Search results for Attack of the Killer Computer | Breaking Cybersecurity News | The Hacker News

Remember Killer USB ?? In March, a Russian security researcher devised a weird USB stick that is capable of destroying sensitive components of a computer when plugged-in. Now, the same researcher, nicknamed Dark Purple , has launched a new version of his computer-frying USB Killer pendrive – USB Killer version 2.0 . USB Killer 2.0 is much more powerful than the previous version and is able to "kill" more than just a PC it is plugged in. USB Killer 2.0 is More Powerful to Damage any Computer The first version of USB Killer was consist of a DC/DC converter, a few caps and an FET. When plugged into a system, the converter in the USB Killer would charge the caps up to -110V , apply that voltage to signal lines of the USB interface, and repeat the entire process until everything possible in the computer is broken down. However, the second version of USB Killer dump -220V directly onto the signal lines of the USB interface, which is powerful enough to...

This week, cyber attackers are moving quickly, and businesses need to stay alert. They're finding new weaknesses in popular software and coming up with clever ways to get around security. Even one unpatched flaw could let attackers in, leading to data theft or even taking control of your systems. The clock is ticking—if defenses aren't updated regularly, it could lead to serious damage. The message is clear: don't wait for an attack to happen. Take action now to protect your business. Here's a look at some of the biggest stories in cybersecurity this week: from new flaws in WinRAR and NVIDIA Triton to advanced attack techniques you should know about. Let's get into the details. ⚡ Threat of the Week Trend Micro Warns of Actively Exploited 0-Day — Trend Micro has released temporary mitigations to address critical security flaws in on-premise versions of Apex One Management Console that it said have been exploited in the wild. The vulnerabilities (CVE-2025-54948 and CVE-2025-54987),...

It's been a week of chaos in code and calm in headlines. A bug that broke the internet's favorite framework, hackers chasing AI tools, fake apps stealing cash, and record-breaking cyberattacks — all within days. If you blink, you'll miss how fast the threat map is changing. New flaws are being found, published, and exploited in hours instead of weeks. AI-powered tools meant to help developers are quickly becoming new attack surfaces. Criminal groups are recycling old tricks with fresh disguises — fake apps, fake alerts, and fake trust. Meanwhile, defenders are racing to patch systems, block massive DDoS waves, and uncover spy campaigns hiding quietly inside networks. The fight is constant, the pace relentless. For a deeper look at these stories, plus new cybersecurity tools and upcoming expert webinars, check out the full ThreatsDay Bulletin. ⚡ Threat of the Week Max Severity React Flaw Comes Under Attack — A critical security flaw impacting React Server Components (RSC) has ...

Can Hackers turn a remote computer into a bomb and explode it to kill someone, just like they do in hacker movies? Wait, wait! Before answering that, Let me tell you an interesting story about Killer USB drive: A man walking in the subway stole a USB flash drive from the outer pocket of someone else's bag. The pendrive had "128" written on it. After coming home, he inserted the pendrive into his laptop and instead discovering any useful data, he burnt half of his laptop down. The man then took out the USB pendrive, replaced the text "128" with "129" and put it in the outer pocket of his bag… Amen! I'm sure, you would really not imagine yourself being the 130th victim of this Killer perdrive, neither I. This above story was told to a Russian researcher, nicknamed Dark Purple, who found the concept very interesting and developed his own computer-frying USB Killer pendrive. He is working with electronic manufacturing company from where...

The North Korean threat actor known as Kimsuky has been linked to a new campaign that distributes a new variant of Android malware called DocSwap via QR codes hosted on phishing sites mimicking Seoul-based logistics firm CJ Logistics (formerly CJ Korea Express). "The threat actor leveraged QR codes and notification pop-ups to lure victims into installing and executing the malware on their mobile devices," ENKI said . "The malicious app decrypts an embedded encrypted APK and launches a malicious service that provides RAT capabilities." "Since Android blocks apps from unknown sources and displays security warnings by default, the threat actor claims the app is a safe, official release to trick victims into ignoring the warning and installing the malware." According to the South Korean cybersecurity company, some of these artifacts masquerade as package delivery service apps. It's being assessed that the threat actors are using smishing texts or phi...

Remember Killer USB stick ? A proof-of-concept USB prototype that was designed by a Russian researcher, Dark Purple, last year, to effectively destroy sensitive components of a computer when plugged in. Now, someone has actually created the Killer USB stick that destroys almost anything – such as Laptops, PCs, or televisions – it is plugged into. A Hong Kong-based technology manufacturer is selling a USB thumb drive called USB Kill 2.0 that can fry any unauthorized computer it's plugged into by introducing a power surge via the USB port. It costs $49.95 . How does USB Kill 2.0 work? As the company explains, when plugged in, the USB Kill 2.0 stick rapidly charges its capacitors via the USB power supply, and then discharges – all in a matter of seconds. The USB stick discharges 200 volts DC power over the data lines of the host machine and this charge-and-discharge cycle is repeated several numbers of times in just one second, until the USB Kill stick is removed. ...

Yesterday WikiLeaks published thousands of documents revealing top CIA hacking secrets , including the agency's ability to break into iPhones, Android phones, smart TVs, and Microsoft, Mac and Linux operating systems. It dubbed the first release as Vault 7 . Vault 7 is just the first part of leak series " Year Zero " that WikiLeaks will be releasing in coming days. Vault 7 is all about a covert global hacking operation being run by the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). According to the whistleblower organization, the CIA did not inform the companies about the security issues of their products; instead held on to security bugs in software and devices, including iPhones, Android phones, and Samsung TVs, that millions of people around the world rely on. One leaked document suggested that the CIA was even looking for tools to remotely control smart cars and trucks, allowing the agency to cause "accidents" which would effectively be "nearly undetectable assas...

Hackers, Government Agencies and sophisticated malware, are collecting every piece of Digital data that we transmit through our Computers, Smartphones or Internet-enabled Gadgets. No matter how secure you think you might be, something malicious can always happen. Because, " With the right tools and Talent, a Computer is an open book. " Many people ask, How to stay safe and secure online? And, Answer is... ...Knowledge of Cyber threats, little Smartness and a Secure Operating System. Which Operating System is the Most Secure? Nearly every Operating System is designed with Security as a requirement, but believe me… there can't be a truly Secure Operating System. If you are Interested in Security and Hacking, you have probably already heard of various security-focused Operating Systems like Tails , Whonix and Kali Linux . All these operating systems, including Windows, Linux, BSD, even OSX, are all based on a Monolithic Kernels, and it requir...

SCADA system has always been an interesting target for cyber crooks, given the success of Stuxnet malware that was developed by the US and Israeli together to sabotage the Iranian nuclear facilities a few years ago, and " Havex " that previously targeted organizations in the energy sector. Now once again, hackers have used highly destructive malware and infected, at least, three regional power authorities in Ukraine, causing blackouts across the Ivano-Frankivsk region of Ukraine on 23rd December. The energy ministry confirmed it was investigating claims a cyber attack disrupted local energy provider Prykarpattyaoblenergo, causing the power outage that left half of the homes in Ivano-Frankivsk without electricity just before Christmas. According to a Ukrainian news service TSN, the outage was the result of nasty malware that disconnected electrical substations. Related Read: Dragonfly Russian Hackers Target 1000 Western Energy Firms . First Malware to...

The threat actor known as Silver Fox has been attributed to abuse of a previously unknown vulnerable driver associated with WatchDog Anti-malware as part of a Bring Your Own Vulnerable Driver ( BYOVD ) attack aimed at disarming security solutions installed on compromised hosts. The vulnerable driver in question is "amsdk.sys" (version 1.0.600), a 64-bit, validly signed Windows kernel device driver that's assessed to be built upon Zemana Anti-Malware SDK. "This driver, built on the Zemana Anti-Malware SDK, was Microsoft-signed, not listed in the Microsoft Vulnerable Driver Blocklist , and not detected by community projects like LOLDrivers," Check Point said in an analysis. The attack is characterized by a dual-driver strategy, where a known vulnerable Zemana driver ("zam.exe") is used for Windows 7 machines, and the undetected WatchDog driver for systems that run on Windows 10 or 11. The WatchDog Anti-malware driver has been found to contain mu...

It is no secret that in recent days,  Anonymous Operatives  have released a cache of HBGary Federal internal emails to the public.  Crowdleaks  has discovered that within these communications,  Aaron Barr  received a copy of Stuxnet  (a computer worm that targets the types of industrial control systems (ICS) that are commonly used in infrastructure supporting facilities)  from  McAfee  on July 28, 2010. In an effort to confirm this was in fact Stuxnet,  Crowdleaks  has decompiled some of the source code, which can be found. Throughout the following emails it is revealed that  HBGary Federal  may have been planning to use Stuxnet  for their own purposes. In a message sent to all email account holders at HBGary.com,  Charles Copeland  (Lead Support Engineer at HBGary, Inc.)   writes: from: Charles Copeland to: all@hbgary.com date: Sat, Sep 25, 2010 at 9:54 PM subject: Stuxnet Worm Mail...