Researchers turn USB cable into attack tool 報告人：劉旭哲

Two researchers have figured out a way to attack laptops and smartphones through an innocent- looking USB cable. Angelos Stavrou, an assistant professor at George Mason University Student Zhaohui Wang Software that changes the functionality of the USB driver Launch a surreptitious attack while someone is charging a smartphone or syncing data between a smartphone and a computer.

The exploit works by – Adding keyboard or mouse functionality to the connection – Attacker can start typing commands or click the mouse in order to take control of the computer. The exploit is enabled because the USB protocol can be used to connect any device to a computing platform without authentication

On Macintosh and Windows machines, a message pops up – Saying the system has detected a new human interface device – There is no easily recognizable way to halt the process

The researchers wrote the exploit for Android devices only at this point It can work on any computing device that uses USB, It can work between two smartphones by connecting a USB cable between then.

The original compromise can happen by downloading the exploit from the Web or running an app that is compromised. The researchers have created exploit software to run on a computer, and an exploit to run on Android that is a modification of the Android operating system kernel. Scripts can then be written for the actual attack.

Antivirus software wouldn't necessarily stop this because it can't tell that the activities of the exploit are not controlled or sanctioned by the user. It's hard to separate good behavior from bad behavior when it comes from the keyboard.

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