Questions tagged [usb]
an industry standard used for connecting to and powering peripheral devices (keyboards, mice, cameras, printers, external hard drives, etc) from a computer or other USB capable device.
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How to prevent BadUSB attacks on Linux desktop?
What can I do to protect my Linux laptop from BadUSB attacks as described by ArsTechnica here?
Perhaps writing an appropriate AppArmor profile would help?
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Can malware be transmitted via a USB charger plugged into a wall socket?
I have a smart phone that I often plug into a wall socket for charging via a small adapter that rectifies the AC to DC power and transforms the voltage from line (120V or 240V) to 5 V DC, probably ...
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Is all the alarmism around BadUSB really called for with respect to host devices?
I can understand why there was such a furor about BadUSB and indeed it poses a rather earthshaking threat to the base assumptions of many in their cyber security threat models. Things which many of us ...
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Can the BadUSB exploit be prevented?
Recently I read a few things about the BadUSB exploit, for example:
http://arstechnica.com/security/2014/07/this-thumbdrive-hacks-computers-badusb-exploit-makes-devices-turn-evil/
My understanding ...
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How to check if USB device isn't malicious?
Let's say I've got a generic, cheap mouse.
It's a USB-device. Any USB-device may contain memory, so how to know if the manufacturer didn't embed any memory with malware software in a device?
(on ...
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Secure USB cable for charging in untrusted environments
On a long haul flight, I imagine that charging a phone (in flight mode) with the inbuilt USB port on the head rest would be a security risk.
Could I mitigate that risk by taking a regular USB cable ...
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Can a connected USB device read all data from the USB bus?
Is it possible for a (malicious) (hardware) USB device to access all the data that is transferred through the USB bus and then read/store this information, essentially sniffing all transferred data? ...
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How to check if my USB stick firmware can be rewritten via the USB port?
How can I know in Linux (or otherwise), if the firmware of my USB flash drive can be rewritten using the USB port (when sticking it in an USB port)? Eg. for a cheap EMTEC 16GB.
I was thinking about ...
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BAD USB attack possible while screen is locked?
If i leave my screen locked and someone sticks in a thumbdrive that was manipulated using the bad USB exploit would an attack be possible?
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How worried should I be about getting hacked with PoisonTap?
I just heard of PoisonTap today. Here is a short description from a TechCrunch article:
PoisonTap connects to the USB port and announces itself not as a USB
device, but an Ethernet interface. The ...
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Allow only specific devices to be connected to USB
Suppose I have a Windows PC in a safe room, disconnected from the internet, with only 3 cables connecting to another room, to a mouse, monitor and keyboard.
The computer contains highly sensitive ...
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Am I at risk if I let someone charge their Android phone from my MacBook through a micro USB cable?
Someone connected their Android phone to my MacBook and it made me think if this has put my MacBook at risk.
It was for 3 seconds and I was in control of the MacBook the whole time.
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Can autoplay USB stick spread virus to windows 8 or 10?
Autoplay was a security hole on older versions of Windows, but can I trust newer version like Windows 8 or 10 to insert USB stick without turning autoplay off?
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Attacks via physical access to USB (DMA...?)
I wonder if USB can be exploited by someone with physical access to a reasonably secured computer. For example a kiosk, or a laptop attached to a desk.
Obviously, the boot sequence should be secure (...
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Can a physical attacker compromise a Windows machine with UEFI, secure boot and bitlocker?
Machines such as the MS Surface Pro 3 comes with bitlocker encryption and UEFI secure boot out of the box. However, the default boot order is network -> usb -> ssd.
If an attacker gets physical ...
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A compromised USB
Assuming that a given USB drive is compromised(infected), what's the best way to deal with it? I mean, obviously, the solution is to nuke(format) the drive. But for that, the device needs to be ...
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How protect ourselves from USB Firmware viruses? Does Antivirus help?
On Windows (pnd probably other operating systems, I don't know), when you plug in a USB appliance (a flash drive, mouse, etc) Windows automatically runs the "Device installation" and the firmware is ...
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How can a user defeat anti-live forensics software?
Let's say I have a computer with full disk encryption which is logged and running, but I suspect it has anti-forensics software (eg. usbkill), which means that I risk compromising the integrity of the ...
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BadUSB: Why are firmware writeable in the first place? Manufacturer's backdoor?
How many of you have actually updated their mouse, keyboard or USB stick firmware? How many vendor actually propose updates for such devices?
However these devices firmware often offer a proprietary ...
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Risk when attacker has only physical access to a computer's USB port
Attacker has only access to USB port and can either attach a device or pen-drive to a computer, that can be on or off. Imagine a scenario where non-reliable people have access to offices, either ...
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How we can prevent innocent looking USBNinja (USBHarpoon) attacks?
Is there anything we can do across the company to make sure USBNinja and other similar USB cables that looks so real for users can really be mitigated?
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How to detect if files were saved or copied from an external hard drive/USB?
Is it possible? If so, how?
This is needed to alert on the copying of "important" files.
An example of what I need:
There is a document on an external hard drive/USB.
You're just allowed to ...
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Could the USB-Receiver of a wireless mouse/keyboard be a security risk?
I bought a wireless keyboard and mouse from a no-name brand (made in China) with a USB receiver. I'm currently wondering if the USB receiver could be compromised in a way, that my computer could get ...
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Is moving data between devices on an SD Card safer than a USB stick?
From the perspective of USB device-born malware/exploits, especially affecting firmware (e.g., can an infected computer reprogram an inserted USB memory stick to act like a keyboard and autotype ...
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Can I block viruses from a USB stick by scanning it before opening its folder?
I inserted my USB stick into a friend's PC which was full of viruses, malwares and adwares. Therefore I suppose they attacked my USB device as well. Now I want to use my USB device on my PC without ...
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How to detect a keylogger in a USB keyboard? Can a USB keyboard host a keylogger?
I recently got an USB keyboard. I want to investigate if the microcontroller of the keyboard may host a keylogger and how could it interact with a Windows OS. My understanding is that, once Windows ...
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Can BadUSB be avoided by looking at the shapes and the controller model inside it?
I'm an average user. I don't take part or have any dangerous jobs.
I know that there is no fixed solution for this type of attack. However, I think USB is still become common devices for average user. ...
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Is it possible to USB whitelist in Linux?
After watching Black Hat's presentation on the fundamental problems with USB "security", I'm wondering if there's a way to do USB whitelisting in Linux.
Is there currently a mechanism that will allow ...
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Can I safely use a physical USB stick inside VirtualBox (isolated) without possibly infecting the host OS?
There is a program that I wish to run under VirtualBox in order to avoid possibly infecting my computer because I am not sure I should trust the source. (Based on download location).
It is for ...
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How to protect/mitigate IntelME (CSME) JTAG attack over USB?
Two security searchers from ptsecurity.com ( Maxim Goryachy @h0t_max and Mark Ermolov @_markel___ ) have announced on Twitter:
Game over! We (I and @_markel___ ) have obtained fully functional ...
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Can smart power meters read key presses on a wired keyboard?
Smart power meters are becoming quite prevalent. Question: Can a smart power meter (with patched firmware) read the keys pressed on a wired PS/2 or USB keyboard, connected to a desktop computer? What ...
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Server based pdf signing using etoken from a client browser
I have a requirement where a PDF document is generated on the application server in a web based .Net application and the same is digitally signed and mailed to the recepient. The signing and mail ...
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Does the use of an on-screen keyboard give a false sense of security or protect against all types of keyloggers? [duplicate]
Does the use of an on-screen keyboard (OSK) give a false sense of security? For example when people use the OSK in an attempt to prevent key-loggers from logging information like passwords, typed on ...
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How can I connect a USB device to a virtual machine while bypassing the host?
From time-to-time it would be useful to connect an untrusted USB device to my computer. If I could connect it directly to a virtual machine, bypassing the host. that would be secure enough for me. I ...
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Bad USB and other Exploits of USB Devices
Can every USB device and most of the chips in other hardware be reprogrammed like it works with the Bad USB hack to inject malware into the operating system?
For example i got a DVD burner that i ...
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How to safely use a possible BadUSB?
I have to use a USB stick that introduce itself as a HID device. I'm not sure if it does something fishy behind the scene or not, but I rather to think it's not safe and take the necessary steps to ...
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Security of mapping Local Resources over RDP
I work with a group of developers that do network level program. To prevent these developers from accidentally causing problems on the corporate network they have been given there own isolated ...
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What traces are left on a flash card reader after using it? [duplicate]
If one uses a micro SD card with a card reader on Windows, or on Linux, or on Android, would there be a way to forensically determine on which computer the card reader was used?
I know OS can log ...
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Is there a portable memory device with an offline erase technique? (such as an erase switch?)
I know about the USB devices that have a write protection switch that disables writing on the device side, are there devices that have a similar hardware switch that permanently erases the devices ...
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