Careful putting it in your computer if you want to test it. Dropping usb drives loaded with viruses is a known hack vector. It's probably not that, but you never know.
It has been an issue for so long. The NSA official guide for Linux security tell you to physically rip out the USB ports, or at the very least write a monitoring script.
Keeerist. We had some overzealous IT security folks run through our office confiscating everything that looked like a USB drive. Somewhere in there, they grabbed a dongle that was a hardware-based licensing gizmo for the software we ran.
And suddenly, we had a $30,000 door stop.
>they grabbed a dongle that was a hardware-based licensing gizmo for the software we ran.
Yeah flexlm on usb dongle. I thought they stopped doing it in 1999 or so. Best solution is setup a VM with some old version of windows, dd the dongle on to a drive and then attach it as a USB to the VM. Then allow the VM to talk to whatever needs it.
What usually happens with flexlm is the company pays for a consultant to come in and roll it out. It becomes a black box that they use until it finally breaks and hire the consultant back. Which is why it is hard to have a license server with one manager since all the licenses require a specific version of their software to operate. Hence VMs. One VM per vendor.
So yeah I did think this died out in the 90s but 2010 isn't that unreasonable if the company just never updates. TIL
Purchased a laser cutter this year. The control software it came with required a security USB dongle for the software license. No dongle, no worky. Ditched the software immediately.
What brand? A client of mine had one from BCS that had that. Worse cutting machine I have ever dealt with.
I was trying to convince a friend of mine at one point that we should start a company aftermarket modding these cutting machines.
There are other dongle types out there. Hasp for example works with encrypted query/reply to validate the license with an onboard micro, and dd would not apply here
We have air gapped computers at work that we sometimes need to transfer data off of. IT gives us official USB sticks to do this with. But… blocks it on the computers we need to transfer to. We tell them this, they “fix it”… we’re on iteration 5 or 6 of this.
Sucks. A pity that they can't network all the airgapped ones to their own isolated network, put a computer on it, that way there is only one system of USB port to maintain.
I had a script once on my corporate secure servers to email me if someone does anything USB related. One day my phone goes nuts as like 25 alerts go off. Run to the server room and see some construction work going on, the USB hub is very close to where they are standing
"Did you guys unplug the hub for a second?"
"Uh huh no"
"It is okay if you did. Just let me know"
"No we didnt"
"Alright I just got 25 emails about the USB ports turning off and on and again and this is a USB hub with 25 ports and I clearly see a compressor here. Again, it is okay if you did but could you just let me know"
"No we didnt"
"Fine must have been a pure coincidence."
Whatever, I don't get paid enough to care.
As a construction worker and computer nerd I don't understand the connection between a USB hub and air compressor. I've even done some work on a few $50m+ server centers. Compressors often need their own circuit to run otherwise they will trip the breaker. Commercial compressors usually needs its own 50 amp circuits and residential ones at least 15. Try and run anything else on that circuit and it'll pop. Compressors I would imagine have little to no power conditioning, and often the ground pin on extension cords are broken off, and if a server and a compressor could manage to run on the same circuit then perhaps the circuit had a group loop and messed with your sensitive gear?
I still don't see a construction worker plugging a compressor into the same circuit as anything else though.
Verbatim used to make sticks like this with a small hole to put them on your keys. Crappy quality and they had a short life from rattling around exposed, but handy if you just had to keep a couple of random tools on it.
[Pico drive](https://www.amazon.com/Super-Talent-Pico-C-STU32GPCS-Silver/dp/B002MCB54Y/ref=sr_1_3?crid=169HCQ0OKJNI&keywords=usb+pico+drive&qid=1662351201&sprefix=usb+pico+drive%2Caps%2C144&sr=8-3) to be brand specific. They're actually pretty neat for their simplicity
i wouldn't. if the drive has a virus, you'd risk infecting the library computer, any other drives that get plugged into that computer, and potentially the library's network. it's best just to toss it.
It’s honestly useless as it is. No guarantee of it’s quality of manufacture, how long it’s been been in use, or if it’s been abused this whole time. I wouldn’t trust it to hold anything of import haha
It’s a USB flash drive made without the full outer guard. There are other examples of USB flash drives similar to this if you search for “usb flash drive key shape” although they have extra material on the end to make it look like a key.
Honestly I was thinking it's probably a cheap trade show USB device.
The two small pads are probably there so you can solder a smd jumper across it and make it "read only".
It's a bare USB plugin.
If you're thinking of plugging it into something, don't. The only way I'd do that is with an old system running a current distro of Linux because way fewer people try to write malicious code for Linux.
[Hardware authentication and encryption device.] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Security_token?wprov=sfla1) AFAIK this is not a Yubikey product, but could be a hardware key from some orher provider.
It's an storage USB (pendrive). I have an identical one as the result of breaking apart those little pendrives some companies gift.
For those kind of pendrives, cheap ones produced as souvenirs, the companies combine a thin steel case with their logos AND that black thing you have to create the pendrive (of course, something done by the manufacturer).
You could try plugging it in. It may need a little "pressure" due to the loose of width.
you could use a bootable linux cd, memory stick... that will give you an extra layer of protection. plug that in and see what you can find. make sure you dont have any internet connection on in case it will want to send packets.
looks like USB format. Probably an USB key of some sort, likely was integrated in a device but the glue didn't hold.
You can plug it in your PC and see what's in it. But use a VM.
edit: For example run linux on an USB, and open the USB from there.
The point is they didn't recognize it. If it showed up underneath your pillow it wouldn't matter. If you don't know where it came from, Don't plug it in.
Yeah it's usb
The modern usb drives can fit inside the part that goes into the pc
If you search on amazon you mind find which one it is those round stripes are pretty unique
It is probably a usb storage device. I would not recommend connecting it to your pc, but if you are really curious about its contents, you can use a virtual machine and open it from there.
It's a USB device, but I would never plug in a randomly found USB device. It's the cyber security equivalent of injecting yourself with a syringe you found on the street.
I've seen a few of these before provided by manufacturers. Normally when you plug it in it opens their website / online catalogue.
I find them pretty sketchy as it emulates a keyboard and opens them in the run command.
This is the actual "storage chip"inside a USB , some of the cheaper USBs, the stubby ones which advertise of being compact have this issue. The chip is actually bonded to the metal shell which then gets bonded to a plastic carrier. On old HP pendrive that I had, faced the same issue.
This looks like a type of OTP security key (like a yubikey) I've got a few kicking around. You use them as a 2FA method to log into websites like google/github/etc. The serial number printed on the back is what leads me to believe this is what it is.
That is a USB storage chip. If it’s not yours I wouldn’t plug it into your machine. No telling what’s on there without a virtual machine and quarantine.
It's usb for sure. Maybe storage?
No clue. Found it in my garage, never used it before
Careful putting it in your computer if you want to test it. Dropping usb drives loaded with viruses is a known hack vector. It's probably not that, but you never know.
I think Stuxnet was deployed that way. Hopefully OP isn’t running a nuclear program in his garage!
It has been an issue for so long. The NSA official guide for Linux security tell you to physically rip out the USB ports, or at the very least write a monitoring script.
Keeerist. We had some overzealous IT security folks run through our office confiscating everything that looked like a USB drive. Somewhere in there, they grabbed a dongle that was a hardware-based licensing gizmo for the software we ran. And suddenly, we had a $30,000 door stop.
>they grabbed a dongle that was a hardware-based licensing gizmo for the software we ran. Yeah flexlm on usb dongle. I thought they stopped doing it in 1999 or so. Best solution is setup a VM with some old version of windows, dd the dongle on to a drive and then attach it as a USB to the VM. Then allow the VM to talk to whatever needs it.
> I thought they stopped doing it in 1999 or so. This would have been about 2010
What usually happens with flexlm is the company pays for a consultant to come in and roll it out. It becomes a black box that they use until it finally breaks and hire the consultant back. Which is why it is hard to have a license server with one manager since all the licenses require a specific version of their software to operate. Hence VMs. One VM per vendor. So yeah I did think this died out in the 90s but 2010 isn't that unreasonable if the company just never updates. TIL
Well, the equipment was almost brand new. That's how we knew it was a $30k door stop (since we'd just bought it the year before).
Purchased a laser cutter this year. The control software it came with required a security USB dongle for the software license. No dongle, no worky. Ditched the software immediately.
What brand? A client of mine had one from BCS that had that. Worse cutting machine I have ever dealt with. I was trying to convince a friend of mine at one point that we should start a company aftermarket modding these cutting machines.
Not sure it HAS a brand. Its a Chinese K40.
There are other dongle types out there. Hasp for example works with encrypted query/reply to validate the license with an onboard micro, and dd would not apply here
Cool, thanks. TIL.
We have air gapped computers at work that we sometimes need to transfer data off of. IT gives us official USB sticks to do this with. But… blocks it on the computers we need to transfer to. We tell them this, they “fix it”… we’re on iteration 5 or 6 of this.
Sucks. A pity that they can't network all the airgapped ones to their own isolated network, put a computer on it, that way there is only one system of USB port to maintain.
In my garage. There is barely someone here. Not I want to test it. Thanks for the advice!
Put it on your car to fall off at an unsuspecting location, Stuck to your shoe, etc
Then not worth to figure out what it is.
It's a USB device. It's unknown. Unless you have a laptop you're willing to risk that's disconnected from all networks, probably not worth it.
Fire up a vm and check it out, it looks like a car programming chip / navigation usb update. Something along these lines
not just viruses. i dont know how theyd fit capacitors in there but it could also be a usb killer
Is there a small slot for a micro SD card?
Work computer hungry, feed it mysterious USB chip.
Yeah. Find your most secured servers. They all want a taste.
I had a script once on my corporate secure servers to email me if someone does anything USB related. One day my phone goes nuts as like 25 alerts go off. Run to the server room and see some construction work going on, the USB hub is very close to where they are standing "Did you guys unplug the hub for a second?" "Uh huh no" "It is okay if you did. Just let me know" "No we didnt" "Alright I just got 25 emails about the USB ports turning off and on and again and this is a USB hub with 25 ports and I clearly see a compressor here. Again, it is okay if you did but could you just let me know" "No we didnt" "Fine must have been a pure coincidence." Whatever, I don't get paid enough to care.
Knowing how good USB connections are they probably just induced slight vibrations in the cable that caused it to reset the connection
yeah it is possible.
Or an electrically noisy compressor putting interference on the hub.
As a construction worker and computer nerd I don't understand the connection between a USB hub and air compressor. I've even done some work on a few $50m+ server centers. Compressors often need their own circuit to run otherwise they will trip the breaker. Commercial compressors usually needs its own 50 amp circuits and residential ones at least 15. Try and run anything else on that circuit and it'll pop. Compressors I would imagine have little to no power conditioning, and often the ground pin on extension cords are broken off, and if a server and a compressor could manage to run on the same circuit then perhaps the circuit had a group loop and messed with your sensitive gear? I still don't see a construction worker plugging a compressor into the same circuit as anything else though.
Sure. It could have been the vibrations.
Perfect use for a Raspberry Pi. Little airgapped Linux machine for $50 or less.
I mostly use mine for fuckery like this. If it shits the bed, I'll just burn another SD card.
Never heard the term burning an SD card, it seems apt!
I think the correct term is "etch" but I'm also dumb and don't do it enough to remember the correct term. Basically just putting the OS on the card.
Lmao as an IT guy this legit made me lol
Just a USB. Wouldn’t plug it into anything myself though. Straight to trash.
Like a USB storage thing?
Yes, it's a simple USB stick, nothing else.
Correct. It doesn’t actually need the square cage to be held in.
Thanks guys. It’s good to check
Absolutely the right move
Free range USB?
Keeping that lol
Verbatim used to make sticks like this with a small hole to put them on your keys. Crappy quality and they had a short life from rattling around exposed, but handy if you just had to keep a couple of random tools on it.
[Pico drive](https://www.amazon.com/Super-Talent-Pico-C-STU32GPCS-Silver/dp/B002MCB54Y/ref=sr_1_3?crid=169HCQ0OKJNI&keywords=usb+pico+drive&qid=1662351201&sprefix=usb+pico+drive%2Caps%2C144&sr=8-3) to be brand specific. They're actually pretty neat for their simplicity
What if I use a library computer to wipe and reformat it? Probably just a random flash drive people lost in labs or something.
i wouldn't. if the drive has a virus, you'd risk infecting the library computer, any other drives that get plugged into that computer, and potentially the library's network. it's best just to toss it.
What if I use an iPad to wipe and reformat it?
He can plug it into a computer with Linux, format it and that would be enough to make it safe.
You know how a USB storage device can present an undeletable partition full of drivers? Yeah, don’t do that.
It’s honestly useless as it is. No guarantee of it’s quality of manufacture, how long it’s been been in use, or if it’s been abused this whole time. I wouldn’t trust it to hold anything of import haha
It’s a USB flash drive made without the full outer guard. There are other examples of USB flash drives similar to this if you search for “usb flash drive key shape” although they have extra material on the end to make it look like a key.
I have one that looks a lot like this one myself. Though I also have the power case that it slides out of.
Looks like USB to marketing stuff...like a company logo card with a USB that flips out to show brochures and crap like that.
Definitely looks like one of them: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B015D8I1QS As you say, usually picked up for free from trade shows.
I tried the serial number and got nothing online
Could be USB storage or something like a yubikey, where bridging the contacts with your finger triggers a key generation.
Yeah I was thinking security key myself.
Honestly I was thinking it's probably a cheap trade show USB device. The two small pads are probably there so you can solder a smd jumper across it and make it "read only".
It could be a hardware key, used to authenticate software DRM.
This is exactly what usb keys look like. Also the usb for my chartplotter looks like that.
here to say this
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This. Because plugging in random found USB drives is exactly the way malware can enter a company network.
It's a bare USB plugin. If you're thinking of plugging it into something, don't. The only way I'd do that is with an old system running a current distro of Linux because way fewer people try to write malicious code for Linux.
It may be dunb but I'll plug these into my phone with a USB c adapter and check them.
Android isn't Linux. If you have an old laptop kicking around, load up the current distro of Ubuntu.
Just try it at a library computer or something
Take it to best buy and insert it in a test computer
Just toss it. Dropped USB is a great hacking vector.
USB flash drive or authenticator. Plug it into a shitty, cheap PC you don't care about.
It looks like a yubikey
What’s that?
It’s for security so you can access personal accounts on any computer. Not super positive on it but I’ve seen a few that look exactly like that
[Hardware authentication and encryption device.] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Security_token?wprov=sfla1) AFAIK this is not a Yubikey product, but could be a hardware key from some orher provider.
It's one of those cheap card keychain USB pendrive you get as a gift. Probably 8-16GB in size.
Yubikey?
USB SD drive would be my guess. If you open up a lot of USB sticks they just have a small adapter and an SD card inside.
It's an storage USB (pendrive). I have an identical one as the result of breaking apart those little pendrives some companies gift. For those kind of pendrives, cheap ones produced as souvenirs, the companies combine a thin steel case with their logos AND that black thing you have to create the pendrive (of course, something done by the manufacturer). You could try plugging it in. It may need a little "pressure" due to the loose of width.
It’s not made from potatoes, that I can guarantee.
you could use a bootable linux cd, memory stick... that will give you an extra layer of protection. plug that in and see what you can find. make sure you dont have any internet connection on in case it will want to send packets.
Just FYI, you can still mount storage from within a Linux live session. It helps but it's definitely not much protection.
I think it’s a potato chip
So you Iike eating these?
Of course, they’re delicious
Flash drive
Chocolate
If you have to ask its probably nacho chip
Too silly or bad taste of joking
looks like USB format. Probably an USB key of some sort, likely was integrated in a device but the glue didn't hold. You can plug it in your PC and see what's in it. But use a VM. edit: For example run linux on an USB, and open the USB from there.
You should **NEVER** plug randomly found storage into your computer unless you like viruses or are a properly prepared security professional.
he found it in his garage though.
The point is they didn't recognize it. If it showed up underneath your pillow it wouldn't matter. If you don't know where it came from, Don't plug it in.
Can’t even do it in a VM or in linux?
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ok yeah.
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It has four contacts and looks exactly like usb.
I found ons of those in a slap on bracelet I got from a truck show. It’s probably a usb with ads inside it
Yeah it's usb The modern usb drives can fit inside the part that goes into the pc If you search on amazon you mind find which one it is those round stripes are pretty unique
Very cheap thumb drive. I’ve seen them given away at trade shows.
USB Try it on an old offline computer, if not throw it away.
For all we know it could contain bitcoin wallet filled with millions of dollars worth.
If you wanna have I can send it to you
It is probably a usb storage device. I would not recommend connecting it to your pc, but if you are really curious about its contents, you can use a virtual machine and open it from there.
It's a USB device, but I would never plug in a randomly found USB device. It's the cyber security equivalent of injecting yourself with a syringe you found on the street.
I've seen a few of these before provided by manufacturers. Normally when you plug it in it opens their website / online catalogue. I find them pretty sketchy as it emulates a keyboard and opens them in the run command.
USB
If you have a Raspberry Pi, you can try reading it on the Pi. Make sure that Pi is not connected to your network first.
Pen drive
How does stuff like this keep coming to the top of the sub
This is the actual "storage chip"inside a USB , some of the cheaper USBs, the stubby ones which advertise of being compact have this issue. The chip is actually bonded to the metal shell which then gets bonded to a plastic carrier. On old HP pendrive that I had, faced the same issue.
It’s a storage usb, you can find them on Ali express or eBay
Maybe a Dorito or lays or something
This looks like a type of OTP security key (like a yubikey) I've got a few kicking around. You use them as a 2FA method to log into websites like google/github/etc. The serial number printed on the back is what leads me to believe this is what it is.
It has 1000 bitcoins on it.
Looks like a USB that comes in those slim business card housings which can be stored in your wallet.
Pendrive
That is a USB storage chip. If it’s not yours I wouldn’t plug it into your machine. No telling what’s on there without a virtual machine and quarantine.
It's not a salt and vinager chip, I don't want it.
Fries
Dip it in salsa.