USB Killer

A USB Killer is a small device that is designed to use s to accumulate the 5 s of power provided by a standard USB port, and then return it in 110 or 220 volt bursts until the host device or USB controller is destroyed. Though purported to be legally sold for the purpose of electrical "testing", concerns have been raised over its rogue use by.

History
The first 110 volt "Killer USB" device was created in March 2015 by a Russian security researcher working under the pseudonym "Dark Purple". Tech writers and "engineering experts" originally expressed skepticism about the published findings. However, by October of that year, the same researcher was able to miniaturize "USB Killer version 2.0" to fit in a thumb drive case with the ability to deliver 220 volt bursts, which was confirmed to be able to destroy most USB devices.

Incidents
In 2019, graduate student Vishwanath Akuthota was jailed and fined for damaging or destroying over 50,000 in computer equipment (including iMacs) at the with such a USB Killer stick.

Preventive measures
Users are advised to avoid plugging unknown USB devices into computers that they value using. Such an attack was dramatized in the television series . The makers of USBKill sells their own "USBKill Shield" to the general public. A generic USB hub may provide some protection, but a cheap unpowered one may still allow some damaging current to pass through before itself being destroyed. More useful protection may be provided by USB dongles or hubs with built-in upstream and downstream s that still allow data to pass through.

Similar devices
The origin of the USB Killer name has been traced back to "EtherKiller", created by an IT worker and hobbyist who devised a series of cables and adapters that use AC power to destroy various computer ports. The makers of USBKill have also developed "NFCKill" for the purpose of disabling tags, though also relying on a separate power source.