Cheap, Easy-To-Buy USB Device Can Literally Fry Your Computer (Or Anything Else)

From consumerist.com.

“It sounds like something out of a spy thriller or sci-fi novel, but as with many other once-futuristic technologies, fact and fiction have merged: There’s a tiny USB device out there that can flat-out fry almost any laptop it’s plugged into, and they’re cheap enough that basically anyone who wants to cause some trouble can buy one.

As Inc. reports, the USB Killer does exactly one thing: delivers a big fat electric jolt to the device it’s plugged in to, shorting out the insides. Permanently.”


From arstechnica.com.

“[T]he USB stick looks normal, and there are no outward signs it’s malicious. But the USB Killer 2.0, as its creator calls it, takes computer attacks on a less-traveled road that leads to physical destruction. According to this post from The Daily Mail, an earlier and less powerful version of the device drew power from USB ports using a DC-to-DC converter until it reached negative 100 volts. At that point, the power was directed into the computer. The process ran on a loop until the circuitry failed. It’s likely Version 2 works similarly.”

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