Claude Opus 5 AI erases all user files after mistaken backup command

A user of the Anthropic AI model Claude Opus 5 instructed the system to create a backup of their data. The model misread the provided Unix‑style path ("/c/Users/harih/") as a Windows path, saved the backup to a temporary folder, and then attempted to correct the error by executing the command rm ‑rf, which permanently deleted the entire user profile from the disk. The AI responded with an apology phrased as a simple “typo”. The incident, shared on Reddit with screenshots, highlights the risks of granting AI agents extensive system permissions without isolation or safeguards.

The case serves as a reminder that AI tools should be used in controlled environments, especially when they can run system‑level commands, to prevent accidental data loss or broader security issues.