Confessions of a Professional Cyber Stalker

Confessions of a Professional Cyber Stalker

Flash drives look pretty harmless. They’re super convenient, small, fast, and even come in cute fashions and key chains. Still, no matter their aesthetic, USBs can be really dangerous to your computer’s health and well-being. By that I mean, are you familiar with computer worms and trojans? If you’re like me, you’ve had computers bogged right down and made unusable by these nasty things, and they’re certainly not easy to get rid of. In these dark moments I typically turn to my nearest tech savvy friend, bribe them to help me with goodies and booze, and try to think happy and healthy thoughts.

Now imagine you unknowingly found a USB on the floor and connected it to your laptop. Unfortunately, as an endless sea of popups immediately fills your screen and you lose complete control over your computer, you slowly realize that that abandoned flash drive might have contained a virus. If this EVER happens to you (and we sincerely hope it doesn’t because now you know not to do this) please don’t panic because that won’t help you. What you need are white or grey hat hackers to dig you out of this hole.

Sadly, flash drive computer worms can be an even bigger headache than simply messing up a personal computer (PC). For instance, the Stuxnet is a computer worm that’s typically introduced via flash drive. Wikipedia explains that this worm “specifically targets PLCs [programmable logic controllers], which allow the automation of electromechanical processes such as those used to control machinery on factory assembly lines, amusement rides, or centrifuges for separating nuclear material.” Amazingly, Stuxnet “compromised Iranian PLCs, collecting information on industrial systems and causing the fast-spinning centrifuges to tear themselves apart. Stuxnet’s design and architecture are not domain-specific and it could be tailored as a platform for attacking modern SCADA and PLC systems  (e.g., in automobiles or power plants).” Stuxnet is also said to have ruined nearly 1/5th of Iran’s nuclear centrifuges.

So although USBs are small and seemingly harmless, it’s clear that they can be quite damaging to a system. Indeed, security expert and hacker Ken Westin says that USB drives make exploiting computers so much easier now because you just infect the drive and find ways of tricking people into using them, which he says is surprisingly easy.

Still, Westin discovered that he could also use flash drive trojan technology for good rather than bad. The concept is to use trojans for the recovery of stolen or lost tech and it’s very similar to a normal trojan used for theft. It burrows in and gathers all the information you need to find it, such as geo-location and IP address. Neat huh?

The lesson here is to only take or buy USB drives from reputable sources. And even then, always be critical.