You may have heard that USB flash drives you receive as give-aways are a security risk. But e-cigarettes and all other USB gadgets, ranging from mini fans to cup warmers, may also pose a similar threat, a European anti-hacker agency is warning.
For security reasons, it is preferable to charge or operate such devices through a wall socket via a USB charger, not plug them into your laptop, says the German Office for Information Security (BSI).
Most malicious USB gadgets have been rigged so that the computer thinks they are keyboards, since keys often require extensive access rights to function.
It's brilliantly effective way to plant malicious software on computers. A virus could be set up to record and export all your keystrokes including sensitive data such as passwords.
If you frequently work with USB flash drives or USB devices from all kinds of sources, you can use the G Data tool USB Keyboard Guard for constant monitoring in the background.
If a new keyboard is detected, the software will block it and display a warning. The user can subsequently decide whether to approve the keyboard, if it is indeed a keyboard, or block access if it's a fan or cup warmer with a split personality.
The tool will remember each legitimate device once it is approved.