E-cig with Malware - USB Charger

Smoking will not only damage your health but also your computer, as e-cigarettes manufactured in China are reportedly being used to spread malicious software through the USB connection used to charge the device...

e-Cigarette from China Infected Man’s Computer with Malware

 

Thanks for the heads up byoung.

 

I half expected the link to take me to the "Weekly World News" or some such tabloid. Apparently its true!
No problem, just wear a condom. :USB Condom Protects Your Device From Infections

 

This protects you from the power source, but it is not clear that the protection it offers is bidirectional. Although it does say that it only allows the power pins to connect, so maybe it will.

 

The first sentence:
The USBCondom prevents accidental data exchange when a device is plugged into a computer or public charging station.

Articles like this tend to crop up every few months. The fact is, any USB device can be a vector for viruses. Most virus scanners pick up on this stuff, and most modern computers won't execute code via USB automatically unless they are already compromised. I use Windows, so I listen for that dum-dum sound when I plug in something like a charger. If it made that sound it would immediately get unplugged. For the most part though, I charge USB devices in an external USB charger, mainly to protect the ports on my laptop from damage.