Items tagged with USB
The general rule of thumb is to not plug in USB drives you find on the ground, and beyond that, certainly don’t run anything on them as it could be malware. However, that rule is being skirted by some people, as researchers have discovered an alarming uptick in the use of infected USB drives to steal data.
Earlier...
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The FBI just issued a warning to the public against using free public USB charging ports, such as those found at airports or malls, because they've been found to be ports of entry for malware.
A recent tweet by the FBI Denver field office advised that bad actors (i.e. people with nefarious intentions, not Steven...
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The USB standard's forward and backward compatibility is one of its handiest features. That means that you can plug a USB device into another USB device with a matching connector, and it's almost a guarantee that it'll work, regardless of their USB version revisions. Consumers don't need to know whether it's a USB 3.1...
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According to an unnamed insider, Apple is currently testing USB-C ports and functionality for a future iPhone model. It has been 15 years since the iPhone burst onto the scene, and every one of them has had a proprietary charger, starting with the old 30-pin for the first generation and later following up with the...
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The “duck test” states that if you see something and “it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it probably is a duck.” However, this same logic path cannot be applied to everything, such as USB cables which could contain more than meets the eye. In the past year, a security researcher and...
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A month ago, AMD confirmed that many 500 Series motherboards were having problems with USB connectivity. The issues were long documented on the AMD subreddit, but it was comforting news from Ryzen enthusiasts to hear that AMD finally had their backs regarding this annoyance.
ASUS today announced that it uploaded new...
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AMD reckons it knows why some Ryzen owners are experiencing USB flakiness with motherboards based on a 500-series chipset. And with that knowledge, it plans to roll out a fix. This will come by way of a BIOS update, the timing of which will partially depend on the make and model of your specific motherboard.
This...
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Two weeks ago, AMD addressed a slew of complaints on Reddit related to intermittent connection issues some people reported having with USB devices connected to their Ryzen PCs powered by a 500-series chipset (X570 and B550). AMD said it was "analyzing the root cause," and said it would be contacting impacted users for...
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Microsoft has issued a support warning for users of Windows 10 version 1903 or later. The notice has to do with a missing USB printer port if the user disconnects a printer while the operating system is shut down. Microsoft says that if users connect a USB printer to version 1903 or later, shuts down Windows, and...
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The USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF) has announced the USB4 specifications have been published. USB4 is hailed as a significant update that will deliver next-generation USB architecture that complements and builds upon the existing USB 3.2 and USB 2.0 architectures. USB4 is based on the Thunderbolt protocol...
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Microsoft has made a minor but, for some, welcome change to the default manner in which Windows 10 handles external storage devices such as USB thumb drives. Effective with the October 2018 Update for Windows 10 (build 1809), the OS defaults to a "Quick removal" option that allows you to yank a USB flash drive from...
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The SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD is the follow-up to the SanDisk Extreme 510 Portable SSD. This new drive fully embraces USB-C while retaining USB Type-A compatibility for older Macs and PCs. It promises speedy storage (up to 550 MB/s claimed), a wide range of capacities (250GB, 500GB, 1TB, and 2TB), and an...
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Everyone has to deal with scams and phishing attempts online today, even Google. To protect its workers from phishing scams that could result in the theft of IP, Google took advantage of security keys for all its 85,000 workers. Since that roll out, no accounts have been compromised. The keys are USB-based security...
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Apple has launched iOS 11.4.1 and this is the update that adds USB Restricted Mode to the iPhone. The intention with USB Restricted Mode was to lock down the USB port of an iPhone to block intrusion techniques using third-party devices to crack the passcode of devices.
USB Restricted Mode deactivates USB data...
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The new iStorage diskAshur2 is a specialized, external hard drive geared toward security conscious consumers. The diskAshur2 is a little pricey, and although it's no slouch in the speed department (we'll get into that in a bit), it's certainly not going to compete with that shiny new internal SSD you've got your eye...
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Always use protection! It’s a dangerous world out there for computer users. With malware, ransomware, botnets, and other schemes out to deprive you of your data, system resources, and even the cash in your wallet, users have to tread lightly when surfing the internet. However, as we’ve seen on many occasions, you can...
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A pair of researchers from Positive Technologies claim that Intel's newest generation processors are susceptible to a USB port debugging vulnerability that could allow an attacker to take over full control of a system. Starting with Skylake (and presumably Kaby Lake, though the researchers do not specifically mention...
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Are you miffed that the latest iPhone doesn't have a dedicated 1/8" audio jack? Well, Apple likely won't be alone, as other smartphone OEMs may be looking to ditch the venerable headphone jack in order to take advantage of audio over USB-C.
This week, the USB-IF (Implementers Forum) announced "USB Audio over USB...
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SanDisk recently launched a new line of portable storage products, with photographers, videographers, and creative professionals in mind. The particular drive we'll be showing you here, the SanDisk Extreme 510, has a 480GB capacity and attaches to a PC using USB, though smaller capacities are also available. Not only...
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What do you usually find in your mailbox? Love letters? Bills? People in Victoria, Australia are finding malware-laden USB drives in their mailboxes, or “letterboxes” as they are called down under.
The Victoria police warned citizens about the malicious USB drives, stating, “The USB drives are believed to be...
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The USB port is one of the most influential and important inventions of the modern computing era, but like just about anything that's innovative and pervasive, there's usually potential to do harm as well. Need proof of that? Check out the USB Kill, a sly little USB stick that's capable of frying just about any...
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Thumb drive makers have managed to cram quite a bit into the pinky-sized drives, but there are limits to capacity and to some degree performance, since there is only so much room to work with. Fortunately, there is a nice middle ground between thumb drives and larger external SSDs that conform to the popular...
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