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USB Killer

kukuruku.co

41–50 of 198 posts

Re: USB Killer

#41
post #37

Reminds me of a story I heard many years ago. UK power plugs have three prongs to include earth. If you rewire earth, live and neutral AND alter the plug wall socket to match, then all is well, but if someone steals your PC then plugs it in using a standard wall socket then ouch.

UK power plugs also require a fuse, which I believe is not mandatory anywhere else.

Re: USB Killer

#42
post #37

Reminds me of a story I heard many years ago. UK power plugs have three prongs to include earth. If you rewire earth, live and neutral AND alter the plug wall socket to match, then all is well, but if someone steals your PC then plugs it in using a standard wall socket then ouch.

I lived in a place where someone managed to swap wires at one of the switchboards. There was no ground (not that uncommon), so the supposed 0 was wired to the ground at the sockets (that's what you should do). What it means with German/French-combo style socket is that phase (+/-230V AC) was wired to metal parts sticking out of a socket or any grounded appliance plugged in.

Everything plugged into affected sockets seemed to work just fine. Even a desktop computer + monitor. We only found out because roommate was getting electric shocks from the metal PC casing.

Re: USB Killer

#43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why? Sounds like a way to increase security awareness. Although, I suppose a huge blaring alarm might do just as well. Leave them around your office/parking lot and see who uses them. Then have a chat. Better they plug in a bad device you control vs one carrying a truly malicious payload. (Probably a good idea to attempt to phish employees, too.)

Yeah, and randomly hitting people in the head with a bat is a great way to increase concussion awareness, right?

No, but it's a great way to increase "don't stick your head where it shouldn't be" awareness!

Re: USB Killer

#44
post #37

Reminds me of a story I heard many years ago. UK power plugs have three prongs to include earth. If you rewire earth, live and neutral AND alter the plug wall socket to match, then all is well, but if someone steals your PC then plugs it in using a standard wall socket then ouch.

UK power plugs also require a fuse, which I believe is not mandatory anywhere else.

They're ugly as hell, and insanely painful if you tread on them, but UK plugs are a bastion of good engineering.

Things like not being able to stick things into the line/neutral holes unless the ground pin (which is longer) is inserted make them very safe, and the plastic lower part of the line/neutral pins to stop you accidentally touching something that will have current running through it until the plug is safely inserted is inspired.

Re: USB Killer

#45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

UK power plugs also require a fuse, which I believe is not mandatory anywhere else.

They're ugly as hell, and insanely painful if you tread on them, but UK plugs are a bastion of good engineering. Things like not being able to stick things into the line/neutral holes unless the ground pin (which is longer) is inserted make them very safe, and the plastic lower part of the line/neutral pins to stop you accidentally touching something that will have current running through it until the plug is safely…

> Things like not being able to stick things into the line/neutral holes unless the ground pin (which is longer) is inserted make them very safe, and the plastic lower part of the line/neutral pins to stop you accidentally touching something that will have current running through it until the plug is safely inserted is inspired.

Same in Australia, of course you can still go off an buy and Apple Laptop charger with no ground.

Re: USB Killer

#47
post #4

This is just one of many reasons why you should not ever stick unknown things in your healthy ports (or your healthy things in unknown ports). Not without protection. Safety first. But I'm a firm believer that people should be able to consent to this kind of behavior if they really wish to.

The problem is that a stick that you bought is something unknown.

Re: USB Killer

#48
post #40

> "We can tell you exactly what happened when your candidates tried to implement a REST API. We can compare their performance against hundreds of other talented engineers (including your current employees ) on the same task." Dayum. tldr; if you like your job and you play this game, play to win

[meta] Looks like you replied to wrong item.

Re: USB Killer

#49
post #37

Reminds me of a story I heard many years ago. UK power plugs have three prongs to include earth. If you rewire earth, live and neutral AND alter the plug wall socket to match, then all is well, but if someone steals your PC then plugs it in using a standard wall socket then ouch.

When my grandparents died and we sold their house (in the uk) we had some builders in to tidy up some stuff and they discovered that in a big part of the house the earth was actually wired to live in the sockets. They'd lived with it for 40 years or something. Guess not many devices actually use the earth.

(The wiring was originally done by my grandad'a brother - use a professional people...)

Re: USB Killer

#50
post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, and randomly hitting people in the head with a bat is a great way to increase concussion awareness, right?

Deciding to put a stranger-USB device in your computer is a thing you do, and decided to do. Getting hit in the head with a bat isn't.

"I'm not a lawyer" etc., but I'm pretty sure that, in many if not most nations with a broadly Western judicial system, the deliberate planting of this device with the intention of causing harm will be illegal. It doesn't matter if the poor fool plugs it in: you knew what would happen. Furthermore it's arguably true that you intended it to happen. Therefore, you're a dick and you're at fault.
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