Freeze Windows 10 with one key

[mzac]

Last night I stumbled across a very interesting Windows 10 bug (it might also affect other Windows versions) and I'm using Windows 10 Pro.

If your keyboard has those silly shortcut keys to start say a browser, calculator, explorer etc, press the browser button and it should open a new window.  Pressing the browser button again will just refresh the same new window.

However, if the computer is locked and you press this browser or calculator button multiple times or even hold it down, it will keep opening and opening new windows until the computer can become almost unusable!

I posted this also to /., so hoping to get some traction on this bug.

https://slashdot.org/submission/5933369/freeze-windows-10-with-one-key

Also, I'm wondering if this bug/exploit can be used any way maliciously, it doesn't seem right that when a computer is locked that you can still press keys and launch applications.

Heck, if you could re-map those keys you could have them do anything when the computer is locked!

Just my two cents...

- mzac

Edited June 3, 2016 by mzac

[cooper]

In all honesty, I believe this is a Lenovo problem rather than a Microsoft problem. Lenovo has something driver-like trap the keypress and kick in the browser. I'm guessing that it launches multiple instances of chrome as opposed to refreshing one that's already open which over time starves the machine of its resources.

[mzac]

Yes, you could be right.  My laptop that I tested it on is a Lenovo and I just tested it on my Dell at work and it doesn't behave the same way.  Still, it just doesn't seem like that should happen!

[LordLoki]

I agree with cooper completely i think its just a bug with the keyboard not the OS although Windows 10 is buggy as all get out for me, but that's a discussion for a different time.