Gadget Electronic cigarettes and other devices connected to the computer via USB pose risks, according to scientists
Complaints from consumers who fall victim to malware due to connecting their e-cigarette or other gadget to their computer are pouring in. Experts are drawing consumers' attention, especially in the case of cheap electronic products of unknown origin, which may pose health risks… to their computer.
USB, the hidden threat
A few months ago, a hacker known as Jester predicted the outbreak of this problem and the extent it could spread from device to device.
"All these office gadgets – from the device that warms our cup of coffee, to other cool gadgets that can be purchased through online stores – which are manufactured in China and connect via a USB port to our computer, potentially expose it to serious risk," Jester had reported last March.
The story, according to Rick Ferguson, a security consultant at Japanese security software company Trend Micro, is entirely true and unfortunately many households have already been “infected” by these devices. “The malware that comes with these devices from the production line has been an existing problem for several years, infecting digital photo frames, MP3 players and other devices,” he says.
In search of new cyber weapons
Last August, at the Black Hat cybersecurity conference held in Las Vegas, USA, scientists from the German company Security Research Labs (SRLabs) presented BadUSB: a malicious software they created, capable of “drilling holes” in devices, reprogramming their microchips and spreading destruction while remaining “invisible” to the known scanning of existing Anti-Virus programs. According to its creators, BadUSB, when connected to the computer, is capable of “infecting” the keyboard, mouse, flash drive, external hard drive, video game controller or any other peripheral device, turning it into a cyberthreat as it opens the “doors” to… Internet thieves.
“Currently, USB microchips do not come with any protection against reprogramming, which means there is no way to deal with this threat,” say experts at Berlin-based German company SRLabs. “This flexibility of USB devices is their Achilles heel: since devices of different classes can be connected to the same port, one of them can turn into a destructive accessory without the user even realizing it.”
Source: tovima.gr
