Tails (aka LUKS encrypted disk) message "Error when getting information for the file path/to/file: Structure needs cleaning

[fititnt]

Tails (aka LUKS encrypted disk) message "Error when getting information for the file path/to/file: Structure needs cleaning

[fititnt]

This issue (while did not had descriptions, just photos) was somewhat about tests intentionally trying to break things and already using very, very cheap USB sticks. So we could assume near worst cases scenarios.

Tails, while do allow to emergency shut down by removing the USB stick (and with this, it will even do memory cleaning to mitigate cold boot attacks) should be used only if the person really needs, not like every.

Another point is, if you USB stick is not very attached to your computer, try to not touch the cables when doing intense write to the disk or a few minutes after. Most USB sticks may tell the operational system that they acknowledge the write, but they still organizing the files.

The message to "this USB can be removed" is mroe explicitly if you are using a 2nd USB on tails and ask Tails to eject this 2nd USB. But if the USB is the Tails itself, still better you do normal shutdown.

What happens if you don't do it?

On this example, I guess 2 errors happened.

1. The USB was removed before give time to adjust the files
2. When using Tails on secure mode (note, the first partition is not written often, so what is likely to be damanged is the TailsData) allowed me to try fix the partition.

• My recommendation is, if you is using tails to recover the data, don't go out to get a Coffee (e.g. stay in front of the computer untill it ends). I suppose that by geting out of the computer, Tails done a logout and maybe forced the recover process to stop in the middle. So I actually lost more folders than likely to be necessary.

Note that in this case, I already had a recent backup so I could afford do these tests. But if I did not had an backup an cared about the data, the ideal is before trying to recover the partition, do a RAW copy of the entire partition and then do the recovery process. Note that Tails all the time show the warnings.