Found a USB stick in a laundromat parking lot and now I have a new rule

I picked up a USB stick near the dryers at a Quick Wash in Tulsa last week, plugged it into my work laptop out of curiosity, and got hit with a fake login screen that looked just like my bank. A buddy told me these things often carry password stealers, so now I never plug in random drives I find anywhere.

3 comments

3 Comments

amy_craig281mo ago

I read a report from the FBI last year about USB drop attacks where they found 60% of people plug in random drives they find. Thieves target places like laundromats and gas stations because they know folks are bored and curious. That fake login screen you saw is a classic phishing trick, and your work laptop could have been toast if it grabbed your bank credentials. Good call making that rule.

foster.jordan1mo ago

That 60% stat matches what I saw in a test my friend ran at his office.

smith.parker1mo ago

That fake login trick is part of a bigger pattern where scammers use everyday distractions against us. It's the same reason why you see those weird QR codes stuck on parking meters now or people offering "free" charging stations at airports. Once you start noticing how many traps there are just in normal places, it gets pretty unsettling how easy it is to let your guard down.