Can your device survive a USB power surge attack ? 95% of all devices with USB ports can’t !

I had the opportunity to talk with the guys of USBKILL.com .

It was a very informative conversation about USB safety and how corporations using USB ports in their devices are not securing them against the real threat of USB power surge attacks (using electricity in the USB port to kill the device).

In 2015 the prototype of a USB device able to destroy its host in seconds (the USB kill) was created by a russian researcher (Dark Purple) made the buzz on the internet with millions of views on his video, this device was never sold and the plans were never revealed.

Today this device is actually available and commercialized by USBKILL.com.

They claim that almost all consumer-level hardware fails when tested against the USB Kill 2.0, meaning the devices tested were toasted somehow!
“Our tests reveal that more than 95% of all devices using USB ports will be damaged permanently or completely destroyed by a USB power surge attack” says the USBKILL.com team.

The USB kill 2.0 is designed for hardware developers professionals, it gives them the tool they need to test the effects of such a devastating attack on their devices. Any public facing USB port should be considered an attack vector. In data security, these ports are often locked down to prevent exfiltration of data, or infiltration of malware, but are very often (95% of the time) unprotected against electrical attack!

Hardware designers/testers of public machines: photo booths, copy machines, airline entertainment systems, ticket terminals, etc - with exposed USB ports should ensure that their systems resist electrical attacks via the USB port. Likewise, hardware designers of private machines: cellphones, laptops, televisions, portable devices - should protect their devices against malicious attacks.

Penetration Testers and security auditors should include the USB kill 2.0 to their arsenal of testing tools.

To date, the only hardware that resisted USBKILL.com team tests was the latest model Macbooks - which optically isolate the data lines on the USB ports.

USB kill 2.0 is the only tool available in the market to test the effects of USB power surge attacks, The USB Kill 2.0 is a quality high-voltage device built to allow for people to test safely.

Of course there is a video from USBKILL.COM demonstrating their products USB shield and USB KILL 2.0 .
As you can see the USB KILL 2.0 is shielded by the shield device and when it's removed the USB KILL is performing a lethal USB power surge attack on the host instantly killing it. bye bye laptop.

I am convinced that this product can revolutionize the whole USB industry. Hopefully for a safer and more secure USB experience. But right now i may say that i'm little afraid to see this thing used by trolls, angry girlfriends or government agencies.

Peace.