Which virus attacks the File Allocation Table (FAT) to destroy the index, making files unrecoverable?

Which virus attacks the File Allocation Table (FAT) to destroy the index, making files unrecoverable?

• A. Logic bomb
• B. FAT virus
• C. Web scripting virus
• D. Metamorphic viruses

Answer: (B)

The idea being tested is how malware can destroy access to data by corrupting the filesystem’s index. On FAT file systems, the File Allocation Table is the index that tells the OS which clusters belong to each file. If a virus targets and corrupts this table, the entries that map files to their data blocks become invalid or misreported. As a result, the system can no longer locate or assemble the actual data, making files appear lost or unrecoverable even if the data blocks themselves still exist. Other types of malware described here don’t specifically tamper with the FAT index: a logic bomb executes under a condition, web scripting viruses target web applications, and metamorphic viruses change their code to evade detection rather than destroy the file system's index.

The idea being tested is how malware can destroy access to data by corrupting the filesystem’s index. On FAT file systems, the File Allocation Table is the index that tells the OS which clusters belong to each file. If a virus targets and corrupts this table, the entries that map files to their data blocks become invalid or misreported. As a result, the system can no longer locate or assemble the actual data, making files appear lost or unrecoverable even if the data blocks themselves still exist. Other types of malware described here don’t specifically tamper with the FAT index: a logic bomb executes under a condition, web scripting viruses target web applications, and metamorphic viruses change their code to evade detection rather than destroy the file system's index.