USB ports and connectivity via USB cables has become quite common, however, what most of us are not aware of is the fact that each time you make use of a USB port, you risk yourself to a myriad of viruses and invasion of private data. In order to make this a safe procedure, ‘USB condom’ has been designed by security experts in order to keep sensitive data secure.
The gadget basically allows the users to plug their smartphone or tablets into unfamiliar USB ports while keeping them safe from the risk of viruses. The gadget is known as a ‘protective barrier between your device and juice-jacking hackers.’ The gadget was created by int3.cc, a New York based security expert company that came up with this device in order to tackle the risk of fake public charging stations that download sensitive data.
Let’s take a minute to understand how the USB cables work; in essence a USB cable is comprised of a number of wires that are all encased in a unique protective casing. Each cable has a particular function that it needs to execute. Two of them serve to transfer electricity while the rest take care of the transmission of data. Kaspersky says; ‘If the smartphone automatically connects when it is in removable media mode, that makes all files in the internal storage accessible to the PC. These may include documents as well as various data backup copies created by applications and many other things.’
The USB condom is a small chip with a male and a female port. The device works as a bridge in between the device and the unknown USB port. The basic purpose of this device is to sever any data connection while still allowing for the charging to take place. It started out as an experiment but gained enough popularity that now it is being sold at a price tag of $10.
