The Universal Serial Bus (USB), introduced in the 1990’s, has lived up to its name in becoming the world standard for connecting peripheral devices to computers. The newest iteration of USB, Type-C, is even the exclusive means of connecting to new Apple MacBooks and Google smartphones. Unfortunately, due to its popularity USB is also a popular target for attackers, who have incorporated USB devices into threats ranging from social engineering to signal injection. The goal of our research into space is to better understand the increasingly-complex threats posed by USB peripherals and to develop effective defenses against these attacks.

Recent Papers:

• SoK: ‘Plug & Pray’ Today – Understanding USB Insecurity in Versions 1 through C
• ProvUSB: Block-level Provenance-Based Data Protection for USB Storage Devices
• Making USB Great Again with USBFILTER
• Defending Against Malicious USB Firmware with GoodUSB
• Leveraging USB to Establish Host Identity Using Commodity Devices