This USB Killer, Made From Camera Flash Parts, Is Your Computer’s Worst Enemy

In the past months, we told you about the killer USBs multiple times–Killer USB, USB Killer Version 2.0, USBKill. In September, the ruthless USB Killer even went up for sale. The basic concept of USB Kill revolves around testing the USB ports against the power surge attacks by discharging a high storage voltage into the USB data lines.

The sellers of USB Killer also provide a USB Kill Tester Shield that acts as a dual purpose device. It allows one to test your USB Kill 2.0 without damaging the host device.

In a recent video, DIY YouTuber Thomas Kim has demonstrated that it’s very easy to create your own USB Killer and fry your devices. Sounds fun? He did so by combining camera flash parts and AA battery. This way, he got a device that delivers 300 volts when plugged into the USB port of a computer whose motherboard isn’t isolated enough–something that’s common in most of the cases.

As USB buses don’t have surge protection we see in the power supplies, the entire energy is relayed to the rest of the computer. Unlike some useful purpose of testing the devices, deleting the data, or anything else, this homemade USB Killer simply performs the PC-murdering tasks.

In the past, we’ve warned you about the dangers of inserting random USB into your devices. Notorious hackers also use it as a method to inject malware and steal your sensitive data.

Here’s the video of USB Killer in action:

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Also Read: USB Armory: A USB Stick To Enhance Security Of Your Computer