This $5 USB device can hijack your computer in 30 seconds
PoisonTap can bypass the strongest passwords!
PoisonTap can bypass even the strongest passwords. PHOTO: SCREENGRAB/YOUTUBE
Samy Kamkar is a known figure in privacy and cyber security realm who has a knack for building incredibly inexpensive devices that can inflict serious harm to electronic systems. His latest creation is a small USB-connected gadget that can hack a password-protected computer in just 30 seconds.
Called the PoisonTap, the device is based on a $5 Raspberry Pi Zero microcomputer paired with free software that can hijack a computer and steal its data.
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Once plugged in, PoisonTap imitates itself as an Ethernet connection prioritised over the existing Wi Fi network. The computer is tricked into sending unencrypted web traffic, including HTTP authentication cookies to PoisonTap.
It installs a backdoor such that the device works even after its removed from the USB port. The gadget goes on to scan the data and is even capable of overcoming two-factor authentication.
However, there is a catch. PoisonTap only works if a computer's browser tab is open in the background!
Probe of leaked US NSA hacking tools examines operative's 'mistake'
Meanwhile, Kamkar has highlighted a few tips to save a computer from malicious devices:
1) Keep the computer in hibernate mode over sleep as it suspends all processes in the background
2) Close web browsers when your computer is idle and clear its cache regularly
3) Prevent access by disabling USB ports if you’re concerned about physical attacks to your computer
This article originally appeared on The Next Web
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aatp5gCskvk
Called the PoisonTap, the device is based on a $5 Raspberry Pi Zero microcomputer paired with free software that can hijack a computer and steal its data.
Google Pixel hacked by Chinese team within 60 seconds
Once plugged in, PoisonTap imitates itself as an Ethernet connection prioritised over the existing Wi Fi network. The computer is tricked into sending unencrypted web traffic, including HTTP authentication cookies to PoisonTap.
It installs a backdoor such that the device works even after its removed from the USB port. The gadget goes on to scan the data and is even capable of overcoming two-factor authentication.
However, there is a catch. PoisonTap only works if a computer's browser tab is open in the background!
Probe of leaked US NSA hacking tools examines operative's 'mistake'
Meanwhile, Kamkar has highlighted a few tips to save a computer from malicious devices:
1) Keep the computer in hibernate mode over sleep as it suspends all processes in the background
2) Close web browsers when your computer is idle and clear its cache regularly
3) Prevent access by disabling USB ports if you’re concerned about physical attacks to your computer
This article originally appeared on The Next Web
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aatp5gCskvk