The 'USB Killer' Has Been Mass Produced -- Available Online For About $50 (arstechnica.com)

New submitter npslider writes: The "USB Killer," a USB stick that fries almost everything that it is plugged into, has been mass produced -- available online for about $50. Ars Technica first wrote about this diabolical device that looks like a fairly humdrum memory stick a year ago. From the report: "The USB Killer is shockingly simple in its operation. As soon as you plug it in, a DC-to-DC converter starts drawing power from the host system and storing electricity in its bank of capacitors (the square-shaped components). When the capacitors reach a potential of -220V, the device dumps all of that electricity into the USB data lines, most likely frying whatever is on the other end. If the host doesn't just roll over and die, the USB stick does the charge-discharge process again and again until it sizzles. Since the USB Killer has gone on sale, it has been used to fry laptops (including an old ThinkPad and a brand new MacBook Pro), an Xbox One, the new Google Pixel phone, and some cars (infotainment units, rather than whole cars... for now). Notably, some devices fare better than others, and there's a range of possible outcomes -- the USB Killer doesn't just nuke everything completely." You can watch a video of EverythingApplePro using the USB Killer to fry a variety of electronic devices. It looks like the only real defense from the USB Killer is physically capping your ports.

Comments

Re:Thanks Trump!

[JustAnotherOldGuy]

Your team lost, try to deal with reality.

Lol, so did yours, it just hasn't dawned on you. :)

He's already breaking most of his campaign promises. Take a look:

Build a wall along the border? He says it's not going to happen now.
Draining the swamp? More like refilling it. lol
Deporting 3 million people? Never going to happen.
Deporting 11 million people? Never definitely going to happen. He's already said so!
Jailing Hillary Clinton? He's already said he won't do it.
A 'total and complete' shutdown of Muslims entering U.S.? He's said that's not going to happen.
"If I become president, we're all going to be saying 'Merry Christmas' again." I'd like to see him make people do that.
Save Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security without cutting benefits. Lol, with what? Magic beans?
Bar Syrian refugees from entering the country and kick out any who are already living here? Not gonna happen. He's already said so.
He said he'll "Never take a vacation while serving as president." Really? We'll see.
Target and kill the relatives of terrorists? Ummm, no- that's a war crime.
Shut down parts of the Internet so that Islamic State terrorists cannot use it to recruit American children? Lol, good luck with that. :)
"I promise I will never be in a bicycle race." This I believe, because the fat fuck can barely climb a flight of stairs.
Bring back jobs from China? We both know that's never going to happen. That ship has sailed.
"Force Nabisco" to once again make Oreos in the United States? Suuuuuuure he will. Yeah, sure, lol!
On his first day in office, Trump said he would get rid of gun-free zones at military bases and in schools. I'll bet you $10,000 that doesn't happen.
End birthright citizenship? Uh, no, sorry....that's in the Constitution.