A USB drive (also called USB thumb drive or USB stick) may look innocuous but may contain malware and if you are tricked into attaching it to your computer then that malware will attack your computer.

This scam was invented around 2010 with a hacker selling rubber duck USB drives and there has recently been an upgrade to the methods it uses.

These cost around $50 each so you wont find thousands of them spread around. Instead, they are typically used to target high value individuals.

The rubber duck typically uses pop up login boxes to capture the targets credentials, but it can search for confidential information, financial details etc.

Also, some are setup to be able to infect windows devices, Apple devices and others by determining the operating system of the device and adjusting accordingly.

If you are offered a free USB drive or someone asks to plug one into your device, think twice on how much you trust them and understand that if the device infects your computer you’re unlikely to notice any difference until it’s too late and your bank account has been emptied.

If you have any experiences with these scams do let me know, by email.