Ecuador: someone is mailing USB sticks with explosives in them to journalists

[thewayne]

One exploded as a journo at a TV station plugged it in to his computer, causing mild injuries to his hand and face. Another sent to a radio station did not explode - the drive was plugged into an extension cord and didn't get enough voltage to detonate.

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2023/03/journalist-plugs-in-unknown-usb-drive-mailed-to-him-it-exploded-in-his-face/

https://it.slashdot.org/story/23/03/22/2048210/explosives-replace-malware-as-the-scariest-thing-a-usb-stick-may-hide

Comments

[silveradept]

Yet another reason not to plug in strange devices, I guess. Hadn't realized explosives could go that small and that powerful.

[thewayne]

Well, I don't see why not.  I don't think you'd be able to cram more than an ounce or two in there, but it would be enough to potentially maim someone.  The mistake they made was it requires a full-powered USB socket, and those aren't always common on laptops, which most people use these days.  My MacBook Pro, 2015 model, will charge my iPad whereas my Asus gaming laptop which actually has a USB-C port, will not.  But when it comes to desktops, those are usually full-powered ports.