Malware from a Vibrator?

8 points by markbeare 2 years ago | 5 comments

laomai 2 years ago |

Is there any kind of usb device that you can put between your usb port and a usb stick that would limit the device to charging or just reading the usb device (but not writing to the computer)?

Or was the digital condom idea just for sh*ts and giggles?

(For charging only I guess being struck about using a usb charger and not a device would be safer? In multi-port chargers can devices use the multiport as a hub to connect to other devices that are charging?)

waste_monk 2 years ago | |

Looks like there are some products available (e.g. [1] [2]) for computer forensics purposes.

There are also dedicated "power only" devices (usb condom) but last time I looked these only supported the basic 5v 0.5A and not USB PD or other fast charging standards, so they're of limited utility.

[1] https://wiebetech.com/products/usb-3-1-writeblocker/

[2] https://security.opentext.com/tableau/hardware/details/t8u

LightHugger 2 years ago | |

"usb condoms" that only allow the passage of power exist, but i dont think one way data transfer would work...

I feel like what really needs to be done, is when a usb device is connected it prompts the user for a bunch of permissions. like "this device wants to be a keyboard, allow it?" Half the exploits with usb are things pretending to be keyboards...

fsflover 2 years ago | |

I use a dedicated, disposable virtual machine for USB devices on Qubes OS: https://www.qubes-os.org/doc/usb-qubes/

NikkiA 2 years ago | |

all of the multiport chargers I've used are power only, I'm not even sure what the point would be in putting any kind of host computer in the charger, since there's no protocols that would benefit from it.