The usual source of security breach that infects computers comes from online sources and malicious links sent through email. However, recent study shows that some virus may have been developed that allows infected USB stick to do the same thing.
Ars Technica reports that researchers at Security Research Labs in Berlin are scheduled to unveil a new exploit at the Black Hat conference in Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas on 2-7 August 2014 that will allow an infected USB stick to take over computers and use it to execute malicious code.
The researchers have found a way to hack USB sticks so that once the user plugs them into a computer, it can make the machine "act as a network card that causes connected computers to connect to malicious sites impersonating Google, Facebook or other trusted destinations." Worse thing is that this technique doesn’t just work with standard USB sticks but also with Android phones, cameras, keyboards and pretty much any device anyone can connect to a machine through a USB port.
"If you put anything into your USB, it extends a lot of trust," Karsten Nohl, Security Research Labs’ chief scientist, explained to Ars. "Whatever it is, there could always be some code running in that device that runs maliciously. Every time anybody connects a USB device to your computer, you fully trust them with your computer. It’s the equivalent of [saying] 'here's my computer; I’m going to walk away for 10 minutes. Please don’t do anything evil."
Another problem is that this sort of malicious activity is almost impossible to detect through conventional means, as virus scans done with machines infected via the USB exploit will turn up nothing. The researchers have found that the only way to effectively figure out whether a device is infected is to take it apart and reverse engineer it.
Black Hat USA is the show that sets the benchmark for all other security conferences. As Black Hat returns for its 17th year to Las Vegas, they bring together the brightest in the world for six days of learning, networking, and skill building.
Ars Technica reports that researchers at Security Research Labs in Berlin are scheduled to unveil a new exploit at the Black Hat conference in Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas on 2-7 August 2014 that will allow an infected USB stick to take over computers and use it to execute malicious code.
The researchers have found a way to hack USB sticks so that once the user plugs them into a computer, it can make the machine "act as a network card that causes connected computers to connect to malicious sites impersonating Google, Facebook or other trusted destinations." Worse thing is that this technique doesn’t just work with standard USB sticks but also with Android phones, cameras, keyboards and pretty much any device anyone can connect to a machine through a USB port.
"If you put anything into your USB, it extends a lot of trust," Karsten Nohl, Security Research Labs’ chief scientist, explained to Ars. "Whatever it is, there could always be some code running in that device that runs maliciously. Every time anybody connects a USB device to your computer, you fully trust them with your computer. It’s the equivalent of [saying] 'here's my computer; I’m going to walk away for 10 minutes. Please don’t do anything evil."
Another problem is that this sort of malicious activity is almost impossible to detect through conventional means, as virus scans done with machines infected via the USB exploit will turn up nothing. The researchers have found that the only way to effectively figure out whether a device is infected is to take it apart and reverse engineer it.
Black Hat USA is the show that sets the benchmark for all other security conferences. As Black Hat returns for its 17th year to Las Vegas, they bring together the brightest in the world for six days of learning, networking, and skill building.
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