USB Killer

http://kukuruku.co/hub/diy/usb-killer

You know that you can mess up computer software and firmware throug USB port. But can USB powered device electrically destroy your PC? The answer seems to be yes after you check this nasty hack. Do not try this at home.

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41 Comments

  1. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Other USB killer ideas:

    Software turns USB drive into kill switch that shuts down computer
    http://www.electronicproducts.com/Computer_Peripherals/Storage/Software_turns_USB_drive_into_kill_switch_that_shuts_down_computer.aspx

    Attach it to your wrist, ankle, or arm with a rope to force a shutdown if laptop is snatched

    Take heed ye whistle-blowers, journalists, or intellectual libertarians with paranoid delusions, for a new tool has been born into the world that’ll shutdown your computer so fast, that those pesky people collectively known as “The Man®” won’t have a chance to examine it and install the mouse jiggling software the prevents the computer from entering sleep mode.

    “USBKill,” as the script is called, turns any ordinary USB into a kill switch that’ll force a shutdown upon removal thereby saving you the trouble of being caught mid-whatever-it-is-you’re-doing. The script was posted on GitHub by a user called “Hephaestos,” who proclaims the tool will prevent users from becoming the next Ross Ulbricht — the former kingpin of the Silk Road online drug market — whose laptop was left on when it was seized.

    https://github.com/hephaest0s/usbkill

    Reply
  2. Tomi Engdahl says:

    How to Turn Your USB into a Kill Switch When Your Laptop is Seized
    Read more: http://wccftech.com/what-is-usbkill-switch/#ixzz3bW3sriFw

    Reply
  3. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Simple Code Turns Any USB Drive Into A Kill Switch For Your Computer
    http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2015/05/simple-code-turns-any-usb-drive-into-a-kill-switch-for-your-computer/

    Master criminals, serial adulterers and other tinfoil-hat-wearers spend their lives looking over their shoulders, scared of being caught with a powered-on laptop full of incriminating information in, say, a public library. But some simple code and an empty USB drive could make life much harder for the police.

    USBKill is the latest iteration in the police/hacker technological arms race: a program that once activated, will kill a computer if there’s any activity on the USB ports. That activity could include the police installing a mouse jiggler — a tool that prevents computers from going to sleep — or just any USB drive being removed. So, tie a flash drive to your ankle, and you’ve got an instant kill switch for when the police — or the UPS guy — knocks.

    What Was On Alleged Silk Road Boss’ Laptop At The Moment of His Arrest
    http://gawker.com/what-was-on-alleged-silk-road-boss-laptop-at-the-momen-1469122014

    Reply
  4. Tomi Engdahl says:

    The USB Killer, Version 2.0
    http://hackaday.com/2015/10/10/the-usb-killer-version-2-0/

    There are a lot of stupid things you can do with the ports on your computer. The best example is the Etherkiller, an RJ45 plug wired directly to a mains cable. Do not plug that into a router. USB is a little trickier, but with a sufficient number of caps, anyone can build a USB killer that will fry any computer

    The USB Killer v2.0 is [Dark Purple]’s second version of this device. The first version was just a small board with a DC/DC converter, a few caps, and a FET. When plugged in to a computer, the converter would charge the caps up to -110V, dump that voltage into the USB signal wires, and repeat the entire process until the computer died. This second version is slightly more refined, and it now dumps -220V directly onto the USB signal wires. Don’t try this at home.

    Reply
  5. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Watch a ‘USB killer’ stick destroy a laptop when it’s plugged in
    http://mashable.com/2015/10/13/usb-killer/#XoKQctqRPsqR

    USB killer v2.0
    http://habrahabr.ru/post/268421/

    Reply
  6. Tomi Engdahl says:

    The USB Killer – Now A Crowdfunding Campaign
    http://hackaday.com/2015/11/06/the-usb-killer-now-a-crowdfunding-campaign/

    Kickstarter, Indiegogo, and every other crowdfunding site out there frequently have projects that should never be products. The latest promises to protect you from security breaches and identity theft by blowing up your computer. It’s the USB Killer, and for only $99 USD, you too can destroy the USB port in your computer and everything else attached to it.

    The USB Killer is a device that plugs into the USB port on any computer, charges up several caps, and dumps all that voltage back into the computer.

    it does exactly what it’s designed to do: kill a computer.

    Inside the USB killer is a DC/DC converter that charges a few capacitors to -110V. When the caps are charged, that voltage is dumped back into the USB port where something will happen.

    USB Killer
    https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/usb-killer–2#/story

    Reply
  7. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Remember the laptop-destroying ‘USB Killer?’ Now you can buy one
    http://mashable.com/2016/08/29/usb-killer-purchase/#n4LBhfmTRmqw

    In Oct. 2015, we wrote about USB Killer — a seemingly innocuous USB stick that fries nearly any device it’s inserted into with a bolt of electricity.

    Back then, it was a proof of concept, interesting mostly to security researchers and folks who work on USB standards. Now, however, the USB killer has become a gadget anyone can buy.

    According to USB Killer’s webpage, it’s a “testing device” which should be a part of every security auditor and hardware designer’s arsenal. The company is also selling the USB Test Shield, a gadget that purportedly lets you safely test a device’s resistance to USB Killer’s high voltage attack.

    The USB Killer’s website claims it will destroy 95% of devices it’s inserted into. With that kind of destructive capability, one has to wonder how many of these sticks will actually be bought by security experts, and how many by pranksters and malicious individuals looking to destroy someone else’s equipment.

    The USB Test Shield lets you “test” the USB Killer without destroying anything.

    Even though it’s a high-voltage device, the USB Killer is touted to be “totally safe.” That may be so, but we still wouldn’t recommend anyone except security/hardware professionals to try it out.

    The USB Killer costs 49.95 euros ($56), and the Test Shield 13.95 euros ($16).

    https://www.usbkill.com/

    Reply
  8. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Computer-killing USB drives now on sale for less than $60
    http://www.extremetech.com/computing/235328-computer-killing-usb-drives-now-on-sale-for-less-than-60

    It sounds like something out of a B-grade Hollywood plot — a flash drive that you plug into a computer and is capable of destroying it within seconds. Last year, hacker Dark Purple disclosed a USB flash drive designed to fry a modern system as soon as you plug it in. The drive works by discharging -220V through the USB port.

    Hong Kong-based company selling a USB Kill Drive 2.0 for just $50.

    The integrated nature of modern SoCs means that blasting the USB controller with -200V the way this drive does will typically cause severe damage, up to and including destroying the SoC. While modern motherboards include overcurrent protection, this typically protects against positive voltage.

    The company also plans to sell a USB Kill Tester Shield, which it claims will prevent both the USB Kill device from functioning and protect user data from certain kinds of snooping or intrusion if you hook up to an unknown charging station or other device.

    Oh, It’s On Sale! USB Kill to Destroy any Computer within Seconds
    Thursday, September 08, 2016 Swati Khandelwal
    http://thehackernews.com/2016/09/usb-kill-computer.html

    A proof-of-concept USB prototype that was designed by a Russian researcher, Dark Purple, last year, to effectively destroy sensitive components of a computer when plugged in.

    Now, someone has actually created the Killer USB stick that destroys almost anything – such as Laptops, PCs, or televisions – it is plugged into.

    The USB stick discharges 200 volts DC power over the data lines of the host machine and this charge-and-discharge cycle is repeated several numbers of times in just one second, until the USB Kill stick is removed.

    “Any public facing USB port should be considered an attack vector,” the company says in a news release. “In data security, these ports are often locked down to prevent exfiltration of data or infiltration of malware, but are very often unprotected against electrical attack.”

    Reply
  9. Tomi Engdahl says:

    The USB Killer Now Has Commercial Competition
    http://hackaday.com/2016/09/13/the-usb-killer-now-has-commercial-competition/

    With a proliferation of USB Flash disk drives has come a very straightforward attack vector for a miscreant intent on spreading malware onto an organisation’s computer network. Simply drop a few infected drives in the parking lot, and wait for an unsuspecting staff member to pick one up and plug it into their computer. The drives are so familiar that to a non-tech-savvy user they appear harmless, there is no conscious decision over whether to trust them or not.

    A diabolical variant on the exploit was [Dark Purple]’s USB Killer. Outwardly similar to a USB Flash drive, it contains an inverter that generates several hundred volts from the USB’s 5 volts, and repeatedly discharges it into the data lines of whatever it is plugged into. Computers whose designers have not incorporated some form of protection do not last long when subjected to its shocking ministrations.

    Now the original has a commercial competitor, in the form of Hong Kong-based usbkill.com. It’s a bit cheaper than the original, but that it has appeared at all suggests that there is an expanding market for this type of device and that you may be more likely to encounter one in the future.

    Reply
  10. Tomi Engdahl says:

    USBKill can easily destroy your computer
    http://www.gadgetguy.com.au/usbkill-can-easily-destroy-your-computer/

    Want to permanently wreck someone’s computer? Destroy an expensive in-flight entertainment system? Fry the school’s photo-copier? Short out a hotel TV? Or how about melting evidence on your own computer when the police come knocking?

    For about 50 pounds, you can buy an innocuous looking USB stick that can do all of these things, and basically wreck havoc on any device with an unprotected USB port. Called USBKill 2.0, it is designed to connect to any computer or system with a USB port, draw power from it until it reaches a sufficiently high voltage, then blast a huge charge back into the device, effectively destroying it.

    While the actual purpose of the USBKill device is actually for engineers, penetration testers and security auditors who want to test a computer or device’s power surge resistance, it’s difficult not to look past the potential for it to be used in malicious ways.

    According to USBKill.com, 95 percent of all consumer-level devices are susceptible to the USBKill. This should be a wake-up call to manufacturers to ensure that their products are electrically shielded from power-surge type of attacks via USB ports.

    Reply
  11. Tomi Engdahl says:

    This New USB Killer, Made From Camera Flash Parts, Is Your Computer’s Worst Enemy
    https://fossbytes.com/new-usb-killer-made-homemade-items-computers-worst-enemy/

    In a recent video, DIY YouTuber Thomas Kim has demonstrated that it’s very easy to create your own USB Killer and fry your devices. Sounds fun? He did so by combining camera flash parts and AA battery. This way, he got a device that delivers 300 volts when plugged into the USB port of a computer whose motherboard isn’t isolated enough–something that’s common in most of the cases.

    As USB buses don’t have surge protection we see in the power supplies, the entire energy is relayed to the rest of the computer. Unlike some useful purpose of testing the devices, deleting the data, or anything else, this homemade USB Killer simply performs the PC-murdering tasks.

    Testing Homemade USB Killer
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KY4avd86qdo

    WARNING: This device permanently damages to the computer.
    This is a Homemade USB Killer. The components from disposable camera flash circuit.
    This killer produces 300V DC, Kill the computer instantly.

    Reply
  12. Tomi Engdahl says:

    USB Killer vs New MacBook Pro, Google Pixel & More! Instant Death!
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=faKX_P1Be50

    USB Killer Instantly KILLS New MacBook Pro, Google Pixel, Galaxy Note 7 & Tested on iPad Pro, iPhone 2G, GoPro 5 & More Tech.

    Reply
  13. Tomi Engdahl says:

    This terrifying homemade USB killer will instantly kill your computer
    http://thenextweb.com/shareables/2016/11/09/homemade-usb-killer/

    This homemade USB killer delivers 300 volts and instantly fries your computer
    http://www.techworm.net/2016/11/homemade-usb-killer-delivers-300-volts-instantly-fries-computer.html

    Therefore, just be careful next time before inserting any untrusted USB pendrive that does not belong to you into your laptop. You could not only lose all the important files and data stored in your computer, but also lose your laptop.

    Reply
  14. Tomi Engdahl says:

    That Laptop-Bricking USB Stick Just Got Even More Dangerous
    https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/17/03/16/2010225/that-laptop-bricking-usb-stick-just-got-even-more-dangerous

    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. T

    This laptop-bricking USB stick just got even more dangerous
    When plugged in, this weaponized USB stick can destroy laptops, kiosks, ATMs, cars, and more.
    http://www.zdnet.com/article/this-weaponized-usb-stick-gets-even-more-dangerous/

    a Hong Kong-based company built a weaponized pocket-sized USB stick, which when plugged into a device, will rapidly charge its capacitors from the USB power supply and then discharge, frying the affected device’s circuits.

    Dubbed the USB Kill stick, it fries almost any device with a USB port, though modern Apple hardware is apparently not affected.

    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 also sells a test shield for €13.95 — about $15 — to allow testing of the USB Kill stick while protecting the host machine.

    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.

    Reply
  15. Tomi Engdahl says:

    USB stick can now kill SMARTPHONE

    Killer is a USB device that feeds more than 200 volts for 8-12 seconds. In practice, this kills integrated circuits device very effectively. (UN)Fortunately, the device is now also available adapters, with the destruction of a variety of smart phones to be successful. . The range covers both the new C-types of USB connectors, as Apple’s iPhone Lightning connector.

    When a USB device is connected Killer stick into the USB port, it will charge a USB bus power lines to about 200 volts. Thereafter, this voltage is discharged along the bus back to the electronics of the device.

    The discharge can be done several times per second, until the stick is removed, or “tested” machine breaks down. Supply current is 180 amps.

    Just to be sure: do not order sticks, never put the memory stick into any unknown device!

    Source: http://etn.fi/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6057&via=n&datum=2017-03-23_14:47:22&mottagare=30929

    Reply
  16. Tomi Engdahl says:

    USB Killer vs Google Pixel 2, iPhone 8/X Fake & More! Instant Death?
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1o1nwlpY4I

    What Happens If You Plug a USB Killer Into a Google Pixel 2 XL, iPhone 8, Samsung Galaxy Note 8 or iPhone X Clone? + EMP Torture. Do NOT Try This At Home!

    Reply
  17. Tomi Engdahl says:

    usb killer compilation YouTube
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4OmkBYB4HY

    videos about the usb kill that we found on youtube.

    Reply
  18. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Student used ‘USB Killer’ device to destroy $58,000 worth of college computers
    https://www.theverge.com/2019/4/17/18412427/college-saint-rose-student-guilty-usb-killer-destroyed-computers

    The former College of Saint Rose student faces up to 10 years in prison

    Reply
  19. Tomi Engdahl says:

    The BOFH etherkiller?

    Like this Ethernet killer?
    https://youtu.be/KsjAOPvQgII
    Do not try this at home or workplace. It is potentially dangerous (fire, electrocution) and can lead to liabilities.

    Reply
  20. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Fiftythree.org presents: The Etherkiller and Friends
    http://www.fiftythree.org/etherkiller/

    Don’t mess with the IT department guys. Although their office might look messy.

    You too can make one at home, connect the transmit pins of the RJ-45 to HOT on 110VAC and the recieve pins to Common. Modify to suit tase by varying pinout.

    AUI Killer

    Now you can fry all that AUI gear that should have been gone by now anyway.

    “BNC-killer” makes the center pin hot.

    Reply
  21. Tomi Engdahl says:

    A former student returned to his college and fried $51,000 worth of computers using a simple device you can easily buy online
    https://nordic.businessinsider.com/usb-killer-device-fries-college-computers-report-says-2019-4?utm_content=buffer053bf&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer-ti&r=US&IR=T

    A former student of a college in New York state fried several of the school’s computers and hardware using a device called a “USB killer” that can easily be bought online, according to court documents first reported by ZDNet.

    the graduate said “I’m going to kill this guy” while inserting the USB killer device into a college computer, and after the USB killer fried the hardware, the graduate said “it’s dead … it’s gone … boom.”

    USB killers can easily be purchased online.

    The devices work by charging themselves, then quickly releasing that charge back through a computer’s USB port.

    USB killer devices are not illegal and can supposedly be used for legal functions.

    Reply
  22. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Disable usb ports to protect against
    https://youtu.be/Oo6Aw80MDbM

    Reply
  23. Tomi Engdahl says:

    USB Killer vs iPhone 7 Plus – Instant Death?
    https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=BlgwV5unTO4

    USB Killer vs Google Pixel 2, iPhone 8/X Fake & More! Instant Death?
    https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1o1nwlpY4I

    Reply
  24. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Wipe Any PC in 2 Minutes! – Redkey USB
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ls0fdUr885E

    We investigate a USB key that claims to irreversibly destroy data.

    Disclaimer: The only way to guarantee data removal is to physically destroy the disc.

    Check out Redkey USB at https://redkeyusb.com/

    Reply
  25. Tomi Engdahl says:

    USB Killer… WHY???
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_bbX_Ch1Z8

    Is there any real use for a USB KILLER?! I highly doubt it.

    Reply
  26. Tomi Engdahl says:

    This USB stick is guaranteed to stop all cyberattacks after just a few seconds. Heh

    https://usbkill.com/products/usb-killer-v3

    It will do that by destroying your computer hardware.

    Reply
  27. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Chinese Spycraft! Emergency USB Drive Destroyer!
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gg0sdeAwN5A

    Encryption can’t protect you against duress. Sometimes the only way to keep data safe is to make sure it’s gone before the bad guys can get to it- or you.

    Reply
  28. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Is USB Killer Illegal? USB killer devices are not illegal and can be used for legal functions. However, it is completely illegal to destroy computers and hardware that you do not own without the permission of the owner.3.3.2021

    Overview of USB Killer: What Is It and How Does It Work?
    https://www.minitool.com/lib/usb-killer.html

    Reply

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