Plugging an unknown USB drive into your system could have disastrous consequences, that’s a well known fact. While USB drives are quite handy when you can to quickly transfer files between systems or keep important files with you on the go, they’re known to harbor malware which could compromise the security of your devices. USB drives can be loaded with anything from Trojans to ransomware which could wreak havoc unless you have an updated anti-virus.
Yahalom goes on to explain a number of other different types of USB-based attacks. For example, he talks about an attack which makes use of an off-the-shelf USB drive with reprogrammed firmware that can be remotely controlled. Other types of attacks include electrical attacks, which make use of electrical components disguised as a USB drive which have the capability of pushing a power surge through the system and frying the computer.
