from Hacker News

USB Killer 2.0

by gggggggg on 9/12/16, 6:01 AM with 25 comments

• by elmigranto on 9/12/16, 9:35 AM

  I don't quite get it. Site mentions that device "prevents data theft via 'juice-jacking'"; what do they mean? If I borrow someone's charger, and it has a chip that steals transmitted data somehow? Wouldn't better solution for this be charge from outlet, rather than nuking USB controller in your laptop?

    Hardware designers of public machines…
    …with exposed USB ports should ensure that their systems resist electrical attacks.
  

  What's the attack, is it DOS via destroying a machine. If so, you better buy Hammer Kill 1.0 and test agains that.

• by DanBC on 9/12/16, 9:41 AM

  I like patcheudor's comment here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12467176

• by tracymorgan8520 on 9/12/16, 9:53 AM

  I love the part where they said it's made for penetration testers and security auditors...You can literally threaten someone with a usb stick now.

• by b3lvedere on 9/12/16, 9:59 AM

  Wow. A small taser with an USB connector.

  What's next. A taser with an HDMI connector?

• by iplaw on 9/12/16, 1:00 PM

  They haven't performed any testing with the USB Kill connected to a USB to Apple lightning adapter or to a USB-to-micro-USB adapter. I think that the device with a micro USB adapter would function identically, as it's just a pin mapping. But a Lightning adapter has a Lightning controller onboard.

  Something like this (or even a USB to Lightning charger cable):

  https://www.amazon.com/HIOTECH®-Adapter-Lightning-Female-iPh...

  Would this destroy the Lightning controller in the adapter/cable, or would it work to destroy the iPhone?

• by Camillo on 9/12/16, 8:34 AM

  But why?

• by wruza on 9/12/16, 9:26 AM

  Why not just crack usb socket with a knife? Or put super glue in there?