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USBKill Transforms a Thumb Drive Into an "Anti-Forensic" Device

Posted by timothy on from the content-scrambling-system dept.

Orome1 writes with a snippet from a report at net-security.org; a hacker going by Hephaestos has shared with the world a Python script that, when put on an USB thumb drive, turns the device in an effective kill switch for the computer to which it's plugged in. USBkill, as the programmer dubbed it, "waits for a change on your USB ports, then immediately kills your computer." The device would be useful "in case the police comes busting in, or steals your laptop from you when you are at a public library," Hephaestos explained.

7 of 288 comments (clear)

  1. Of course USB is a perfect system by OzPeter · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I mean my USB hub never drops my mouse connection or anything like that. So there is no chance of a false positive.

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  2. Er...all this does is "shutdown -r now" by xxxJonBoyxxx · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Here's the source:
    https://github.com/hephaest0s/...

    What's next - a tutorial on how to press the power button?

  3. Deadmans Switch by Liquidretro · · Score: 5, Insightful

    So it's a deadman's switch basically.

  4. Wouldn't using this if it were seized... by mark-t · · Score: 1, Insightful

    .... qualify as deliberate tampering with evidence?

    Even if you aren't guilty of whatever they were believing that the evidence on the computer would incriminate you for, that's still a crime, and not a very lightly taken one.

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  5. Re:works differently in the states. by ScentCone · · Score: 3, Insightful

    "In case the police come busting in" is a condition typically followed by a hailstorm of bullets here in the United States

    I see. You live inside a bad television episode? How many hacker apartment door breakdowns followed by "hailstorms of bullets" can you cite from this month, here in this country of over 300,000,000 people? Please be specific.

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  6. Re:this already exists by Dunbal · · Score: 4, Insightful

    If they have a tactical team breaking into your house you are pretty much fucked on circumstantial evidence anyway... It might mean the difference between 5 years in prison and life in prison though. "We're sure he had 'x' on his hard drive" is a lot weaker than "we found 'x' on his hard drive"...

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  7. Re:this already exists by Orestesx · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Maybe. But getting caught with incriminating data is almost certain to get you convicted. Think about it this way. You're a defense lawyer. Would you rather explain your defendant's suspicious behavior, or an excel spreadsheet showing how much coke he's sold this month?