Student uses "USB Killer" to destroy $ 58,000 worth of computers



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A former student of the College of Saint Rose in Albany, NY, pleaded guilty to charges of destroying campus computers worth several thousand dollars. with the help of a USB device designed to instantly submerge and erase their circuits. The Department of Justice, the FBI and the Albany Police Service have announced this request.

Vishwanath Akuthota, the former student, is now facing up to 10 years in prison (with a maximum of three years of supervision after his release) and a fine of up to $ 250,000. He was arrested and detained in North Carolina on February 22, just over a week after inserting the "USB Killer" device into 66 computers in Saint Rose located at various locations on the campus. These devices can be easily and freely purchased online and can overload the surge protection of many PCs.

Akuthota, 27, apparently made video recordings in which he inserted a malicious USB device into the computers and said, "I'm going to kill this guy" because the PCs were overloaded and permanently damaged. So it's fair to say that the FBI and APD had all the evidence they needed. In total, Akuthota caused $ 58,471 in damage. As part of his plea of ​​guilty, he agreed to repay the money to the college, a small private school located in the capital city of New York. The edge asked the Sainte-Rose College to make a statement to the news today, but a spokesman said the law enforcement agencies had asked the college to refrain from commenting.

Akuthota is an Indian citizen who is in the United States on a visa and earned a Master of Commerce degree in Saint Rose in 2017. According to Albany, Times Unionhe had also studied computer science. Akuthota appeared in one of the college videos on Facebook in 2016, saying he hoped to become an entrepreneur. When asked why he chose Sainte-Rose for his degree, he said, "I see that there are many opportunities in college that will prepare you for a brighter future, where I will learn and apply in my life. "Akuthota revealed no motive for his actions.

Personal side: the college of Sainte-Rose is my alma mater. I know you've probably never heard of it, and I can not imagine I'll write it again here at The edge, so allow me to greet the students working in the school newspaper, The Chronicle, and my former journalism professor, Dr. Cailin Brown.

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