Researchers have found that a range of USB devices, including keyboards, mice and USB thumb drives, can be targeted by hackers to gain unauthorized access to a victim’s computer. It is reported that hackers may be able to load malicious software onto low-cost computer chips, installed in a variety of USB devices, to launch an entirely new class of security attacks.
The news was reported by a German security firm called SR Labs. Security experts Karsten Nohl and Jakob Lell spent many months studying the security vulnerability, which is associated with the micro-controllers embedded within numerous types of USB device.
In testing their theory, the pair claim to have concealed harmful malware in the flash ROM of the devices’ computer chips. Dubbed BadUSB, the software can be uploaded onto any USB device that possesses a compatible micro-controller.
Once installed, the team’s BadUSB software is not detectable using traditional anti-virus programs and is particularly difficult to remove, unless the individual has the programming knowledge and toolset to change the infected device’s firmware. Currently, there is no known USB firewall that can prevent this type of attack.
When installed on USB thumb drives, BadUSB tricks the host computer into believing it is also a USB keyboard. This allows the drive to transmit a string of characters to the computer, in a way similar to a normal keyboard, allowing the software to run executables, delete data, spy on communications and inject malware into vulnerable programs.
BadUSB can also portray the USB drive as a network card. In doing so, hackers are able to redirect network traffic. Nohl said he was able to change the DNS network settings on a target PC and subsequently instruct the device to route all Internet traffic through a series of malicious servers.
Nohl and Jakob will present their latest findings at the Black Hat hacking conference in Las Vegas, next week. The presentation is entitled, “Bad USB – On Accessories that Turn Evil.” If the findings prove to be genuine, industry experts believe the news could lead to changes in the USB architecture.
http://www.viralglobalnews.com/tech...ftware-onto-chips-usb-keyboards-drives/13536/
The news was reported by a German security firm called SR Labs. Security experts Karsten Nohl and Jakob Lell spent many months studying the security vulnerability, which is associated with the micro-controllers embedded within numerous types of USB device.
In testing their theory, the pair claim to have concealed harmful malware in the flash ROM of the devices’ computer chips. Dubbed BadUSB, the software can be uploaded onto any USB device that possesses a compatible micro-controller.
Once installed, the team’s BadUSB software is not detectable using traditional anti-virus programs and is particularly difficult to remove, unless the individual has the programming knowledge and toolset to change the infected device’s firmware. Currently, there is no known USB firewall that can prevent this type of attack.
When installed on USB thumb drives, BadUSB tricks the host computer into believing it is also a USB keyboard. This allows the drive to transmit a string of characters to the computer, in a way similar to a normal keyboard, allowing the software to run executables, delete data, spy on communications and inject malware into vulnerable programs.
BadUSB can also portray the USB drive as a network card. In doing so, hackers are able to redirect network traffic. Nohl said he was able to change the DNS network settings on a target PC and subsequently instruct the device to route all Internet traffic through a series of malicious servers.
Nohl and Jakob will present their latest findings at the Black Hat hacking conference in Las Vegas, next week. The presentation is entitled, “Bad USB – On Accessories that Turn Evil.” If the findings prove to be genuine, industry experts believe the news could lead to changes in the USB architecture.
http://www.viralglobalnews.com/tech...ftware-onto-chips-usb-keyboards-drives/13536/