Authorities are closing in. The double spy needs to destroy the data and bail before authorities get into the room or he’ll be finished. As they get closer, he plugs a small gadget into the computer, which instantly starts zapping and smoking. The spy climbs out the window to his escape.
It's a movie scene most of us have seen in one form or another. Nowadays, almost anyone can destroy a computer with just a simple online purchase.
The weapon? A Universal Serial Bus (USB) Killer. It looks just like a USB thumb drive, but instead of storing data, it can be used to destroy it and the device the data is saved on. The USB Killer does this by sending high-voltage power surges into the device once it's connected.
Makers of USB Killers say they sell them so people or companies interested in testing their devices for protection against such attacks can do so. But that also means anyone with ill intent can just as easily acquire one.
For example, in April 2019 a former student of the College of Saint Rose in upstate New York, pled guilty to destroying 59 computers at the college campus using a USB Killer. This little device caused some $50,000 in destruction. According to other sources, he also destroyed seven computer monitors and computer-enhanced podiums.
In addition, according to June 2019 research fr ..
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