USBKill

USBKill vs Cell / Mobile Phones

Mobile & Cellphones are ubiquitous, with flagship devices running easily towards $1000. For this price - how well protected is your device against Power Surge Attacks?

Apple has a history of having better protected devices, with Samsung having a somewhat spotty history - some Samsung phones resist the USBKill, whereas current models no longer provide protection.

One evolution was the Lightning Port and USB-C port, which required authentication between the device and the plug before power was given over the USB power lines. With the advent of the USBKill V4 and its internal battery, we show that these "protections" are more akin to "security through obscurity" than real protection.


Product

Samsung S21 5G

Test Date

2021 March 12

Description

While Samsung's previous flagship devices provided some resistance to USB Power Surge attacks, the latest S21 5G, when tested against the latest USBKill V4 Pro - was immediately disabled. See the full test video 🠖

  • Tested Model

    Samsung S21 5G

  • Tested With

    USBKill V4 Pro

  • Result

    Vulnerable


Product

iPhone 12 Pro

Test Date

2020 December 3

Description

Traditionally Apple's iPhone has a stronger resistance to USB Power Surge Attacks. The devices will typically shut-down in response to the attack. Sometimes ports can be damaged, the device will enter a bootloop, or the devices will randomly reboot. See the full test video 🠖

  • Tested Model

    Apple iPhone 12, Apple iPhone 12 Pro

  • Tested With

    USBKill V4 Pro

  • Result

    Vulnerable


Product

Samsung Note 20 Ultra

Test Date

2020 Dec 3

Description

While Samsung's previous flagship devices provided some resistance to USB Power Surge attacks, the latest Note 20 Ultra, when tested against the latest USBKill V4 Pro - was immediately disabled. See the full test video 🠖

  • Tested Model

    Samsung Note 20 Ultra

  • Tested With

    USBKill V4 Pro

  • Result

    Vulnerable


Product

Pixel 5

Test Date

2020 December 3

Description

Google's latest Pixel 5 flagship demonstrates that it has strong resistance to USB Power Surge Attacks. In our tests, the device remained working, but the USB Port was disabled - making the device un-chargable. See the full test video 🠖

  • Tested Model

    Google Pixel 5

  • Tested With

    USBKill V4 Pro

  • Result

    Semi-Vulnerable