Can you get a virus/malware from powerbank?

paulyjustin said:

Well theres 2 usb ports on it and the charger. What do you mean WD? You mean windows?

Why would you say no serious hacker would do something like this? I read they sell usb flash drives which cost a few dollars that has malware on it. So why hot a more expensive device? I mean if someone who uses this device means they travel often, wouldn't it make sense? Is it harder to put malware on this as oppose to a usb flash drive is what you mean? I read something about cyberjacking or cyberjuicing so isn't this all related?


Well how long would it take for a hacker to do something like this to a power pack?

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Okay so after careful inspection of the box, i just noticed this at the back of the box.


Its imported by Canada from dell.ca


On the bottom left with all the wordings, it has For Argentina Only. So this means this is a canadian product but meant for resale in argentina?

Hi there
I think you need to forget about some of these "conspiracy theories" -- Export only to some countries just means that's there's a whole slew of regulations to be complied with for individual countries -- for example "Chlorinated Chicken" products can be exported from USA to a whole slew of countries but not to those within EU / EEA

I'm not getting on a case here but each jurisdiction has its own set of rules and exporters / importers have to comply with these whether they are logical, sensible or you agree with them or not.

I'm sure without going into a whole "foodie" row that most agricultural products from the USA are safe -- whether you personally want to eat the stuff is another matter. (I know a load of Brits who can't eat Cadbury's chocolate any more after take over by a US food giant and who changed the recipe -- I like Belgian chocolate so for me the issue doesn't arise !!).

WD means "Windows defender" -- Windows built in security system -- now going to be cal Windows Protector-- and these days it's very good. Initially it was a total joke but nowadays it's more than enough on typical home computers -- and it's ABSOLUTELY FREE !!!!

Cheers
jimbo

jimbo45 said:

Hi there
I think you need to forget about some of these "conspiracy theories" -- Export only to some countries just means that's there's a whole slew of regulations to be complied with for individual countries -- for example "Chlorinated Chicken" products can be exported from USA to a whole slew of countries but not to those within EU / EEA

I'm not getting on a case here but each jurisdiction has its own set of rules and exporters / importers have to comply with these whether they are logical, sensible or you agree with them or not.

I'm sure without going into a whole "foodie" row that most agricultural products from the USA are safe -- whether you personally want to eat the stuff is another matter. (I know a load of Brits who can't eat Cadbury's chocolate any more after take over by a US food giant and who changed the recipe -- I like Belgian chocolate so for me the issue doesn't arise !!).

WD means "Windows defender" -- Windows built in security system -- now going to be cal Windows Protector-- and these days it's very good. Initially it was a total joke but nowadays it's more than enough on typical home computers -- and it's ABSOLUTELY FREE !!!!

Cheers
jimbo

I get your analogy here.


But you are also saying its not possible to transfer malware from a powerbank that has 2 usb ports to a laptop if you only connect an ac laptop adapter to it?

bro67 said:

It is possible. The payload only needs as little as 126kb to reside to be able to distribute.

Wait im a bit confused here. You are saying if there was malware in the powerbank... then me even connecting my laptop ac charger to it to charge that powerbank for just a few minutes... then unplugging my laptop ac charger from that powerbank and connect it back to my laptop... its possible malware transferred into my ac adapter that i use to charge my laptop?


Thus even if i never connected the powerbank directly to my computer?

Okay but in my example, are you saying its possible? Like for example you connect your laptop charger to the powerbank to charge it for a few minutes, then unplug it. Then connect it back to your laptop but you never plug your ac charger back to it or say ever connect that powerbank to your ac laptop charger, it could spread there or not?


But it would not make sense for someone to do this but you say its simple though?

Hi folks
the reason those have 2 USB ports is usually to increase the power throughput -- I remember seeing old USB DVD drives sometimes needing two USB ports to connect to to derive enough power to power the device from a laptop.

Anyway I think we've done enough on this topic -- even if it were possible to distribute malware in this way via a power adapter ask yourself is it worth time and effort for anybody to do this !!!!!!!

Maybe if you could turn the device into a "Micro suitcase nuclear Bomb" or a biological nerve gas release distributor and have it explode say at Grand Central station in NYC --- maybe I should apply to Hollywood (or Netflix) to be a script writer for a new movie / TV series !!!!!.

Cheers
jimbo