sociaux laissent croire que des antennes Starlink ont été achetés par des Russes.

Samsung 990 EVO Gen 5 SSD Review

It would be fair to say that of all the brands that exist in the SSD consumer and commercial market, few have the recognition and long-running reputation that Samsung has. A mainstay in consumer day-to-day devices, they have also been long-running pioneers in the world of solid-state storage for years now (first truly cutting their teeth in consumer M.2 NVMe SSD storage with the hugely popular Samsung 960). In the previously established PCIe Gen 4 generation of M.2 NVMe SSDs, Samsung (along with WD) in late 2020 were the very first brands to introduce 7GB/s (7000MB/s) performing drives to the market, massively overshadowing competitors such as Seagate and ultimately giving them a huge advantage, one that has been enjoyed for almost 3-4 years. Fast forward to now and the Gen 5 tier of M.2 NVMe SSDs has established itself, and despite hugely confident releases from Phison-equipped drives with Seagate, Sabrent, TeamGroup, and more that have been promising 10, 12, and 14GB/s, Samsung has been oddly silent on the consumer Gen 5 tier… Until now! The release of the Samsung 990 EVO marks the brand’s first release into an almost guaranteed large range of Gen 5 solutions in 2024/2025, but with a rather niche approach to its hardware design choices, a shift of focus on its ideal deployment, and performance numbers that seem comparatively lower to many drives on the market – is the Samsung EVO 990 SSD a rather bizarre first Gen 5 entry by the brand? Let’s review the Samsung 990 EVO SSD, discuss what makes it different from the usual crowd, benchmark it, and ultimately decide if it deserves your money and your data!

Samsung 990 EVO Gen 5 SSD Review – Quick Conclusion

The Samsung 990 EVO is a unique drive, ideal for systems with limited PCIe allocation and concerns about heat and power usage. While Samsung’s strategy aims to meet future trends, there are questions about PCIe Gen 5 bandwidth utilization and performance sustainability in modern PC architecture. The 990 EVO, being Samsung’s first DRAMless consumer Gen 5 SSD, offers a decent balance of performance and efficiency in compact systems, but its position in the market might be overshadowed by competitors’ higher-spec Gen 5×4 drives. It’s an acceptable choice for those seeking an OS drive or a base SSD for micro/compact systems, offering good durability and power efficiency. However, gamers and power users might find it lacking compared to more robust options available. The Samsung 990 EVO stands out in its niche but faces stiff competition in the broader SSD market.

BUILD QUALITY - 9/10

HARDWARE - 8/10

PERFORMANCE - 6/10

PRICE - 7/10

VALUE - 6/10

7.2

PROS

Low Power Use
Low Heat Generation
Ideal for Small Deployment
Useful for Surgival/Careful PCIe Allocation
Superior Bandwidth Use in x2 Situations
Smasung Magician Still 10/10
Gen 5x4 SSDs Still Suffer Sustained Perf Issues
Ideally suited for OS/OEM Level Drives
Standard Durability, despite DRAMless design

CONS

Better DRAMless Gen5 Controllers out there (Phison E31T)
Lower traditional Performance/IOPS than most Gen 4/5 Comparable $ Drives
Feels like a Steamdeck drive...but not!
No 4TB Option

Where to Buy a Product
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Samsung 990 EVO Gen 5 SSD Review – Retail Packaging

The Samsung 990 EVO arrives in fairly standard packaging from the brand and is arguably fairly understated and regular stuff. The drive arrives without any kind of heatsink (more on that later), but comes with the M.2 NVMe SSD in a plastic shell, alongside brief information on installation, the Samsung Magician software, and details on the 5-year inclusive warranty. The retail box itself is adorned with all the usual tech spec information and, although it’s all a bit ‘meh’, at the very least still carries that Samsung charm.

The drive arrives with a base panel heatshield that arrives pre-applied on the base panel of the SSD (on the bare PCB side), and it is located under the storage NAND. It’s a little odd that this isn’t located on the top, but I am sure Samsung has done enough R&D to know this makes more sense.

The top of the drive has a simple adhesive label with all the relevant drive information, but this is not any kind of metallic heatshield.

Peeling this back reveals an unusual arrangement of components on the PCB (on both the 1TB and 2TB version), at least compared with the bulk of both Gen4 and Gen5 SSDs in the market. Let’s discuss the hardware that the Samsung 990 EVO runs on.

Samsung 990 EVO Gen 5 SSD Review – Hardware Design

As mentioned above, the Samsung 990 EVO is a different kind of drive in the market. But this is especially unusual when you see that Samsung is attempting to straddle both the Gen4 and Gen5 market with this drive. Advertised as a Gen 5 M.2 NVMe, its architecture and the bandwidth afforded to it are very unconventional (at least by 2023/2024 Gen5 standards, but this could change in the near future – something Samsung is likely banking on with this drive).

The 1TB and 2TB versions of the Samsung 990 EVO are largely the same (barring the capacity, of course) and are built using all ‘in-house’ proprietary components – much like most other Samsung SSDs. Much like one of their biggest SSD rivals, Western Digital, Samsung likes to keep the development and onboard parts limited to 1st party design (or at the very least using subsidiaries). This can often mean that Samsung runs its own race when it comes to rolling out consumer and commercial storage drives – as they cannot overly rely on the likes of Phison for an SSD controller, MICRON for storage NAND, or SK Hynix for DRAM. The Samsung 990 EVO continues this trend, arriving with the following specs:

Category	Specification
Model	Samsung SSD 990 EVO
Usage Application	Client PCs
Interface	PCIe® 4.0 x4 / 5.0 x2 NVMe 2.0
Capacity	1TB, 2TB
Controller	Samsung in-house Controller
NAND Flash Memory	Samsung V-NAND TLC
Cache Memory	HMB (Host Memory Buffer)
Dimension	Max 80.15 x Max 22.15 x Max 2.38 (mm)
Form Factor	M.2 (2280)
Sequential Read	Up to 5,000MB/s
Sequential Write	Up to 4,200MB/s
Random Read	QD1: 20KIOPS, QD32: 680KIOPS (1TB), 700KIOPS (2TB)
Random Write	QD1: 90KIOPS, QD32: 800KIOPS
Power Consumption	Active: Read 4.9W (1TB), 6.1W (2TB); Write 4.5W (1TB), 5.5W (2TB)
Idle Power	PS3 (APST on) 60mW, PS4 (L1.2) 5mW
Operating Temp.	0°C to 70°C (Proper airflow recommended)
Non-Operating Temp.	-40°C to 85°C
Humidity	5% to 95% non-condensing
Shock Resistance	Non-Operating: 1,500G (Gravity), duration: 0.5ms, 3 axis
Vibration Resistance	Non-Operating: 20~2,000Hz, 20G
MTBF	1.5 million hours
Warranty	5 years limited, TBW: 600TB (1TB), 1,200TB (2TB)
Supporting Features	TRIM, Garbage Collection, S.M.A.R.T
Data Security	AES 256-bit Full Disk Encryption, TCG/Opal V2.0, Encrypted Drive (IEEE1667)

The controller and its management of the bandwidth with other components is actually quite a unique one in the current Gen 5 market, as it is able to negotiate between Gen 5×2 bandwidth and Gen 4×4 bandwidth. Although auto-negotiation is something that has always existed in SSDs (thanks to PCIe architecture scaled down into PCIe Gen 5>4>3>2, etc.). However, this is something a little different and something that has been developed in order to respond to rising needs in more streamlined systems, PCIe cards, and developing SoC CPUs that have fewer lanes afforded to them (as well as lower power consumption thresholds and temperature limits).

Normally, if you were to put a Gen 5 SSD into a Gen 4 system, the SSD would downgrade to PCIe Gen 4×4, which is exactly what this drive does. But what about the reverse? With newer compact systems arriving with 5×2 bandwidth allocated to storage (as these mini newer Intel Core SoC PC systems, portable ultrathin laptops, and even RAID storage cards with multiple NVMe have begun to do), a PCIe Gen 4×4 SSD that is installed inside would be downgraded to PCIe Gen 4×2. Whereas a Gen 5×4 SSD would be able to use the full Gen 5×2 bandwidth. Ultimately, Samsung is clearly hoping to provide a single affordable drive in their EVO (i.e., affordable/value) series that is able to facilitate both the Gen 4 and Gen 5 compact systems, or those with more careful or curated PCIe lane allocation.

However, realistically, more current PC builders, gamers, and storage enthusiasts are going to question the widespread allocation of Gen 5×2 at the manufacturer level. There is certainly an argument to be made that 2023/2024 released mini PCs (i.e., Intel NUCs and their budget clones), NAS server systems, M.2 storage upgrade cards, and even pre-attached SoC motherboards (see Topton, Erying, and similar) are going to lead to more appearances of x1 and x2 speed M.2 slots.

However, there are very few Gen 5 examples in the market right now compared with Gen 4 and in those systems, the 5×2/4×4 Samsung 990 EVO will be of little benefit in bandwidth over other SSDs in the market. However, the PCIe bandwidth allocation and speed is not the only area in which Samsung has clearly decided is an area ripe for efficient redesign in storage.

The Samsung 990 EVO is also a DRAMless SSD. This means it is a drive that does not arrive with any onboard memory, instead relying on a client memory use system known as HMB – Host Memory Buffer. HMB means that the SSD will need to reserve a small area of RAM on the client machine it is installed inside. So, is this a good thing or a bad thing? DRAMless SSDs, which operate without a dedicated DRAM cache, offer several benefits. DRAMless SSDs, operating without a dedicated DRAM cache, present a unique set of benefits. Their primary advantage lies in cost-effectiveness, as the absence of DRAM chips leads to lower manufacturing costs, making these drives more affordable for consumers seeking SSD speeds on a budget. They are also more energy-efficient than their DRAM-equipped counterparts, consuming less power, which is especially beneficial in battery-powered devices like laptops and mobile phones, thereby extending battery life. The design of DRAMless SSDs is another plus; the elimination of DRAM chips allows for a more compact and streamlined form, ideal for space-constrained devices like ultra-thin laptops. These SSDs tend to be simpler and potentially more reliable due to fewer components, reducing the complexity of the drive’s architecture and possibly leading to fewer points of failure. Additionally, the lack of a DRAM cache can enhance data security, as there’s less risk of data being recovered from temporary storage after power loss. DRAMless SSDs are particularly suitable for read-intensive applications and basic tasks, where high write performance is not a priority.

However, DRAMless SSDs also have notable drawbacks, especially when compared to DRAM-equipped SSDs. The most significant downside is reduced performance, particularly in write speeds and handling large or intensive workloads, due to the reliance on slower NAND flash memory without a DRAM buffer. This limitation affects multitasking capabilities, as they lack a high-speed buffer for quick data access and organization. Some DRAMless SSDs compensate for the absence of onboard DRAM by using a portion of the system’s RAM (Host Memory Buffer), which can affect overall system performance, especially in systems with limited RAM. These SSDs may also have lower endurance due to continuous direct-to-NAND write operations, leading to faster wear of memory cells. Users might experience slower random access speeds and noticeable performance degradation over time as the SSD fills up and managing the mapping table becomes more complex. Consequently, DRAMless SSDs are not ideal for heavy workloads like video editing or gaming, where high-performance storage is crucial, making them a less suitable choice for users with demanding data needs.

While DRAMless SSDs offer benefits in terms of cost and power consumption, they are generally less suited for high-performance or heavy workload applications, making them more appropriate for budget-conscious consumers with moderate storage needs. Needless to say, Samsung has been quite clear about the performance and ideal deployment of the 990 EVO, with power efficiency and temperature management being crucial considerations. Therefore, HMB and a DRAMless design make a modicum of sense here – it just also means that Samsung’s first consumer Gen 5 SSD looks rather underwhelming in terms of traditional performance in comparison to existing Gen 4 and Gen 5 SSDs in the market right now.

The storage NAND on the drive is another comparatively low bar compared with existing fully featured Gen 5 and Gen 4 SSDs in the market (including Samsung’s own 980 Pro and 990 Pro). The Samsung 990 EVO is a drive that has been targeted to replace/refresh the 970 EVO and in THAT regard, it is a substantial upgrade! With high bandwidth allocation, higher degrees of saturation of it in traditional throughput, higher 4K random IOPS, and just generally better thermal/power management when in operation, the 990 EVO is a confident upgrade over the 970 EVO indeed. However, there is still the question of buying the 990 EVO as a storage drive for your Gen 4 system (or even Gen 5 premium rig) when even Samsung’s 2020 released 980 Pro drive dominates the 2024 released 990 EVO in pretty much all areas and is even a similar/lower price in a lot of retailers.

Samsung 990 EVO SSD	Samsung 990 Pro SSD

The storage NAND is of a lower layer count but is still Samsung’s in-house 3D TLC V-NAND. This, the lack of onboard DRAM, and (in certain deployments) the x2 speed all add up to a drive that doesn’t stand especially tall against its competitors at a glance. Nevertheless, there is also the argument that the Samsung 990 EVO is going to be the best SSD that you never realize that you already own in years to come! Its design is ripe for deployment as the OS drive at the OEM/factory level in the same way as the widespread use of the 970 EVO was for Windows machines and laptops the world over! Indeed, in a different context, the specifications for the Samsung 990 EVO would make it a GREAT upgrade for a Steam Deck or one of its many clones in the last 12-18 months. If the Samsung 990 EVO was a 2230 or 2240 sized SSD, this review would be very different – as the market is crying out for high performing, yet power-efficient small form factor M.2 SSDs – however, the Samsung 990 EVO’s 2280 length eliminates this use sadly.

Additionally, the fact the SSD arrives at 1TB and 2TB, but not a 4TB, is going to disappoint users who are looking at this drive in terms of efficiency but also know that our daily data creation rates are bigger than ever! However, we cannot really use this as a stick to beat the 990 EVO with, as this could be part of a staged rollout and a 4TB version coming down the line (Samsung already provides numerous 4TB NVMe SSD examples in other ranges). All the mixed points so far aside, I have to hand it to Samsung for releasing this DRAMless SSD that supports Gen 4 and Gen 5 deployment – yet still maintains a standard 600/1200 TBW (so over 0.3 DWPD). Jargon aside, that means that this power and heat-efficient SSD can withstand up to over 300/600GB of daily write/rewrite on the 1/2TB respectively. Outside of SSD cache utilization in servers and as a daily backup drive without differentials, this SSD is going to last a LONG TIME and hopefully way, way beyond the 5yrs manufacturer’s hardware warranty (standard across the industry). There are still points to be made that the lower performance bears closer examination on these number’s virtues, but nonetheless, this still all adds up to good durability for a drive that is going to be used in compact deployments where heat generation is a real concern!

The hardware, in the right context, is all great. But inevitably, we are going to need to look at how this all adds up to performance. Let’s put the SSD through some benchmarks with popular test software, as well as discuss the Samsung Magician client software and how it allows you to use your 990 EVO beyond just traditional target storage.

Using CrystalDisk, we got a good measure of the drive and verified that this PCIe Gen 5×2 / 4×4 SSD was indeed using the 5×2 lane. Additionally, the temp averaged out around 55C between each test being conducted and the highest temp registered for 68 degrees.

Samsung 990 EVO Gen 5 SSD Review – Performance and Software

It is REALLY important that we look at the performance of the Samsung 990 EVO SSD in the right frame of mind! We have reviewed A LOT of Gen 4 and Gen 5 SSDs here on NASCompares in the last few years, and we have to at least acknowledge that in terms of traditional throughput and responsive IOPS, the Samsung 990 EVO is going to come across lower in most cases. However, in the context of a DRAMLESS SSD and one that is designed towards more flexible deployment, we have more flexible thresholds in mind. Equally, Samsung has been very clear on the reported performance of the 990 EVO in their marketing, stating maximum performance numbers of 5000MB/s Seq Read and 4200MB/s Seq Write, as well as Read and Write 4K Random IOPS numbers of 800,000 and 700,000 respectively. These are good, healthy numbers and if sustained, would make this drive very attractive to those streamlined deployments. So, to the testing.

For the sake of fairness, let’s compare the results of the Samsung 990 EVO in some of its tests against the other DRAMless Gen 4 SSD we mentioned earlier in the review, the late 2022 released WD Black SN770, as then we have a much fairer means to frame the performance results:

Samsung 990 EVO SSD	WD Black SN770 SSD

Although the numbers are comparable and there are gains/drops on either side, the winner is largely going to come down to your perspective of priorities. If traditional throughput of chunking MB/s and GB/s is your focus, the SN770 has the upper hand. But for IOPS, larger-scale databases of volume, and deployments made up of high-frequency data, the Samsung 990 EVO holds its ground the firmest. Let’s conclude this review.

Samsung 990 EVO Gen 5 SSD Review – Verdict

All this adds up to a drive that, in a very specific context of use in a powerful, yet curated/limited PCIe allocated system (with concerns of heat and power use), is ready to be a hero! Samsung is clearly banking on this being an established future trend, and you cannot really blame them. Alongside numerous examples of strategic PCIe allocation in modern consumer hardware throughout 2023 and planned for 2024, there are also still question marks about just what percentage of PCIe Gen 5 bandwidth can actually be saturated long term on modern PC architecture before the inevitable overfilling of cache and performance numbers plummeting. We have seen numerous examples using synthetic testing that has shown the first and second phase of Gen 5 releases reach anywhere from 20-60 seconds of sustained transfer before bottling down! This raises the idea of a drive that does have the ability to hit those highs, because it doesn’t need to, and instead can provide a sustained performance number that on balance works out better (not just in those more compact deployments too).

However, I think the first drive from Samsung into consumer Gen 5 SSDs being DRAMless is a little odd and would have been best served as a derivation/2nd wave of Gen 5 Samsung SSDs that allow choice – much like how WD released the WD Black SN850, then followed it up with the WD Black SN770 DRAMless Gen 4 alternative and the WD Black SN850X premium upgrade. Starting with the DRAMless 990 EVO and rolling out at the same time as their competitors are providing comparatively priced Gen 5×4 alternatives with higher transfers and IOPS ratings might be something of a marketing misstep. Only time will tell, and, as ever, storage trends are first and foremost going to follow client hardware trends (the PS5 exploded the Gen 4 generation in a way that PC Gaming hadn’t yet), and more affordable Power use SoC/Mobile Embedded versions of Intel/AMD chips led to massive uptake in Gen 4 higher cap drives. The Samsung 990 EVO is an SSD with acceptable performance, IOPS numbers, durability, and power use when it’s looked at in its own context/light, but draws weak comparisons with bigger and bolder drives in the market. Gamers and serious power users will want to look elsewhere, but if you are looking for an OS drive or base SSD for your next micro/compact system, you are going to find a reliable and long-term drive choice here.

Need More Help Choosing the Right Storage Solution?

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