A USB Killer is a USB drive that was altered to emit an electrical surge that can break or destroy hardware when a modified flash drive is plugged into a computer’s USB port.
The concept for USB Killers was created by a Russian researcher named Dark Purple with the stated objective to eliminate delicate computer parts. When a USB Killer device is inserted into a USB port, it draws power from the devices’ USB power sources and stores it in its own capacitors. It holds this procedure until a high voltage is reached. Once finished, it discharges the accumulated negative 220 volts of high voltage onto the USB data pins. An estimated 215–220 volts can be produced by the USB Killers that are now on the market. The host device’s circuitry is harmed or destroyed as a result.
Its capacitors rapidly accumulate this enormous voltage. As long as the gadget is connected and hasn’t been damaged to the point that it can no longer charge itself, the charge/discharge cycle also continues numerous times per second.
This approach makes nearly any unprotected equipment susceptible to high voltage attack. For years, malicious software has been spread via USB sticks, including viruses that can infect computers. This is probably because they are easy and affordable to design and buy. Unaware users frequently utilize them to store and transport data.
This article has been indexed from CySecurity News – Latest Information Security and Hacking Incidents
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