A researcher from SYON Security has managed to create a modified USB charging cable that would allow hackers to transfer malware to your computer without you noticing. Underlying this practice is the infamous BadUSB vulnerability.
Back at the Black Hat Conference 2014, cryptographers Karsten Nohl and Jakob Lell introduced the world to the concept of BadUSB – a security flaw that allowed attackers to turn a USB into a keyboard, typing malicious commands through it.
Dubbed USBHarpoon, the cable is based on an alternative chip and different firmware. The charging cable can also be used with many smartphones and other devices.
According to German news site WinFuture, once the infected USB cable is connected via HID, the attacker can send malicious code, such as Trojans or other viruses, to the computer. The site reports that Windows, Linux, and Mac are equally vulnerable to this attack.
Previously, the USB cable would stop charging when BadUSB was applied, which could have made the victim suspicious.
Vincent Yiu and his research team are working on a way to trigger the attack while the victim is away from the device.
While BadUSB is gradually climbing as one of the main cyber attacks, people are also discovering the corresponding firewalls to deal with these new type of attacks.
