USB Killer Costs Private College 66 Computers

Network security is a priority for modern businesses of all types; threats don’t usually discriminate between the computer networks that they try to access. One type of organization that should be especially diligent is today's college or university. There are many different kinds of sensitive data stored there, including the personal, medical, and financial trifecta, as well as intellectual property.

Sadly, sometimes diligence isn’t enough, as demonstrated by recent events at the College of Saint Rose in Albany, NY. The capital-based college was attacked in early April 2019 by a wave of computer vandalism. Vishwanath Akuthota, a postgraduate alum, pled guilty to charges of using a device known as a USB Killer to permanently disable 59 Windows campus computers, as well as seven Apple computers. This act ended up costing the college a total of $58,371 to replace these devices.

Akuthota, an Indian national in the United States on a student visa, used his iPhone to film himself utilizing USB Killer to destroy the computers. He faces a $250,000 fine and ten years in prison as a result.

Comprehending USB Killer

USB Killer is a specially made thumb drive that receives power from the USB port, charging a capacitor within the device, then releasing that power back into the USB port. This overloads the components, burning them out and breaking the machine. The USB Killer is freely available online, seemingly intended to be used as a surge protection test.

Where Your Biggest Risk Lies

Of course, no organization wants to have this kind of catastrophe. Alas, USB Killer is especially hard to resist - but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t actions you can take to help prevent the various kinds of employee-related security breaches. An independent study revealed that, in 2018, over two-thirds of data breaches were the result of an employee’s actions - whether they were negligent in their duties, were directly responsible for the data theft, or actively sabotaged the business.

It's important to emphasize that point: your employees are the ones who are most likely to put your organization at risk. That is not to say that your employees are actively working against you - only a quarter of data breaches were caused by the actions of employees, either current or former - but you still need to keep your network and infrastructure secured against the typess of situations that could put your data at risk through the actions of your team.

How to Keep Your IT Protected from Your Employee’s Actions

The best way to approach these kinds of problems is to recognize and mitigate them before they have an effect. This will require a two-fold approach: for your staff to be sufficiently trained, and for you to have the tools necessary to monitor your business’ technology.

This is to help cover all of your bases. The better your staff is trained, the more prepared they will be to properly utilize the solutions you provide them with, making fewer and less severe errors as a result. On the other hand, the better your staff is trained, the more willing they will likely be to take liberties with these systems, liberties that they wouldn’t have otherwise. A comprehensive monitoring strategy will help you to keep your organization, its infrastructure, and its data safe and productive.

To learn more about protecting your organization through proper staff training and security solutions, reach out to the team at Macro Systems by calling 703-359-9211.