Ενώ δεν έχει αποδειχθεί ότι το κάπνισμα ή "άτμισμα" ηλεκτρονικού τσιγάρου μπορεί να προκαλέσει προβλήματα υγείας, φαίνεται ότι μια έμμεση παρενέργεια της συνήθειας μπορεί να λειτουργήσει ως μοχλός για διανομή malware.
All of these products must be charged to produce the vapors that replace tobacco. In many cases, this can be done by connecting the device to the computer, via a USB.
In a Reddit post, one user περιγράφει πώς πραγματοποιήθηκε μια infringement of security at a large company, from malware that entered a computer from the USB charger of an e-cigarette manufactured in China.
Φαίνεται ότι το κακόβουλο λογισμικό ήταν hardcoded στο φορτιστή της συσκευής, και έτσι οι ειδικοί δεν μπορούσαν να το προσδιορίσουν. Όσες φορές και αν καθάριζαν τον υπολογιστή, το malware συνέχιζε να υπάρχει.
With up-to-date anti-malware and having all the usual protection methods, the experts at issues security agencies were trying to find out how their systems were compromised. So they began to investigate about changes that had taken place in their personal lives that could help them solve the mystery.
When they learned that one of the group had quit smoking recently, and that he was using an electronic cigarette, the attacker became apparent. So, they realized they had infected systems even if they cleaned their computers. The electronic cigarette was connected to a remote server and downloaded the malicious software.
One way of protection for such dangers is to disable the data pins on the USB, which will allow only the charging and not the exchange of data.
To do this, you will need a USB condom (USB Condom), a device that connects to the USB port and prevents data exchange.
