PoisonTap: Even the strongest passwords do not seem to be enough, as Samy Kamkar proves, and sometimes they do not take just a few seconds.
Kamkar's new exploit is called PoisonTap, and it uses free software running on a Raspberry Pi Zero microcomputer. After plugging the Raspberry Pi into a USB adapter on the computer target the device catches work.
In 30 seconds, it bypasses the lock screen and starts installing one backdoor cuts which works even when the device is removed from the USB port.
If you think a strong password will save you, you are wrong.
PoisonTap does not work this way. It does not try to guess your password, but bypasses it completely - and it seems to work.
After the PoisonTap device connects, a device that provides Internet from USB is beginning to emulate. Once detected by the target computer, it assumes that it is connected via ethernet, and begins to send all unencrypted web traffic to the microcontroller.
Your existing network security can not save you as the device fools the target computer to give priority to all other connections and not to the one you are already connected to.
By acting as a man-in-the-middle attack, the device then begins stealing all of the HTTP authentication cookies you've used to log in to your accounts as well as the session data from millions of top Internet sites according to Alexa .
Due to the way it is designed, two-factor authentication may not help, since links are made by cookies stored by PoisonTap rather than by actual login credentials.
The only downside to its effectiveness is that it requires the user to have a tab of the program tours open on the locked device. But the vast majority do not close them browsers before they lower the lid on laptop us.
Kamkar gave some tips to protect yourself, although he recognizes that most are not practical:
Set your computer to hibernate rather than sleep. In hibernation, the computer suspends all its processes.
Close your browser every time you close your machine.
Regularly clean your browser's cache.
Use full disk encryption
Disconnect the USB ports
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