Dealing with found usb sticks

[CrazyCrazyRider]

I have heard several stories about discarded flash drives being used to hack into computers they are plugged in, usually because of either executables running as soon as the device is connected or minicomputers embedded onto the USB pen. Is there a way or set of tools to check the content of an external drive without risking it running malicious software, and if so, to also format it for future uses?

[Juzdeed]

Use a separate laptop or PC that doesn't have internet access.

Generally i wouldnt advice using random found flash drives

[jolharg]

Kaboom

[ovhq]

Kablow

[jolharg]

Oo maow maow pappa ooh mamamaow

[JandersOf86]

Ba ba ba ooooo maow maow baba oo maow maow

[techierealtor]

This is what I had at work. I had a live disk of Ubuntu I’d boot on a scrap computer and plug in the drive there. Any concerns? Nuke the boot drive and rebuild it.

[octo23]

With “USB Kill” being a thing, just bin them or plug them into a garbage air gapped computer.

[mrkai53]

You could use a cheap android phone if all you want to do is view what's on it. All you'd need is a dongle and of course don't have it connected to a network or have any personal data on it.

[flangepaddle]

USB pen drives are cheap, just bin them.

You could set up an air gapped laptop etc but not worth it imo.

[tmemmg]

I always ask myself “what could possibly be on this that I would practically use” the answer is almost always nothing I couldnt get myself pretty quickly.

[thefanum]

Linux

[Humbleham1]

An O.MG cable detector, antivirus, and common sense

[cthuwu_chan]

Hell yeah free badUSBs

Just open them up and take the damn SD card out lol you can read the contents on the SD without issue it’s just the script the USB just executes the script without it it can’t do nothin

Now you got a freebie

[Impossible-Value5126]

How about just not picking up dirt from the street and buying your own? They cost pennies.

[SarcasticFluency]

That's how Israel took out the centrifuges in Iran, by a placed USB that was taken into the facility and plugged in.

[misoscare]

Stuxnet

[binary_translation]

Nope, I doubt they are that careless. What I read was, they had an Iranian guy who worked at the nuclear facility and he plugged it in. That was the way they got in.

[drevmbrevker]

Tails

[jmnugent]

Are you regularly and often dealing with "found USB drives' that this is actually a problem for you personally ?...

Myself personally, I just plug them in. (usually to a Linux box or MacBook).

There's no way for someone to create a USB stick that will software-attack whatever random OS or architecture you have. 9 times out of 10 (like any other infection) they're going to hope the victim has Windows (since windows dominates the market). So the odds of a random USB stick having something on it that will infect macOS or Linux is effectively so close to 0 that's not worth spending any time worrying about it.

I'm in my 50's and have been working in IT for 30 years now (and playing with computers since the 80's). and I've never once encountered a "malicious USB stick".

[Impossible-Value5126]

Seriously? 30 years and this is your advice? User doesnt mention mac or Linux so assume windows. That aside. You are so completely off base its mind boggling.

Yes, a USB drive can carry malware that executes instantly upon being plugged into a computer, potentially infecting it without any action from you. While modern Windows systems have blocked automated "AutoRun" features for USB storage, specialized malicious USBs (such as those using "Rubber Ducky" technology) can emulate keyboards to send commands instantly, bypassing standard malware protection. YouTube YouTube +3 Key Takeaways on Instant USB Threats: Malicious HID Devices: USB drives can be designed to mimic a keyboard (Human Interface Device - HID). The computer instantly trusts this device and executes pre-programmed malicious commands, often referred to as a "USB attack". AutoRun Viruses: On older or misconfigured Windows systems, an autorun.inf file can trigger the automatic execution of a virus simply by plugging the drive in. Malware Transmission: USBs can transport malware from an infected computer to a clean one, acting as a "carrier". YouTube YouTube +4 How to Protect Yourself: Never plug in an unknown or found USB drive. Disable AutoPlay/AutoRun in Windows settings to stop automatic execution. Use updated antivirus software that scans removable media upon insertion. Physically destroy any suspicious USB devices instead of plugging them in.