Slashdot Mirror
The USB Kill Stick, Priced at $56, Is Designed To Destroy Laptops, PCs, TVs (zdnet.com)
There's a new USB Kill device in the market today which can destroy any device it touches. ZDNet reports: For just a few bucks, you can pick up a USB stick that destroys almost anything that it's plugged into. Laptops, PCs, televisions, photo booths -- you name it. Once a proof-of-concept, the pocket-sized USB stick now fits in any security tester's repertoire of tools and hacks, says the Hong Kong-based company that developed it. It works like this: when the USB Kill stick is plugged in, it rapidly charges its capacitors from the USB power supply, and then discharges -- all in a matter of seconds. On unprotected equipment, the device's makers say it will "instantly and permanently disable unprotected hardware." You might be forgiven for thinking, "Well, why exactly?" The lesson here is simple enough. If a device has an exposed USB port -- such as a copy machine or even an airline entertainment system -- it can be used and abused, not just by a hacker or malicious actor, but also electrical attacks.
If you have physical access to the device, you can beat the fucking shit out of it with a rock.
Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
If you put a hammer inside a box marked "Newegg" and send it to someone, upon opening the box he will most like *not* use it to destroy his computer.
But if you do the same thing with a USB stick zapper, there's a pretty good chance that he will stick it in his computer and end up with a fried computer.