The so-called USB killers have been around for years. But like any other technology, these dangerous devices are evolving. The rise of Internet stores makes it easy to buy. They are sold camouflaged as USB flash drives, but they contain a circuit capable of absorbing energy and launching a powerful and rapid electrical discharge. So it is capable of disabling computers and all kinds of devices.
Its technical name is high voltage pulse generator. They are supposedly intended to perform resistance tests on all kinds of devices, but it is no secret that anyone can use them to easily disable electronic equipment. They also serve to set a trap for someone so that that person destroys their computer without really knowing what has happened.
Although the technology is neutral and we are the ones who guide its use, it is difficult to believe that devices as effective as these can be purchased by anyone. We have done a real test with one of them.
We opted for a third generation USB Killer model, although more advanced fourth generation models already exist. The model that we acquired through Aliexpres uses a quite surprising camouflage: it has the Toshiba logo, which of course is not the manufacturer of this device, and a mark that indicates 32 GB. But the device is not capable of storing any kind of data.
This camouflage, apart from violating intellectual property, makes it clear that the use of this USB Killer is designed for deception. To test it we used an old Windows 7 laptop that we bought on the second-hand market. After verifying that it worked perfectly, we proceeded to the test.
We inserted the USB Killer into one of the USB 2.0 ports of the device and the poison did not take long to act. As can be seen in the test video that accompanies these lines, the computer broke down a few seconds after inserting this killer USB.
Although it cannot be heard well in the video, it was possible to hear a humming sound coming from the device releasing electric shocks. To our surprise we managed to boot the computer again, but both the keyboard and touchpad of the computer were damaged. The USB ports didn't work either.
These did not recognize any of the devices we tried to introduce, a keyboard and a mouse, to take control of the computer. Given this impossibility of interacting with the operating system, it was impossible for us to better know the extent of the damage caused by USB Killer.
We reinserted the USB Killer into the different USB ports on this PC, but it didn't seem to work. This is most likely due to the damage it caused to the equipment. It probably could no longer absorb power from the USB port to bounce it off and try to short circuit.
The USB Killer 4, the latest generation released, can attack via remote control or by programming a date for them to begin acting. This is achieved because they incorporate a battery.
These next-generation devices can support standard USB ports and with simple adapters USB-C, MicroUSB, MiniUSB, and Lightning ports. If a more advanced adapter is used, they can act against devices with VGA (DB15), HDMI DisplayPort, and RJ45 ports.
In short, they can destroy a huge variety of devices such as mobile phones, tablets, smart televisions and a long etcetera. Therefore, it is advisable to be cautious if we come across a USB memory by chance.
It is not normal that someone wants to use something like this against us, but if we want to make sure we can try connecting that memory to a computer with an external USB connector. It's not a foolproof solution, but it reduces the chance of serious damage to your computer.
If we suspect that someone wants to set us up with a USB Killer, which luckily is quite rare, we could use a USB shield. The USB Shields connect to the USB port allowing you to connect an external memory or a USB Killer. If we use one of these devices, it is quickly unmasked when an LED light is illuminated. The computer does not suffer any damage thanks to this product.
At a time when we think that all cyber attacks are caused by malware downloaded from the Internet, USB Killers remind us that physical attacks on a computer are surprisingly easy to carry out.
