If you were anxious that your electronic devices were too secure, you can rest easy knowing that a Hong Kong company is selling a simple USB stick that has the power to instantly destroy nearly any hardware system.
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To do that, the USB stick discharges 200 volts DC over the data lines of the host device.
First Gen USB Killer being used to destroy a laptop.
According to the Hong Kong-based company, the USB Kill Stick will “instantly and permanently disable unprotected hardware”. “Any public-facing USB port should be considered an attack vector”, the makers write.
Launched on August 16, the USB Kill 2.0 is already out of stock in its company’s store. The USB Kill 2.0 stick retails for around $56 and the Test Shield will run an additional about $15.70.
The USB drive is created to discharge -220V through a computer’s USB port. USB Killer 2.0 collects power from the host computer’s USB power lines and then discharges that energy back into the USB data lines.
The company markets the product as a device designed for testing purposes only and strongly condemns malicious use of its products. “However, depending on the hardware configuration (SSD vs platter HDD), the drive controllers may be damaged to the point that data retrieval is impractical”, the company said in its marketing material.
The recharge/discharge cycle lasts as long as USB Killer 2.0 is connected to a USB port.
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“Hardware designers/testers of public machines: photo booths, copy machines, airline entertainment systems, ticket terminals, etc with exposed USB ports should ensure that their systems resist electrical attacks via the USB port”. “Penetration testers and security auditors should include the USB kill 2.0 to their arsenal of testing tools”. The USB and accompanying Test Shield (to safely test the device without frying your hardware) is available for a combined total of US $72.
