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Sounds Legit: Don't Trust That Speaker - BadUSB in Audio Peripherals

MendozaMauro Cáseres

Mendoza and Mauro Cáseres demonstrate embedding BadUSB hardware implants inside commercial desktop speakers to silently execute keystroke injection.

Summary

The Ubiquity and Stealth of BadUSB Hardware Implants

While BadUSB thumb drives are well-known, hiding keystroke injection microcontrollers inside common desktop peripherals bypasses physical security scrutiny.

Hardware Teardown and Implant Integration in Audio Speakers

Mendoza and Mauro Cáseres detail disassembling standard USB-powered desktop speakers and integrating programmable ATmega32U4 / Digispark microcontrollers.

Weaponizing USB Enumeration and Keystroke Injection

The speakers illustrate how the modified speaker presents itself to the operating system as both an audio output device and a high-speed Human Interface Device (HID) keyboard.

Defending Endpoints Against Peripheral HID Injection

The presentation reviews hardware whitelisting policies, endpoint USB device control agents, and physical security auditing to mitigate stealthy BadUSB peripherals.

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Main Track 1·29 min

  • DEF CON
  • Hardware
  • Date: Aug 2017
  • Location: Las Vegas

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Demonstrates modifying ARM Cortex-M mouse firmware to covertly stage and deliver arbitrary payloads through standard USB HID interfaces in high-security tournament settings.

hidhardwarebadusb+2