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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

#81

Post by interfixus »

acchow wrote: post #20
stadeschuldt wrote: post #5

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.

> Is there any device that is supposed to survive this?

There used to be...

As a boy - and this is many, many years ago - I once, ehm, accidentally connected the external speaker-plug on an old vacuum tube household radio to the 220V mains.

A very loud bang, and the house went dark. The radio, however, was fine, although with an interesting new tonal slant to everything.

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

#82

Post by gridlockd »

1024core wrote: post #49
tyingq wrote: post #42

College of St Rose lists their tuition as $29,826/yr. So he did about 2 tuition years of damage. I wonder if he was worked up about student loan debt.

I'm guessing he's a rich kid from India, with rich parents who are bankrolling his education. I hope he gets the full 10 years. Nothing like the US Penitentiary System to teach you a lesson.

> I hope he gets the full 10 years.

Ten years for vandalism? That's injustice.

You don't even know why he did it. Perhaps he was just an idiot, perhaps he had a legitimate grievance that he didn't know how to "rectify" otherwise.

> Nothing like the US Penitentiary System to teach you a lesson.

Oh really? Then why does the US system have one of the highest rates of recidivism in the world? Why does the US have the highest incarceration rate in the world, perhaps with the exception of North Korea?

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

#83

Post by tjohns »

Razengan wrote: post #63
egwynn wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For a while, macbooks were built this way: https://github.com/usbkill/community/wiki/Consumer-Laptop-Ha...

But the recent/2018 ones are vulnerable? Why? Cost cutting?

Probably related to the switch to USB-C, which started with the 2016 models.

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

#84

Post by tjohns »

Dylan16807 wrote: post #78
tyingq wrote: post #42

College of St Rose lists their tuition as $29,826/yr. So he did about 2 tuition years of damage. I wonder if he was worked up about student loan debt.

I'm curious how the damage breaks down, because it sounds like a lot of that damage might have been him destroying just a motherboard and then the entire computer being written off.

Corporate/university IT shops don't normally do component-level replacement. Both due to time constraints and the nature of their support contacts.

(Assuming the Dell/HP/etc. workstations they bought even take standard size motherboards. I've seen some that don't.)

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

#85

Post by [deleted] »

Jerry2 wrote: post #68
stadeschuldt wrote: post #5

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...

From that page: > Does not require batteries, can be be used an unlimited number of times. So how does it work? How can it recharge all those capacitors?

[deleted]

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

#87

Post by Hydraulix989 »

rhn_mk1 wrote: post #86

Why can vandalism result in a prison term? I'd expect paying damages is a sufficient punishment for stupidity. Genuinely curious why the consequences are structured this way.

Deterrence. To some, the damages are pocket change.

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

#88

Post by brirec »

jrockway wrote: post #69
acchow wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"-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.

Ethernet will probably do fine. The differential pair ends in a transformer, so unless you pump so much current in that it physically melts the transformer or wire, you'll be fine. USB should be similar, but apparently is not. (In the case of the USB killer, the amount of time where 200V is applied to the circuit is probably very tiny. I imagine it's just a charge pump that charges a tiny capacitor and discharges it.…

Oh dear god, why did you connect your iMac’s Ethernet port to mains? Did you expect it to survive?!

The fact that Ethernet functions the same with a voltage bias across the leads is exploited for PoE — power over Ethernet.

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

#89

Post by kweks »

moftz wrote: post #10
yial wrote: 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…

My business partner is a supplier to LEA / Government for intrusion / pentest / physical and electronic security. He has sold over 600 units to legitimate government and police entities.

Likewise, the USBKill suppliers had shown confirmed clients from all large SV companies, and all major hardware manufacturers.

It definitely is a malicious device in the hands of someone malicious, no doubt... But it most definitely serves a purpose to government and LEA apparently ..

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

#90

Post by tluyben2 »

Hydraulix989 wrote: post #87
rhn_mk1 wrote: post #86

Why can vandalism result in a prison term? I'd expect paying damages is a sufficient punishment for stupidity. Genuinely curious why the consequences are structured this way.

Deterrence. To some, the damages are pocket change.

When we (Dutch) ask in school why our sentences are so low, it is explained that if the punishment does not fit the crime, you will be incentivized to add more crime because you are already facing prison time, so why would you care about a few years more or less. Aka if the crime for rape is almost the same as murder you might as well kill the victim to have less chance of being caught. We have not a lot of crime and people who commit crimes like this come out of it as long term productive citizens: if you go to jail, what exactly are you doing/deterring? He will never have a normal life because of some stupid thing he did? Do like (i think) scandinavia and swiss; make fines fit the economical status of the perpetrator.

Edit; me and my friends did dumb things when young, not quite this dumb, but enough, if tried as adult, for prison time in the US possibly and caning+prison in for instance Singapore ; what exactly would that have done? We are all highly successful tax payers and it was foolishness that occured once or twice, 30 years ago.

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