USB Device Designed to Destroy Laptops

It looks just like an ordinary USB stick, but rather than storing files, this USB stick, called the "USB Killer," destroys a computer in seconds.

The device was created by a Russian security researcher known online as "Dark Purple," according to Mashable. The ordinary-looking stick sends electricity through the computer's USB interface when it is plugged in.

The creator said in a blog post that the device could destroy nearly any device with a USB interface—such as desktop computers, laptops and video game consoles.

Mashable posted a video that Dark Purple originally uploaded that shows how quickly the device can fry a laptop computer.

However, the laptop may not be done completely. If the user can restore the computer's motherboard, it may still work, since it's unlikely that the computer's hard drive was damaged. This also means that it would be unlikely that files would be erased.

Still, for the average computer user, restoring a motherboard can be far from routine maintenance, so some consumers may be wary of receiving USB devices, since this USB Killer looks like any other ordinary flash drive.