USB Device Delivers 220-Volt Surge Causing Computer Damage

USB sticks have long been a mechanism for delivering malware to unsuspecting computer users. A booby-trapped flash drive, for instance, was the means by which the US and Israel reportedly infected Iran's Natanz uranium enrichment facility with the Stuxnet worm. And, in case anyone thought USB stick attacks had lost their novelty, last year's Bad USB proof-of-concept exploit delivered a highly programmable attack platform that can't be detected by today's defenses.

Now, a researcher who goes by the name Dark Purple has created a USB device that can permanently destroy much of a computer's innards, rendering the machine little more than an expensive doorstop. Within seconds of being plugged in, the USB stick delivers a negative 220-volt electric surge into the USB port. As the video below demonstrates, that's enough to permanently damage the IBM Thinkpad receiving the charge.