A former student destroyed 59 PCs and other technical devices at a university with an electrical shock. The USB Killer stick used caused hardware damage of over 47,000 euros.
USB sticks of unknown origin should never be connected to your own computer without caution. Foreign USB storage devices can contain hidden computer viruses, which are only in rare cases not designed to cause harm.
However, there are also USB sticks that are free of malware but still have a destructive effect. Our colleagues from 3djuegospc.com reported on a former student who caused 47,000 euros in damage to his old university with a USB Killer stick.
Former student uses killer stick to destroy 59 PCs
What did the former student do? A man destroyed a total of 59 computers, 7 monitors, and PC-based podiums with open USB ports at the College of Saint Rose (Albany, New York) in 2019. Since he completed his studies in 2017, he was no longer a student at the time of the act.
All devices were rendered unusable by an electrical shock. The former student used a special USB Killer stick, which he connected to the USB slots of the affected devices. Some researchers have already taken it a step further and “fry” phones in a wireless manner.
The damaged hardware was worth 47,000 euros. Additionally, there were 7,000 euros in labor costs for employees due to the investigation and replacement of destroyed hardware. The student was ordered to pay the total costs and was sentenced to one year in prison.
How do these sticks work? USB Killer sticks look like ordinary USB sticks from the outside. However, there is no flash memory installed inside like in regular sticks. Instead of memory chips, killer sticks contain electronic components that cause an electrical discharge.
The killer sticks can be charged with any USB power supply. When discharged in the target system, about 200 volts are reached. This is sufficient to permanently damage electronic devices, necessitating their replacement or repair.
Why do these sticks exist? The possession of USB Killer sticks is legal and can be purchased from various online retailers. In the professional field, killer sticks are used to identify problems and security vulnerabilities, similar to Microsoft’s USB Death Van.
This way, different systems can be tested for surge attacks. This includes, for example, in-car entertainment systems and critical medical systems, whose surge protection must withstand such criminal attacks.
But electronic locks and access control systems are also checked to ensure proper functioning in case of system failure.
This case shows that technology, which originally serves an important purpose, can also be used maliciously. This is similar to the project of a German artist. The dead drops, which facilitate offline data exchange between like-minded individuals, can unfortunately also be used by criminals for the distribution of malware: In Germany, there are over 400 USB sticks protruding from walls – What is the ‘Dead Drops’ project?
