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Former student destroys 59 university computers using USB Killer device

zdnet.com

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Re: Former student destroys 59 university computers using USB Killer device

#11
post #10
post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They bill it for “pen testers and police” so I would guess it’s really for people who imagine themselves / want to be within that audience. Not to be overly cynical. I suppose some pen testers, or actual CIA type folks might have some need of this type of device... but is that a large enough market?

I can't even imagine a situation where police would want to destroy a running device that could likely have evidence stored in volatile memory. Even if it was their own device that they were retiring, it doesn't even wipe data, it just destroys the logic/motherboard. Hardware designers might want one to test out their mitigation circuit but once your design, why do you need a USBkill anymore? This thing just seems li…

I've never heard of TV-B-Gone.

> During the 2008 Consumer Electronics Show, an individual associated with Gizmodo brought a TV-B-Gone remote control and shut off many display monitors at booths and during demos affecting several companies. These actions caused the individual to be banned for life from future CES events.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TV-B-Gone

Re: Former student destroys 59 university computers using USB Killer device

#12

I am looking at https://usbkill.com/ . What is the purpose of the device? The manufacturer calls it an "ESD tester" yet there is an "anonymous" version available: https://usbkill.com/products/usb-killer-v3?variant=447760856...

> Is the device safe? > The USB Kill and the USB Kill Testing Shield are safe to use. Both devices have been manufactured, tested and certified as CE Approved. Test in complete confidence. This device that is designed to destroy computers is perfectly safe to use ... I don't know what to say to that.

Safe for the user, not to the computer I assume.

Re: Former student destroys 59 university computers using USB Killer device

#14
post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I can't even imagine a situation where police would want to destroy a running device that could likely have evidence stored in volatile memory. Even if it was their own device that they were retiring, it doesn't even wipe data, it just destroys the logic/motherboard. Hardware designers might want one to test out their mitigation circuit but once your design, why do you need a USBkill anymore? This thing just seems li…

I've never heard of TV-B-Gone. > During the 2008 Consumer Electronics Show, an individual associated with Gizmodo brought a TV-B-Gone remote control and shut off many display monitors at booths and during demos affecting several companies. These actions caused the individual to be banned for life from future CES events. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TV-B-Gone

The innocuous use of TV-B-Gone devices was to shut off at once all TV sets at malls; it was rather a prank than a destructive act, with the added benefit of getting some peace.

Re: Former student destroys 59 university computers using USB Killer device

#15
post #10
post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They bill it for “pen testers and police” so I would guess it’s really for people who imagine themselves / want to be within that audience. Not to be overly cynical. I suppose some pen testers, or actual CIA type folks might have some need of this type of device... but is that a large enough market?

I can't even imagine a situation where police would want to destroy a running device that could likely have evidence stored in volatile memory. Even if it was their own device that they were retiring, it doesn't even wipe data, it just destroys the logic/motherboard. Hardware designers might want one to test out their mitigation circuit but once your design, why do you need a USBkill anymore? This thing just seems li…

"I can't even imagine a situation where police would want to destroy a running device that could likely have evidence stored in volatile memory."

Exactly. That device has nothing to do with police or testing. The politically correct name is a way to avoid filters or to claim ignorance in case some customers do nasty thing with them. Not different from cellphone/gps jammers sold under the "signal/field generator" name.

"Even if it was their own device that they were retiring, it doesn't even wipe data, it just destroys the logic/motherboard."

And it's even very bad at it: most computers have internal usb hubs that would act as a (weak but sometimes successful) defense against these devices.

Re: Former student destroys 59 university computers using USB Killer device

#16

I am looking at https://usbkill.com/ . What is the purpose of the device? The manufacturer calls it an "ESD tester" yet there is an "anonymous" version available: https://usbkill.com/products/usb-killer-v3?variant=447760856...

I could see it being useful for when you want an easy way to get a high voltage spike out of a 5v power supply. For example, if you wanted to build a board for igniting the gas in a potato gun that ran off of a USB power bank.

Re: Former student destroys 59 university computers using USB Killer device

#20

I am looking at https://usbkill.com/ . What is the purpose of the device? The manufacturer calls it an "ESD tester" yet there is an "anonymous" version available: https://usbkill.com/products/usb-killer-v3?variant=447760856...

"-200VDC is discharged over the data lines of the host device. This charge/discharge cycle is repeated many times per second, until the USB Killer is removed"

Is there any device that is supposed to survive this?

In other news, throwing your computer in a fire also reveals a serious vulnerability.

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