A USB to Destroy a Computer

A blog writer named Dark Purple wrote an article on a proof of concept called USB Killer, a USB that when plugged into a computer, would charge, then discharge back into the computer, to fry circuits and burn half the computer down.

Dark Purple writes:

“The basic idea of the USB drive is quite simple. When we connect it up to the USB port, an inverting DC/DC converter runs and charges capacitors to -110V. When the voltage is reached, the DC/DC is switched off. At the same time, the filed transistor opens. It is used to apply the -110V to signal lines of the USB interface. When the voltage on capacitors increases to -7V, the transistor closes and the DC/DC starts. The loop runs till everything possible is broken down.”

The practical applications of such a device can really be scary.

It almost seems like something out of Mission Impossible, but then again, what was Stuxnet? A worm that sought specific hardware and if that hardware was found, would copy itself to other devices. Once it found centrifuges at a Nuclear facility, it would make them go out of control while giving the impression that nothing was going wrong, adjusting readouts to appear normal.

Read more about USB Killer here.