
Former student destroys 59 university computers using USB Killer device - edward
https://www.zdnet.com/article/former-student-destroys-59-university-computers-using-usb-killer-device/
======
skazka16
Wow!! I was the one who not intentionally popularized USB Killer. It happened
4 years ago. I owned a website, where I published translations of articles and
one of them was about USB Killer. The article[1] was #1 on Hacker News[2] for
several hours and made it viral on all major online publications. What I saw
next was crazy. People around the world started to experiment trying to re-
create the device - youtube videos, articles, blog posts, etc. I received a
ton of mails with clarifying questions about the circuit board and so on, but
I had zero clue how it all worked, since I simply translated the original[3]
article from Russian. And then someone finally recreated this USB and the
whole thing became a little market. Niche websites started to sell it and the
device was a lucrative product for youtube kids to make their videos more fun.
Wow..

[1] [https://kukuruku.co/post/usb-killer/](https://kukuruku.co/post/usb-
killer/) [2]
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9176195](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9176195)
[3] [https://habr.com/en/post/251451/](https://habr.com/en/post/251451/)

------
stadeschuldt
I am looking at [https://usbkill.com/](https://usbkill.com/). What is the
purpose of the device? The manufacturer calls it an "ESD tester" yet there is
an "anonymous" version available: [https://usbkill.com/products/usb-
killer-v3?variant=447760856...](https://usbkill.com/products/usb-
killer-v3?variant=44776085642)

~~~
yial
They bill it for “pen testers and police” so I would guess it’s really for
people who imagine themselves / want to be within that audience. Not to be
overly cynical.

I suppose some pen testers, or actual CIA type folks might have some need of
this type of device... but is that a large enough market?

~~~
moftz
I can't even imagine a situation where police would want to destroy a running
device that could likely have evidence stored in volatile memory. Even if it
was their own device that they were retiring, it doesn't even wipe data, it
just destroys the logic/motherboard.

Hardware designers might want one to test out their mitigation circuit but
once your design, why do you need a USBkill anymore?

This thing just seems like a destructive version of those annoyance toys like
a TV-B-Gone.

~~~
theandrewbailey
I've never heard of TV-B-Gone.

> During the 2008 Consumer Electronics Show, an individual associated with
> Gizmodo brought a TV-B-Gone remote control and shut off many display
> monitors at booths and during demos affecting several companies. These
> actions caused the individual to be banned for life from future CES events.

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TV-B-Gone](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TV-B-
Gone)

~~~
squarefoot
The innocuous use of TV-B-Gone devices was to shut off at once all TV sets at
malls; it was rather a prank than a destructive act, with the added benefit of
getting some peace.

~~~
xattt
Was there a TV-come-on to turn on the mall TVs in the morning?

~~~
squarefoot
Not that I know of, but technically doable since all it needs is transmitting
through infrared the corresponding signal variants according to different
brands. By modifying the source one could for example set all TVs to maximum
volume, or tune them to channel 666, or even give different commands to
different brands as they share the same IR codes.

------
tyingq
College of St Rose lists their tuition as $29,826/yr. So he did about 2
tuition years of damage.

I wonder if he was worked up about student loan debt.

~~~
1024core
I'm guessing he's a rich kid from India, with rich parents who are bankrolling
his education.

I hope he gets the full 10 years. Nothing like the US Penitentiary System to
teach you a lesson.

~~~
sp0rk
> I'm guessing he's a rich kid from India, with rich parents who are
> bankrolling his education.

What is this guess based on?

~~~
1024core
I grew up in India and had friends who were rich and entitled? A guy I knew
one day decided to kick in the car doors of a dozen cars because he was pissed
(I _think_ because he didn't get to park there...?). Anyways, cops were
called, but parents wrote out hefty checks and that was it. I have seen this
kind of behavior before.

------
morpheuskafka
The USB killer isn't really needed if your going to do it yourself and leave
evidence. The use case would be to give it to someone else, or do it once in a
reasonable manner and claim ignorance.

~~~
_xerxes_
*You're

------
rhn_mk1
Why can vandalism result in a prison term? I'd expect paying damages is a
sufficient punishment for stupidity. Genuinely curious why the consequences
are structured this way.

~~~
Hydraulix989
Deterrence. To some, the damages are pocket change.

~~~
tluyben2
When we (Dutch) ask in school why our sentences are so low, it is explained
that if the punishment does not fit the crime, you will be incentivized to add
more crime because you are already facing prison time, so why would you care
about a few years more or less. Aka if the crime for rape is almost the same
as murder you might as well kill the victim to have less chance of being
caught. We have not a lot of crime and people who commit crimes like this come
out of it as long term productive citizens: if you go to jail, what exactly
are you doing/deterring? He will never have a normal life because of some
stupid thing he did? Do like (i think) scandinavia and swiss; make fines fit
the economical status of the perpetrator.

Edit; me and my friends did dumb things when young, not quite this dumb, but
enough, if tried as adult, for prison time in the US possibly and
caning+prison in for instance Singapore ; what exactly would that have done?
We are all highly successful tax payers and it was foolishness that occured
once or twice, 30 years ago.

~~~
kmlx
here's an example that disputes your assumption: Japan has much less
criminality than NL, and has one of the harshest prison systems in the world.
you can leave your expensive bicycle unlocked on a crowded tokyo street and
no-one's going to touch it. you can leave your expensive apartment completely
unsecured and no-one's going to get it. they even still have the baggage
lockers all across their subway. a lot of this is due to how scared people are
of their police/imprisonment, and the subsequent social downgrade.

~~~
codedokode
Actually there is theft, for example, I watched a TV program about shoplifting
and they caught several people, like a company of school girls or an old
woman.

The bicyles must be registered in Tokyo if I remember correctly.

Also, they have unmanned selling stalls, usually in the countryside, where
farmers sell fruits and vegetables [1]

[1] [http://abritishprofinjapan.blogspot.com/2017/07/unmanned-
veg...](http://abritishprofinjapan.blogspot.com/2017/07/unmanned-vegetable-
stalls-trusting-society.html)

~~~
rhn_mk1
There's an interesting reason for old people getting caught shoplifting in
Japan. One of the many articles covering that:

[https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-47197417](https://www.bbc.com/news/world-
asia-47197417)

~~~
Hydraulix989
Perverse incentives at work. If the jail cells in Japan were anything like
Rikers, this wouldn't be a thing. Conversely, societal institutions for the
elderly could also work.

------
hprotagonist
Long ago, I worked for my uni's departmental IT group.

We made our own etherkiller, hung it on the wall with a sign "USE IN CASE OF
SUN".

Never used it in anger, but it was fun to dream about...

~~~
jwilk
> USE IN CASE OF SUN

What does it mean?

~~~
hprotagonist
We had made an ill-considered deal with Sun Microsystems for a bunch of
workstations maybe 18 months before they went away for good.

The machines were badly laid out, poorly specced, and prone to annoying
failures.

They deserved, but did not receive, mains power right to the ethernet port.

------
wodenokoto
Any word on motive?

~~~
hprotagonist
February-ish is normally acceptance letter time, but it doesn't make sense.
He'd already graduated, and nobody get an MBA and then applies for further
graduate study.

~~~
Buge
It was on Valentine's day. I wonder if that has anything to do with it.

------
mariuolo
How do you obtain a MBA while being so stupid?

~~~
acchow
What do you think the qualifications for an MBA are?

~~~
nixgeek
Ability to pay the tuition fees.

~~~
tonyedgecombe
When did HN become so cynical?

~~~
whenchamenia
After we paid tuition fees.

------
pvaldes
Wannabe criminals are getting dumber day by day. Is a fact.

Fifty years ago the idea of doing something ilegal whereas filming yourself
smiling to your own camera, would tag you as martian. Currently all is like:
look at me; I'm badass!! I'm a malote!! I want to rub shoulders with the bad
guys!!. Hem... Nope, you are an idiot.

------
agumonkey
there used to be a thing called usb condom
[https://duckduckgo.com/?q=usb+condom&atb=v119-3__&ia=web](https://duckduckgo.com/?q=usb+condom&atb=v119-3__&ia=web)

to cut data lines altogether IIRC

I guess we need a new kind of condom with all lines protected for surges

ps: there are also these
[https://www.alibaba.com/countrysearch/CN/usb+isolation+modul...](https://www.alibaba.com/countrysearch/CN/usb+isolation+module.html?fsb=y&IndexArea=product_en&CatId=&SearchText=usb+isolation+module&isGalleryList=G)

------
virtuexru
> According to court documents obtained by ZDNet, and the suspect, Vishwanath
> Akuthota, 27, filmed himself while destroying some of the computers.

Never understood why people film their own crimes?

~~~
vraivroo
To show their shitbird criminal buddies and giggle over?

------
mosselman
"He faces up to ten years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000"

That is crazy. He is obviously not completely 100% in the head and needs
psychological help not imprisonment.

~~~
golergka
Isn't such decision supposed to be a court ruling? I don't think that
persecution can suggest psychological help in US court system.

~~~
binarymax
I think you meant to say prosecution. But persecution sounds fitting here
because exactly the problem you state: mental health needs more awareness and
application for people who suffer from these problems. Putting them in jail is
the worst thing for everyone.

------
colorincorrect
Can someone tell me what would happen if you plug this onto a USB charger via
an adaptor that is plugged to 220V AC?

~~~
wl
Quite possibly nothing. A USB charger following the USB Battery Charging
Specification has a resistor < 200Ω across D+ and D-. Just putting -200 V on
D- and doing nothing to D+, there's not a completed circuit. If the charger
uses the data lines for anything (e.g. Apple devices), perhaps it'd burn out
whatever microcontroller is running things in the charger.

------
tyingq
The school did a Q&A with him on FB, apparently long before the incident:
[https://facebook.com/saintrosegrad/posts/10154835183318203](https://facebook.com/saintrosegrad/posts/10154835183318203)

~~~
flashman
> how long before it disappears

a while:
[http://web.archive.org/web/20190419041118/https://m.facebook...](http://web.archive.org/web/20190419041118/https://m.facebook.com/saintrosegrad/posts/10154835183318203)

------
roel_v
What is a "computer-enhanced podium"? Why would I ever plug a usb stick into a
podium?

~~~
binarymax
Likely just a podium with a dedicated laptop already connected to and
optimized for the A/V system. Allows you to put a powerpoint on a USB and
stick it into the machine and present from that, rather than messing with
dongles and cords and A/V compatibility.

------
sdfsdfsdfsdf3
Most decent (read: non-american) long haul airlines and even some 737 have USB
sockets at each seat for charging devices, what effect would this have in the
air?

~~~
bukka
All Inflight Entertainment Systems are completely isolated. You'll fry your
own screen, enjoy the rest of your flight.

~~~
sdfsdfsdfsdf3
Woudln't that be a fire harzard?

~~~
bukka
Maybe "fry" was the wrong word to use here. The USB device mentioned in the
article doesn't work after it kills the device so the components actually
don't get too hot after the initial surge.

Also any battery on your device is also a potential fire hazard. There are
procedures in place to deal with such cases.

------
Simulacra
Some people are issued devices like these by their employers…

------
codedokode
Maybe the student thought that it was a normal flash drive and tried to find a
working computer that can open it?

Also, isn't ten years too much for just destroying a property? It's not like
anyone got hurt.

~~~
dsfyu404ed
>Also, isn't ten years too much for just destroying a property? It's not like
anyone got hurt.

The (unspoken) point is to send a message of deterrence. Be a thorn in the
side of important institutions and they will screw you hard.

------
Rudi9719
Where did he think that was a good idea?

------
laretluval
Almost enough.

------
bukka
The device was bought on a website that advertises it as an "ESD tester".
Couldn't the student blame this on false advertising?

~~~
talonx
And then he tested it on 59 different computers, just to make sure it works?

------
everyone
Someone brought this up in an older thread about this device.. Why use this?
You could just use a hammer, or pour water into them. It seems bizarre that he
paid money for this device when there are many completely free ways to trash a
pc.

~~~
vonseel
I imagine it’s much easier psychologically for a vandal to do this than
anything obvious with a hammer or water. Also, you would think he’d probably
get caught after the first or second monitor if he walked into a library and
started smashing shit.

~~~
everyone
Yeah good points, I guess it is fairly discreet + also its novel so most
people may not cog what hes doing very quickly. Is there not a pretty intense
burning smell from the fried components though? .. So, its _extremely_
situational. Use when you want to trash some running pc's in an occupied
public area and not have people notice immediately maybe.

------
Causality1
I completely understand the desire to do this. Universities do things that
make you want to obliterate them with a meteor. What I don't understand is
recording yourself committing a crime.

