How to Read and Modify NTFS Alternate Data Streams (ADS) using .NET?

Reading and Modifying NTFS Alternate Data Streams with .NET

Introduction

Alternate Data Streams (ADS) are a feature of the NTFS file system that allows additional data to be attached to files beyond their primary data stream. This added data can be useful for various purposes, such as storing metadata, attachments, or versioning information.

Reading ADS

To read an ADS from a file using .NET, you can use the CreateFileW function in the kernel32.dll library. The CreateFileW function takes a file path and a stream name as parameters. If the stream exists, the function returns a handle to the stream, which you can then use to read data.

Modifying ADS

To modify an existing ADS or create a new one, you can use the WriteFile function. The WriteFile function takes a file handle and a buffer of data as parameters. You can specify the stream name in the file path when calling CreateFileW to target a specific stream for writing.

Example

Here is an example of how to read and modify an ADS using .NET:

using System.Runtime.InteropServices;

class Program
{
    static void Main(string[] args)
    {
        var mainStream = NativeMethods.CreateFileW(
            "testfile",
            NativeConstants.GENERIC_WRITE,
            NativeConstants.FILE_SHARE_WRITE,
            IntPtr.Zero,
            NativeConstants.OPEN_ALWAYS,
            0,
            IntPtr.Zero);

        var stream = NativeMethods.CreateFileW(
            "testfile:stream",
            NativeConstants.GENERIC_WRITE,
            NativeConstants.FILE_SHARE_WRITE,
            IntPtr.Zero,
            NativeConstants.OPEN_ALWAYS,
            0,
            IntPtr.Zero);
    }
}

public partial class NativeMethods
{

    /// Return Type: HANDLE->void*
    ///lpFileName: LPCWSTR->WCHAR*
    ///dwDesiredAccess: DWORD->unsigned int
    ///dwShareMode: DWORD->unsigned int
    ///lpSecurityAttributes: LPSECURITY_ATTRIBUTES->_SECURITY_ATTRIBUTES*
    ///dwCreationDisposition: DWORD->unsigned int
    ///dwFlagsAndAttributes: DWORD->unsigned int
    ///hTemplateFile: HANDLE->void*
    [DllImportAttribute("kernel32.dll", EntryPoint = "CreateFileW")]
    public static extern System.IntPtr CreateFileW(
        [InAttribute()] [MarshalAsAttribute(UnmanagedType.LPWStr)] string lpFileName, 
        uint dwDesiredAccess, 
        uint dwShareMode, 
        [InAttribute()] System.IntPtr lpSecurityAttributes, 
        uint dwCreationDisposition, 
        uint dwFlagsAndAttributes, 
        [InAttribute()] System.IntPtr hTemplateFile
    );

}


public partial class NativeConstants
{

    /// GENERIC_WRITE -> (0x40000000L)
    public const int GENERIC_WRITE = 1073741824;

    /// FILE_SHARE_DELETE -> 0x00000004
    public const int FILE_SHARE_DELETE = 4;

    /// FILE_SHARE_WRITE -> 0x00000002
    public const int FILE_SHARE_WRITE = 2;

    /// FILE_SHARE_READ -> 0x00000001
    public const int FILE_SHARE_READ = 1;

    /// OPEN_ALWAYS -> 4
    public const int OPEN_ALWAYS = 4;
}

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