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Former student destroys 59 university computers using USB Killer device

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

#161

Post by binarymax »

golergka wrote: post #150
mosselman wrote: post #146

"He faces up to ten years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000" That is crazy. He is obviously not completely 100% in the head and needs psychological help not imprisonment.

Isn't such decision supposed to be a court ruling? I don't think that persecution can suggest psychological help in US court system.

I think you meant to say prosecution. But persecution sounds fitting here because exactly the problem you state: mental health needs more awareness and application for people who suffer from these problems. Putting them in jail is the worst thing for everyone.

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

#162

Post by SeanLuke »

egwynn wrote: post #57
SeanLuke wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why?

For a time, macbooks had opto-isolated USB ports[0]. I think they don’t anymore though. [0] https://github.com/usbkill/community/wiki/Consumer-Laptop-Ha...

Call me highly skeptical. Every reference I've seen to this claim seems to point back to usbkill.com making it itself.

The problem is: optoisolators are very slow. Building one which goes faster than 12Mbps would be nontrivial; I do not think such a thing existed in 2014 (which usbkill is claiming). This implies that Apple has alien technology.

I think it's something else.

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

#163

Post by codedokode »

interfixus wrote: post #81
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.

> 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.

Because radios in those days were made properly, without planned obsolescence!

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

#164

Post by squarefoot »

xattt wrote: post #46
squarefoot wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Was there a TV-come-on to turn on the mall TVs in the morning?

Not that I know of, but technically doable since all it needs is transmitting through infrared the corresponding signal variants according to different brands. By modifying the source one could for example set all TVs to maximum volume, or tune them to channel 666, or even give different commands to different brands as they share the same IR codes.

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

#165

Post by codedokode »

kmlx wrote: post #125
tluyben2 wrote: post #90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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…

here's an example that disputes your assumption: Japan has much less criminality than NL, and has one of the harshest prison systems in the world. you can leave your expensive bicycle unlocked on a crowded tokyo street and no-one's going to touch it. you can leave your expensive apartment completely unsecured and no-one's going to get it. they even still have the baggage lockers all across their subway. a lot of this…

Actually there is theft, for example, I watched a TV program about shoplifting and they caught several people, like a company of school girls or an old woman.

The bicyles must be registered in Tokyo if I remember correctly.

Also, they have unmanned selling stalls, usually in the countryside, where farmers sell fruits and vegetables [1]

[1] http://abritishprofinjapan.blogspot.com/2017/07/unmanned-veg...

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

#166

Post by vincnetas »

malignantCancer wrote: post #107
tluyben2 wrote: post #90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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…

[flagged]

Now imagine, you being one of the kids you are talking about, and someone with your current attitude talking to you. Would this make you stop doing things that you do? Would it make you reconsider your actions? I bet it would only make you feel more angry.

What my kids thought me is that you must be patient. Always. You cant tell something once, and expect it to work instantly. It's easier to just slap annoying kid if he misbehaves, but he will just start to fear you, and it will not add to his understanding on the right way to behave.

For you it might look that it have worked because he will try to avoid you, but in his head there will be totally different understanding compared to what could have been if you talked to him constantly about "the tight way" of behaving.

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

#167

Post by dsfyu404ed »

codedokode wrote: post #156

Maybe the student thought that it was a normal flash drive and tried to find a working computer that can open it? Also, isn't ten years too much for just destroying a property? It's not like anyone got hurt.

>Also, isn't ten years too much for just destroying a property? It's not like anyone got hurt.

The (unspoken) point is to send a message of deterrence. Be a thorn in the side of important institutions and they will screw you hard.

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

#168

Post by vincnetas »

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.

"According to the Vera Institute of Justice, incarceration costs an average of more than $31,000 per inmate, per year"

  damages: 60k
  fine: 250k
  price to incarcerate him for 10 years : 310K
  ...
  ... profit?

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

#170

Post by codedokode »

tluyben2 wrote: post #92
gridlockd wrote: post #82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 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 hi…

> Perhaps he was just an idiot, Considering he filmed it, this is the most likely explanation anyway; you should ruin someone life over that? Make him pay 200k in fines and that’s it; jail time is insane for this imho.

Exactly. Nobody got hurt, so a fine is enough. To stop him from doing this again, there could be a harsher punishment for repeated offence.
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