A Hong Kong company sells an USB-stick that can be used to intentionally kill computers and other hardware connected to the device. The special USB-stick is called USB Killer and according to its developers it's designed to test the surge protection of electronics.
In order to do so, the USB Killer will charge its capacitors from the USB power lines after which 200 Volt DC is discharged over the data lines of the host device. This charge/discharge cycle is repeated many times per second until USB Killer is removed.
"Used on unprotected equipment, the USB Killer instantly and permanently disables unprotected hardware", according to the developers. They've also posted a video where they show how a computer is rendered unusable with the device. The video first shows how the USB Killer is connected through a device also sold by the USB Killer developers, called USB Killer Shield. This device protects against the USB Killer attack.
The USB Killer stick costs €49.95 and is currently out of stock. The USB Killer Shield costs €13.95 and is still available.
