Slashdot Mirror
That Laptop-Bricking USB Stick Just Got Even More Dangerous (zdnet.com)
From a report on ZDNet: Remember that USB stick that would destroy almost anything in its path, from laptops, photo booths, kiosks, to even cars? The makers of the USB Kill stick have created a more powerful version with a higher voltage and amp output, and a three-times faster pulse rate of up to 12 times a second. And, with microUSB, USB-C, and Lightning adapters, the USB Kill claims to be able to kill iPhones, iPads, and other devices, like phones, tablets, and digital cameras. The company says it's "designed to test the surge protection circuitry of electronics to their limits." In other words, its purpose is destroying expensive kit.
not nearly as effective as an etherkiller, that thing can start actual fires.
Snowden and Manning are heroes.
but the old one has tons of youtube videos of killing shit and as someone who works K-12 this kind of thing has managers pissing their pants in fear of kids with them.
A hammer can break all of those things too. That doesn't mean it's interesting to do that or that all those devices should be made hammer-proof. Beyond the initial "I wonder if I can break shit via USB" idea and proof of concept this really doesn't seem at all interesting or useful. Making it bigger and badder is just pointless.
When can we get one that's an actual phone? It would be great for use as a burner when leaving and returning to the US. Though I doubt the TSA is going to find the humor to their liking. But I don't really find the legal gray zone at the border very funny either.
I Now WANT to com to the USA, explicitly to get my shit searched..
I will disable the USB ports on my laptop and have half a dozen of these things rebadged as pr0n and some expensive application names, like solid works (BSA software group) as I am sure they are on the list for extra customs attention..
Do you think I could be found liable? I want to know if I should pre-lube my crack!!!
Capatcha smutty
...when you get a USB stick that's not in a sealed container from the store, plug it into an old USB hub for a while to see if it blows anything up.
You think they can they make one of these for my mother-in-law's pacemaker?
https://youtu.be/6EN5eJf5h_k
You are welcome on my lawn.
That should get customs in some sh1t one way or another
U have to be a real jerk to use this.
I disagree. Like guns, these should not be restricted. In New Hampshire we do not even have mandatory concealed permits any more. You can both open or conceal carry without a permit.
This should probably be modded +5 Insightful for what it says about corporate culture.
Also break electronics
You folks really take that "Live free or die" thing to heart.
You could design the shell to be grenade-like, put a tiny little valid bit of flash drive inside and surround it with high density capacitors.
Rather than blast the attached USB port, you could simply short out all the capacitors and you have a very low-yield anti-personnel device that could blind someone, maybe cripple a hand if you design it to explode on device removal. Anyone who has ever shorted the capacitors in a disposable camera knows they pack a fair bit of wallop in a small space when charged up.
Or put some actual explosives in it, I suppose. In a properly sealed case that might pass inspection.
Amazing how their murder rates aren't sky high, completely debunking gun control nuts typical claims. (As if most gun control nuts even knew how a gun works or could label the different parts.)
You do realize with the modifications this USB could shock and disrupt pace makers? So maybe it can kill. Lets see version 3
Can brick your laptop in several ways:
* pour the entire can into your USB slot.
* pound the can into the screen.
* use the tab to short the battery.
* offer local children a can of coke to throw the laptop into the river.
“Common sense is not so common.” — Voltaire
If you use cheap electronics that have no surge protection, or wear cheap vests that aren't bullet proof, then you only have yourself to blame.
About as funny and about as legal. Though said ax may get you shot, which is a plus.
Most ACs are not even worth the keystrokes to insult them. Be generically insulted by this and ignored otherwise.
It's also an affluent mono-culture. Not exactly a good model from which to draw conclusions about more social-economically diverse populations.
Two of my imaginary friends reproduced once
The makers of this device should read the "godel escher bach" chapter on record players. Making it more powerful is perhaps the least nefarious direction, having it present what looks like some interesting data for a few seconds (or minutes) before the zap would be much more nefarious. This gets it past the slashdot posters above that think they could test it on a dummy port first.
I second another commenter's request, a "Burner" (pardon the pun) Phone would be awesome. bPhone gets stolen (or confiscated), and as soon as the thief tries to use it - poof. Instant karma.
Winters are so long there they all get bleached yellow. If you go in August you'll be able to spy more of our afro-American friends.
Amazing how their murder rates aren't sky high, completely debunking gun control nuts typical claims.
The New Hampshire murder rates are relatively low, but the accidental gun deaths are high, which combined lands them not too far below average in firearm death rates as far as the US goes. If excluding metropolis cities from the stats, New Hampshire's firearm death rate is above average for the US.
And 7.03 firearm deaths per year per 100,000 inhabitants is nothing to be proud of. It's way higher than most countries. For comparison, UK has 0.23, Australia 0.93 and Canada 1.97 firearm deaths per year per 100,000 inhabitants. New Hampshire has more than three times as high a firearm death rate as Turkey, and more than twice as high as Serbia!
Have gnu, will travel.
how much more dangerous it would be if it was a one-try insertion USB, instead of the usual three-try version...
It's also an affluent mono-culture. Not exactly a good model from which to draw conclusions about more social-economically diverse populations.
But it could be a damning indictment of how diversity doesn't deliver the better world that its advocates always promise. If you want low murder rates, higher levels of social trust, and cohesion diversity is not your friend.
You know what else can disrupt a pacemaker and fry a usb port?
A taser.
Pet rocks are/were pointless too. The question is will saying "We're not liable for whatever you do with this!!" stand up in court...
Liars. Designed to deceive people and destroy electronics, otherwise a clearly visible "DO NOT USE" mention would be written on the stick.
Slashdot, fix the reply notifications... You won't get away with it...
Those of us not programmed by enemy propaganda have known this for a long time.
What are the details behind those numbers? If those 7.03 people were criminals who were shot during the commission of a crime, I like those stats!
So are you proposing mass gentrification and everyone that doesn't fit goes {x}. Or, just following through on the popular idea of stripping the middle-class of their station in favor of indentured servitude?
Two of my imaginary friends reproduced once
Fuck off, Nazi scum.
Follow your leader!
I'd like to sprinkle some of these in the paths of the morons who have to get so fucking lost in their fucking phones while walking on busy sidewalks (except they walk right past them of course).
:)
Pretty sure that a "DO NOT USE" sticker would increase the rate of people using it...
It won't be long before this device becomes illegal to own, import and operate.
The laser pointers where only illegal because hoodlums used them agains police, airplanes and helicopters. The same thing will happen with this device as kids will purchase them do do "mass revenge" or destruction in their schools.
What this world is coming to - is for you and me to decide.
Actually it's not an affluent state. (At least not in many parts.) There are a lot of people who have homesteading lifestyle. (Not completely off the grid - but much more self-sufficient and much more bartering than in cities or suburban america.
If you're scared of your govt then you need to further restrict its powers
Vote 3rd Party in 2016 and beyond
7.03 firearm deaths includes accidental and suicide and self-defense. Stop twisting things around and compare like things. Murder to Murder.
There are no guns (practically speaking) in Japan. Therefore the suicide rate must be lower there than in NH. (oops, guess not)
At issue is not deaths in general; at issue is using guns to kill people out of rage, mad-man killing spree, terrorism, or crime.
Including deaths from suicide show your bias and displays a your intent to distort the data.
Including deaths from accidental accidents also shows your bias. Yes guns are dangerous. Same as skiing. Same as scuba diving. Same as parachuting. Same as technical climbing. Accidents happen. Mistakes happen skeet shooting. Mistakes happen shooting water fowl (a lot more than hunting deer). People are very careful and yet mistakes happen.
If you're scared of your govt then you need to further restrict its powers
Vote 3rd Party in 2016 and beyond
I've already ordered and received the new kit. How is this current news?
Someone send one of these to BigClive for testing and teardown....
I have one of these buggers. All it does is put high voltage on the USB power and data pins in an attempt to blow up whatever is connected to them.
It may disable a phone, but it does not erase the contents of its flash, stored profiles, or anything like that.
If you really want a kill stick, buy mine. It's about the size of a stick of wrigley's and uses various methods to gain access to perform device erase operations on the internal flash of whatever device it is plugged into. It has O/S detection, built-in privilege escalation methods, and can exploit the kernels shipped with all versions of Windows, most popular distributions of Linux, and all version of Mac. it also easily does Android and iOS.
You'll have to peel back a few layers of the onion to find it...
Wow, well argued!
So you believe that white people, and ONLY white people, don't have the right to simply live around their own kind any more?
How 'racist' of you, comrade! Singling out ONLY white people for collective punishment. That's 'racist', isn't it?
You are well aware that most white people don't want to live around non-whites, which is why millions of us move house every year, in order to get away from the invaders... sorry, 'enrichers'. Sorry, 'refugees'.
There might be homesteaders, but the state has a median income of $65,028, that put's it at the top of the pack.
Two of my imaginary friends reproduced once