USB Killer 2.0 Will Destroy Your PC for Less Than $50

A USB Device That Can Kill Your Computer Is Now Commercially Available

Have you ever thought to yourself, "I know what I want to do today; I want to cause irreparable damage to my personal computer"? If the answer is yes, then you're in luck. You can now buy a PC-destroying device called USB Killer 2.0 for $49.95.

USB Killer 2.0 looks like a regular USB pen drive, but if you open the plastic housing, you'll see quite a few capacitors as shown in figure 1 below. As soon as you plug the USB Killer 2.0 into your computer, these capacitors will get charged, and after reaching -200 direct current volts, the innocuous-looking USB stick will discharge the electricity into the sensitive circuitry of your system. It all happens in a matter of seconds, and the results are... well, shocking. Releasing 200 volts directly into the USB port will fry the motherboard and will turn a perfectly running PC into a hunk of metal and plastic. Some of the components might survive the attack, and, depending on the hardware configuration, the information on the hard drive might also be left intact. Other than that, the computer will be rendered useless.

Figure 1. USB Kill device internals showing several capacitors

You can also purchase a Test Shield for $13.95 with which you will be able to make sure that the USB Killer is working without frying the host PC.

The technology isn't new. Last year, a Russian individual who goes by the nickname Dark Purple, received some media attention after designing a proof-of-concept USB stick that did the same thing. There have also been a couple of crowdfunding campaigns for devices that claim to have identical features to USB Killer 2.0. It is still unknown whether there's a connection between the commercially available USB Killer and the rest of the projects, though the 2.0 version number suggests that there might be.

The USB Killer 2.0 could be the perfect gift if you want to persuade your friend into buying a new PC. Don't expect any phone calls from him later on, though.

It should be noted that the device wasn't designed with pranksters in mind. At least that's what its creators say. USBkill.com, the Hong Kong-based company that sells the device, claims that its creation is an extremely useful tool for penetration testers, hardware engineers, security auditors, and regular users who want to test their own PCs. The engineers who brought the project to life say that almost all computers are vulnerable to power surges through the USB ports and that the USB Killer managed to destroy 95% of all the PCs they tested. According to USBkill.com's official website, only Apple deals with the problem in its more recent MacBooks by optically isolating the data lines on the ports. USB Killer's creators hope that with the help of their device, the rest of the manufacturers will manage to up their game.

All in all, USBkill.com aims its vicious USB stick at professionals which means that unless you are one, you're unlikely to see the device. Or are you?

Anyone is completely free to purchase the USB Killer 2.0 from the official website, and quite a few people have done so already. Shipping started in July, but by the end of August, USBkill.com had already run out of stock. Deliveries are expected to resume on September 14.

Ultimately, the USB Killer might indeed be extremely useful, and if its adoption is as widespread as the creators hope, it could eventually make the hardware we use every day a little bit safer. If it gets into the wrong hands, however, it could cause some serious headaches.

The video below is a USB Killer product presentation video outlining and advertising supposed "positive" the capabilities of the device.