USB Killer

USB Killer is a device appearing as a USB thumb drive that sends high-voltage power surges into the device it is connected to, threatening to damage hardware components.[1] The device has been designed to test components for protection from power surges and electrostatic discharge. However, the device has not generated much interest.[1]

Most often the device is mentioned in articles warning readers against plugging in unknown USB Drives.[2][1][3]

Mechanism

The device collects the power from the USB power source of the component it is connected to in its capacitors until it reaches a high voltage and then it discharges the high voltage onto the data pins.[1] Both USB Killer v2 and v3 generate a voltage of 215 to 220 Volts.[4]

This device has been compared to the "Etherkiller",[5] a family of cables that feed mains electricity into low-voltage sockets such as RJ45.[4]

Generations

There are different models of the device, the latest being USB Killer v3. The device has been developed by a Hong Kong-based security hardware team for usage by System Administrators in testing devices against the very vulnerability that the team highlighted.[6]

Earlier generations, including USB Killer v2, are developed by a Russian computer researcher who goes by the name Dark Purple.[3][4]

Similar homemade devices have been constructed from USB air ionisers[7] and camera flash parts,[8] both of which already feature high-voltage circuitry.

Potential defenses

One author believes that the new cryptographic authentication protocol for USB-C authentication announced by the USB Implementers Forum would help to protect against this device by preventing unauthorized USB connections from being made, although the current manufacturers now claim that they can bypass the said protocol.[9] The developers of USB Killer believe that a component known as an optocoupler can protect against the device.[2]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "USB Killer: A device that can destroy a PC in seconds". DECCAN CHRONICLE. 2017-08-12.
  2. 1 2 Armasu, Lucian (2017-08-12). "'USB Killer 2.0' Shows That Most USB-Enabled Devices Are Vulnerable To Power Surge Attacks". "tomshardware.com".
  3. 1 2 Bolton, Doug (2017-08-12). "Russian computer researcher creates a USB killer thumb drive that will fry your computer in seconds". "independent.co.uk".
  4. 1 2 3 "The USB Killer, Version 2.0". Hackaday. 10 October 2015.
  5. ↑ "The Etherkiller". Retrieved 3 October 2018. It all started one day with this guy, the original Etherkiller, developed with a few misc parts to warn new users that the IT department is not to be messed with. You too can make one at home, connect the transmit pins of the RJ-45 to HOT on 110VAC and the receive pins to Common.
  6. ↑ Z. Morris, David (2017-08-12). "This USB Stick Will Instantly Destroy Your Computer". "fortune.com".
  7. ↑ Tomas C (27 June 2018). "This $3 DIY USB Device Will Kill Your Computer – Hacker Noon". Hacker Noon. Retrieved 2 October 2018.
  8. ↑ Buis, Juan (9 November 2016). "This terrifying homemade USB killer will instantly kill your computer". The Next Web.
  9. ↑ Anthony, Sebastian. "USB Killer now lets you fry most Lightning and USB-C devices for $55". Ars Technica.
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