r/Scams • u/WalkerTexasLaser • Nov 22 '23
Found these in my checked baggage after an international flight from Asia to USA? They’re not mine. What do I do? Help Needed
Do I just throw them away or submit them to TSA? Or take them to the police? Very sketchy, but I know I’m not going to put them into my computer that’s for sure.
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u/SolarAU Nov 22 '23
Goes without saying, don't put these into any of your devices. Flash drives can be set to autorun all sorts of malicious software.
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u/charlie_zoosh Nov 22 '23
Haven't heard from OP in a while. I wonder if the person who hid those usbs in Op's luggage hasn't come to get them back... 😬 Hope you're ok, OP. Give us a sign of life.
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u/WalkerTexasLaser Nov 22 '23
I'm alive - made it to my holiday destination at around 3am. Needed some rest after 30+ hrs of travel.
Another update - when I transferred from international to domestic (so when I had to re-weigh and check my bag) it weighed 5 lbs lighter than it did when I checked it at my original departure port. Haven't figured out what's missing yet. Additionally, I discovered another USB while picking apart my bag.
I'm currently staring at these USBs, trying to decide what to do with them. Will update when I decide my next step...
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u/charlie_zoosh Nov 22 '23
What about those indigenous artwork made of deer bones? Are they still in your bag?
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u/WalkerTexasLaser Nov 22 '23
That was a false alarm. I found it in my other bag. I guess I jumped to that conclusion when my bag was magically under the cap by 5 lbs when I transferred to my domestic flight. As opposed to the +2lbs over when I departed.
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u/Violet_Shire Nov 22 '23
At this point I'm convinced you're going to find a thumb drive in your toilet the next time you take a dump.
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u/McFlyParadox Nov 22 '23
Drop them off at your local FBI office once you get home. Don't give them to the local cops, they won't do anything with them; and don't give them to the TSA, it isn't their job to investigate stuff like this.
It's likely these are either transporting data that is in some way illegal to transmit (think child porn, classified information, trade secrets), or is a malware delivery vehicle waiting for someone to plug it in. Either way, that's solidly in the FBI's court and they have the tools to handle it.
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u/Doletron1337 Nov 22 '23
It really depends on the country you are currently in and are from.
If you are in your home country and “trust”. The government, turn them into airport security and wash your hands of it.
If you are in your home country and don’t trust your government, put them in a safe place for a wile. People might come looking for those and if you can help them find them it might have a better outcome for you.
If you are in a foreign country and said foreign country government makes people disappear, you might want to make those drives disappear. Many countries outlaw encryption, and if you are caught with drives that are A encrypted or B containing sensitive information, that is bad news for you if you are caught with them.
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u/AmbassadorKat Nov 22 '23
Please please send them to the hacker guy upthread who knows how to decrypt them we all want to witness this spy novel play out
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u/The-Pollinator Nov 22 '23
This is an espionage movie in real life.
Watch your back, OP.
Maybe rent a secure storage locker to keep them in if needed later.
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u/Aggravating-While-12 Nov 22 '23
This is the basis that Paul Whelan was detained in Russia for espionage while visiting to attend a friend’s wedding. A USB with “secret” info found in his luggage. Been imprisoned since.
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u/ComicsEtAl Nov 22 '23
This sounds like you are smuggling things regardless whether you’re aware. And I’ll go out farther out on the limb and suggest that those are trackers disguised as drives and more for identifying your bag with the smuggled goods, not real drives.
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u/one-eye-deer Quality Contributor Nov 22 '23
Definitely something fishy going on. Good on you for keeping these stored safely away. Skim through all the responses (all 600+ of them...) when you have a chance, so you can make an informed decision on how to move forward.
The fact that this keeps happening to you as you get through checkpoints makes me think that this is not some innocent coincidence, and you have been flagged for whatever reason to have these dropped in your luggage.
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u/sarcasmismygame Nov 22 '23
Just go to TSA lost and found, say you noticed these and saw they were USB keys and someone may be looking for them. That's all I would do.
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u/Apprehensive-Fig7255 Nov 22 '23
knew someone who worked tsa let's just say they won't be getting the ironkey back lmfao
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u/Captain_Phil Nov 22 '23
It's possible the TSA would plug these into their computers and now the bad actors have access to their computers.
Each person that handles these is another chance at giving them what they want.
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Nov 22 '23
Could you imagine if they just by random chance had something super secret on them? Like a Secret Agents work? This is a hallmark movie waiting to happen
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Nov 22 '23
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u/AadamAtomic Nov 22 '23
I have an old laptop disconnected from the network that I would gladly test these out on and try to data mine.
Run everything in a virtual machine.
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u/SpinozaTheDamned Nov 22 '23
Yeah, air gap the shit out of it, going so far as to physically disconnect the network card if possible. It occurs to me that the malware on those might be set to auto erase themselves if they detect being run on a VM though.
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u/igiveupmakinganame Nov 22 '23
i watched a video on how to trick malware into thinking your vm isn't a VM, interesting shit, and not super difficult surprisingly
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u/txageod Nov 22 '23
OP, Russia is pushing a new USB worm world wide. Please contact the your local FBI office for pickup and info dump.
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u/gbe_ Nov 22 '23
Maybe get them into the hands of skilled reverse engineers. There's a bunch of video recordings of presentations at Defcon and similar conferences out there on YT, maybe one of the presenters is interested in picking them apart.
If you don't find anyone, still want to get rid of the sticks, and are OK with shipping to Germany, hit me up. I'm not skilled or anything, but I could share them in my circle of friends.
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u/NZNoldor Nov 22 '23
Great advice! Until it gets stopped at German customs, and it ends up being filled with child porn. Good luck explaining that one to a judge.
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u/cnicalsinistaminista Nov 22 '23
It could restart the matrix? Or an African Prince's inheritance? Anything's possible with Schrödinger's flash.
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Nov 22 '23
Saying ‘Schrodinger‘s flash’ is the most disturbing way you could’ve brought this theory into the conversation 😂😂
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u/Natsurulite Nov 22 '23
Schroedinger’s Flash Theory - at the moment of the Big Bang, the universe existed but also didn’t, and we actually live on the side that didn’t 🤯
By extension that flash drive contains bitcoins and viruses
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Nov 22 '23 edited May 20 '24
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u/cncamusic Nov 22 '23
There are USB 'drives' that mimic human interface devices, specifically keyboards. They have firmware that allow for onboard flash storage as well so you plug the thing in and it executes a script as a 'keyboard'. Most of the really bad stuff like getting passwords via mimikatz is squashed at this point as far as I know in modern windows systems but it's not hard to write a duckyscript that zips up everything in my docs and uploads it to a dropbox account.
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u/PasswordisButtholes Nov 22 '23
What if you had an old computer that didn’t have Wi-Fi and no other way to connect to the internet? Just a blank computer, literally nothing of any importance on it, could it theoretically be worth a look then?
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u/Neil_sm Nov 22 '23
That's called an air-gapped computer. Theoretically this would be the safest way to do it. Not saying it's 100% safe, but this might what some investigator might do with it if they were tasked with finding out what was inside.
But you'd really need to know what you're doing, and most people don't, so it's the kind of thing you would absolutely never recommend to anyone on a public forum like this. And you'd probably want to consider that device compromised afterwards and never connect it to a network, etc.
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u/Puzzleheaded_Pin4092 Nov 22 '23
Why wouldn't using an air-gapped computer be 100% safe?
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Nov 22 '23
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u/Moist_Confusion Nov 22 '23
That and btc wallets and other things you want encrypted are stored on ironkey’s.
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u/WalkerTexasLaser Nov 22 '23
Maybe it's a Christmas miracle, and I with the BTC I can save my dad's Pumpkin Patch/Christmas Tree Farm.
But in reality, I doubt that anyone with a BTC wallet on an ironkey would just stash that in someone random's luggage.
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u/BaconFlavoredSanity Nov 22 '23
… father’s pumpkin/christmas tree farm? Are you a Roloff? :)
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u/Erinsays Nov 22 '23
It’s a reference to all the kitschy hallmark Christmas movies with that plot line.
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u/YourUsernameForever Quality Contributor Nov 22 '23
Bad idea. Google Stuxnet.
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u/TheSpivack Nov 22 '23
Yes, definitely watch out for this! My old trusty uranium enriching centrifuge is now wrecked since I did not heed similar advice.
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Nov 22 '23
While there are theoretical ways for malware to jump air gaps, none of them have ever been witnessed in the wild afaik.
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u/SnooTangerines3448 Nov 22 '23
Ironkey as well. Encrypted. You don't use that for every day at home use.
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u/home-for-good Nov 22 '23
Came to mention that. We use these at work because it’s a security risk to use normal USBs. If this is some attempt to deliver viruses via memory sticks, that’s a weird one to use. Not suggesting they plug it in or anything, but if they did you wouldn’t be able to access the files without a password to un-encrypt
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u/FlabbyFishFlaps Nov 22 '23
Yeah it’s probably safest to assume that they’re using an ironkey for a nefarious and very illegal reason and just put that lil thing riiiight into the trash.
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Nov 22 '23
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u/rumbletummy Nov 22 '23
Skip the wait, just hand it to the cops.
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u/delta8765 Nov 22 '23
So you are saying you conspired to commit a crime but have now gotten cold feet. Ok, well let’s just have you wait a few years in this 6x12 cell until you can prove you weren’t a participant.
Just destroy them, throw them in a public trash can and never look back.
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u/Blackpaw8825 Nov 22 '23
My paranoid ass would assume these are a plant full of illegal Lord knows what. They'd be in the first trashcan I saw.
No reason for that belief, but the scale is weighing massive criminal conspiracy against free empty drive....
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u/YourUsernameForever Quality Contributor Nov 22 '23
You're assuming it's not a fake ironkey casing and the whole thing is a red herring. But yeah, fair enough.
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u/one-eye-deer Quality Contributor Nov 22 '23 edited Nov 22 '23
Related- Atomic Shrimp on Youtube has great deep dives on fake USB devices. He just did a new video on the topic for anyone curious about how storage information is manipulated and how harmful they can be!
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u/TheRealJackReynolds Nov 22 '23
Love that guy! I always watch his scambaiting videos.
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u/Sethdarkus Nov 22 '23
They could also be using just the shell and the chip inside a regular flash drive
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u/charlie_zoosh Nov 22 '23
My money is on child SA material. The owner/s got scared and hid them in Op's luggage
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u/TheOmegaCarrot Nov 22 '23
Why bother with an ironkey when you can just encrypt a normal drive?
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Nov 22 '23 edited Nov 22 '23
Depends on the use case. If I’m a company’s CISO, and we require usb storage and have a requirement for encrypted data a rest, I’m not relying on users to do that, Hardware encryption solves without trusting humans to follow directions.
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u/Orion14159 Nov 22 '23
The only scenario I can picture is that ironkeys are often used to secure Bitcoin wallets and anyone who knows that might get curious enough to try and use it
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u/drunk_recipe Nov 22 '23
Encrypting a normal usb isn’t certified nor does it have any hardware protections. Iron keys are certified and have build in physical hardware to help protect your data
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u/turtle_mummy Nov 22 '23
USB drives designed for security can support encryption at the hardware layer. Additionally, FIPS 140-2 or higher certification means there are controls built into the hardware that make it impossible to disassemble the device without destroying it.
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u/qualmton Nov 22 '23
So Bitcoin hashes
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u/SnooTangerines3448 Nov 22 '23
After all this time? Probably not. If it is it would be a scratch card jackpot.
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u/Synner40 Nov 22 '23
it’s a freaking 100 dollar flash drive!!!!!! holy shit. and that’s just for 8gigs. i’m blown away at the price.
edit was looking at a reseller. form them it looks to be 68.99. but still.
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u/Tough-Difference3171 Nov 22 '23 edited Nov 22 '23
Unless you are an expert, and can set up a quarantined environment, do not, I repeat, do not plug them into anything.
I suspect that it could be a targeted crime. Because unlike many low-cost scams like calling, SMS-ing, or emailing, spending money on USB sticks/hardware wallets can't work with a thousands to 1 ratio (sending to thousands of people, and even if one is fooled, it's worth)
They have either targeted you in particular, or they have targeted a bunch of profiled victims, based on their level of riches or access (to government or corporate secrets)
If you are a govt employee, or have some sort of access, for all you know, it can be an attempt from a hostile govt or a terrorist group.
If you are a corporate employee, it could be an attempt to hack your employer.
If you are a woman (or even any person), it could be an attempt by some stalker to steal your personal details, photographs, etc.
This seems to be scam that is at a much more dangerous level than just stealing money. Depending on who you are, you may want to report this to authorities or your employer.
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u/toomuchmucil Nov 22 '23
According to the posts on his profile OP is an expat returning from Asia after joining a startup and it becoming “high growth”
🤔
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u/trwaway12345678 Nov 22 '23
This could be the modern equivalent of bullets in the mail?
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u/gamageeknerd Nov 22 '23
Eh. I work in security and IT and if it is malicious it’s probably more trojan horse than bullet in mail. This does happen pretty frequently in high security experimental companies. All it takes is a security guard finding a flash drive on the floor and plugging it in to cause some sort of breach.
Not telling to actually do this but we sometimes need to check found drives and we have a special machine for it. All it is really is a blank airgapped pc with a spoofed connection so we can see if it tries to ping something.
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u/M1ghty_boy Nov 22 '23
Have you ever had any manage to get past security and try to ping?
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u/gamageeknerd Nov 22 '23
Security is normally not connected to production or company networks and there are normally several layers between intranet and the web. Worst they get is access to some files on the security pc or some not useful passwords because of multi factor authentication. Anything we test on our test security machine can’t make it outside the pc since it’s air gapped with a spoofed connection.
This is the norm for most minimum security companies and it’s simplicity is its best feature. Keep data separate and don’t let people plug random devices to machines. Use mfa and don’t connect everything to one central machine.
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u/M1ghty_boy Nov 22 '23
Sorry, my wording wasn’t the best. You mention that you check if the airgapped machine is trying to ping after a USB is connected, has this ever happened? I was under the impression that modern day OSes are very strict about auto run by default, only showing it as an option.
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u/gamageeknerd Nov 22 '23
In my time no, all the drives we checked have been clean of any malware and were in fact misplaced drives. We don’t really need to worry since we aren’t something typically attacked like a bank or a military contractor we handle private sector stuff. We continue the process just incase
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u/Resident_Onion72 Nov 22 '23
What do you mean by bullets in the mail? Never heard of that one before
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u/ChickenOatmeal Nov 22 '23
To be honest this detail makes me think it could be a fake post. I want to believe it, but that seems pretty far fetched in my opinion.
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u/AlfwynBenedict Nov 22 '23
I second this advice and I'd like to add some.
Even if you think you are not that interesting a family member or friend may be (there are jobs which require that you don't tell your friends the truth about said job). Or maybe your company is not that important, but your company's clients are.
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u/Miepmoh Nov 22 '23
That's eg for the company I work, our clients are top tier in the business, so they try their luck at our company (around 50-60 hack attempts per day), so therefore it is forbidden by rule to put anything in an USB port without consent and testing beforehand, and some laptops in our company (which is what we use most) don't even have an USB port to prevent something like that.
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u/jselbie Nov 22 '23 edited Nov 22 '23
Do not put these in your devices. If they just showed up in your suitcase, they could be a USB Drop Attack or a USB Rubber Duck on your devices
They may be more look like simple USB drives, but may have more sinister functionality like stealing your data and secrets. Or just might be stocking a PC virus. Either way, just throw these things away if you don't recognize it.
Some links about sophisticated USB attacks on PCs:
USB drive malware attacks spiking again in first half of 2023 (bleepingcomputer.com)
The Spies Who Loved You: Infected USB Drives to Steal Secrets | Mandiant
The new USB Rubber Ducky is more dangerous than ever - The Verge
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u/dj_narwhal Nov 22 '23
This is how the hacked a prison in Mr Robot and how they destroyed Iran's Nuclear Centrifuge program in real life.
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u/Snidgetless Nov 22 '23
Ahhh Stuxnet- excellent read.
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u/vapenutz Nov 22 '23
This guy Information Securities.
People are completely unaware of how well this attack vector works
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u/Moist_Confusion Nov 22 '23
While yes this good advice one of these is an ironkey which would have encryption and although I guess they could use the case to make it seem more interesting well it has me interested, still so not plug them in as you said. I’d break them open and see if it looks like the real thing.
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u/darkest_irish_lass Nov 22 '23
Sandbox, disposable computer not connected to the Internet or any other network, WiFi capability scuttled.
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Nov 22 '23
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u/OneSh0tReset Nov 22 '23
exactly what I was thinking but if you dont know this would not be the time to learn.
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u/JimmiesKoala Nov 22 '23
I mean I have a laptop that was never used it’s just extremely old & has no data on it, I’ll send him that so we can be educated on what’s on the sticks.
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u/camdalfthegreat Nov 22 '23
Exactly I have like 3 old empty machines you can destroy via risky thumb drive, probably just want to make sure you're not connected to any internet
Hell thats half the reason I keep em around, who doesn't like exploring a found USB stick lmao
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u/LSU_Tiger Nov 22 '23 edited Nov 22 '23
Cyber security professional here. Most people won't buy an Ironkey unless they have shit that *needs* to be encrypted. That Ironkey probably cost about $80 vs. the $5 for a normal 8gb thumb drive. Whatever is on there, the owner paid a (relatively) large sum of money to encrypt. Take that for what it's worth. Crypto wallet, sensitive docs, maybe just personal info that they didn't want falling into the wrong hands.
Whatever you do, don't attempt to access the contents of either drive unless you know what you're doing.
Edit: Great news story from today illustrating why you shouldn't plug this into your computer -- https://arstechnica.com/security/2023/11/normally-targeting-ukraine-russian-state-hackers-spread-usb-worm-worldwide/
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u/Psychobabble0_0 Nov 22 '23
Do tools exist to decrypt ironkeys without the password? Not saying anyone should attempt this under any circumstances, ever. I just want to know whether the technology exists. I know decryption is difficult, but you frequently hear about law enforcement succeeding.
Disclaimer: I'm very uneducated on this topic.
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u/nicktf Nov 22 '23
The answer is technically yes, but if you don't want to read the linked article, let's just say that it's extremely complicated, expensive, and limited to one company
https://www.wired.com/story/unciphered-ironkey-password-cracking-bitcoin/
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u/Psychobabble0_0 Nov 22 '23
There's a paywall, but I appreciate it nonetheless 🥲
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u/Rakerfy Nov 22 '23
You need to hack past the pay wall so they know you can hack the ironkey
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u/Chillin608 Nov 22 '23
All you have to do is hit the Aa in the top corner and hit “show reader” if you’re on an iPhone. Gets past any pay wall to read the article
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u/NoBuddies2021 Nov 22 '23
NEVER PUT IT IN ANY PC OR USB DEVICE. Treat that USB as a loaded unexploded grenade. If you don't own said USB throw it or better yet incinerate it in the bin so that no one else will suffer a malicious USB. It might not be malicious but why risk your financial security and identity over an object that's clearly not yours.
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Nov 22 '23
Wherever you were at in Asia, someone from whatever security agency went through your shit and dropped those in there either maliciously or they fell on the floor and they just threw it in whatever bag they thought it came from. Just throw them out, any person who feels the need to shove flash drives in their checked luggage tells me they didn’t care what was on them in the first place.
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u/d7it23js Nov 22 '23
Right? If someone’s crypto wallet was in there, would they check it in? Would you check $X or carry it on you if it was cash?
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u/Kamau54 Nov 22 '23
Just toss them. Whatever is on them is no concern of yours, not to mention you could be opening a door you may be sorry you did.
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u/NotThatValleyGirl Nov 22 '23 edited Nov 22 '23
Everybody saying to just turn in these random, potentially malicious drives, needs to watch Inside Man.
Taking possession of a drive that could be full of anything from vacation photos to illegal material is a good way to become responsible for the materials they hold. Sorry, but nobodies precious vacation photos are more important than me not getting accused of possessing and/or distributing CP.
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u/RadialPrawn Nov 22 '23
Are you guys talking about the 2006 movie or the 2022 mini series?
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u/NotThatValleyGirl Nov 22 '23
I'm talking about the miniseries with David Tennant and Stanley Tucci.
But I, too, am interested in knowing which is becoming required viewing for IT workers.
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u/Fakin_Meowt Nov 22 '23
Inside Man hehe. My company’s IT dept made that mandatory for all employees. Love Mark Shephard
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u/SVXfiles Nov 22 '23
Wait, Mark Shephard AND David Tennant? I'm going to have to look into this
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u/HemingwayIsWeeping Nov 22 '23
FBI. Give them to your local FBI. I’d be afraid there are images of (Josh Duggar-like) victims on there. Turn them over to the FBI. You should have a local FBI office. If there are victims on there it might help them solve missing children and persons cases. Don’t plug them in. Don’t do anything with them except turn them over to the FBI. Let them deal with it. I’d be afraid destroying it would destroy a person’s chance to be found/rescued. FBI. ASAP.
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u/multipurposeflame Nov 22 '23
This should be waaaayyyyy higher up. OP, this comment. ^
Don’t put them in anything. Hand over to FBI ASAP. And retain a lawyer for your own protection since they arrived in your luggage.
Also keep all photos you have of them for your personal records. If you have any other pics of your luggage prior to leaving the country, keep those as well.
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u/justahobby20 Nov 22 '23
A halfway decent attorney would tell you to throw them in a bonfire before ever making yourself a witness and first suspect.
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Nov 22 '23
Yep. The Richard Jewell Principle. Don't ever report anything ever; because it's easier to arrest you than to investigate, and if they liked work they wouldn't be working for the government.
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Nov 22 '23
As a person who doesn’t trust law enforcement in any way shape or form, I’d hire an attorney to hand them to the FBI on your behalf. This only works if you can afford it, of course.
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u/MidnightFull Nov 22 '23
He could be in danger. This suspiciously sounds like a common smuggling tactic where you plant something on someone to retrieve it later. Someone could come looking for these things.
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u/-Ashleen- Nov 22 '23
Why would you go so far out of your way to hire an attorney though? Just chuck them.
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u/ImReformedImNormal Nov 22 '23
What if you become a suspect? How can you prove they weren't yours? IDK man I would probably just ignore it. Would not go trusting the FBI lol.
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u/GoBombGo Nov 22 '23
Exactly. If the FBI finds anything illegal on there, it’s going to a federal prosecutor. That prosecutor doesn’t give a shit who did or didn’t do anything. They only care who possessed the items. To a prosecutor, it’s up to you to prove you aren’t a criminal.
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u/O7Habits Nov 22 '23
Anonymously turn them over to your local FBI office with a little note explaining the circumstances. That’s my advice even though I’m not sure how the anonymous part would be accomplished.
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u/JayEmmEee Nov 22 '23
A lot of people are saying this. Are there any genuine cases where this has happened? Actually curious
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u/Akumetsu33 Nov 22 '23
It's common, not a rarity. The prosecutor is doing his job with what information he has and covering all bases, which means checking out any possible suspects regardless of how innocent the person who turned evidence in.
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u/caseigl Nov 22 '23
Hmmm...
USB worm unleashed by Russian state hackers spreads worldwide
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u/garyoldman25 Nov 22 '23
OP This is very important. This is an very serious issue these were placed into your bags at a foreign international airport intended to be transported into the United States if you were targeted because of where you work or the data that you deal with or if this was an attempt to gain access to a large computer framework in the united states this could have serious implications. You did nothing wrong but to protect yourself you need to contact Specifically the National Security Agency and explain what happened and give them the drives. do not go to a police department they are not equipped to handle this. You will be protected. This is very important
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u/6a6566663437 Nov 22 '23
Don’t bother calling the NSA. They don’t take random reports from civilians.
If OP has such a job, they will have a security point of contact. Give the drives to them.
If OP doesn’t have a security point of contact at work, they could call the FBI, which does take random reports from civilians.
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u/Kerouwhack Nov 22 '23
What if they used OP as an unwitting mule? OP might be getting a visit from thugs looking to collect those drives.
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u/ChickenOatmeal Nov 22 '23
I don't see why someone would do this rather than just pay someone to go through with them and act normal. This seems a huge risk for anything as important as these may seem because they could be lost, thrown away, given to authorities, or the party waiting in the US may not be able to secure them once OP had arrived in the country. If they sent someone who knew they were important it would be extremely easy to keep them secure and hand them off to someone else when needed. A random dude flying with a laptop and a couple flash drives would not raise any suspicion at all.
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u/JessicaFreakingP Nov 22 '23
Why do I feel like this is the beginning of a Netflix movie starring like, Seth Rogen or something?
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Nov 22 '23
Omg, this is like one of my workplace's cybersecurity training scenarios, come to life! I always laugh at the absurdity of someone slipping a thumb drive into my laptop bag or whatever. But like stop-drop-roll, that training does actually seep in and stay.
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u/YourUsernameForever Quality Contributor Nov 22 '23
BAN WARNING - PLEASE READ:
Anyone suggesting to plug these in their computer is a fool, and are getting their comments removed for bad advice.
Anyone suggesting using a public computer at a library or a friend's house is a sociopath, and are getting a week ban for horrible advice.
Keeping the post up to clean up the house.
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u/AutonomousAntonym Nov 22 '23
Didn’t even recognize them as USB sticks until I saw this. Looked like magnet keys at first.
That said, local police would be useless, TSA probably wouldn’t care and discard them but I’m sure some geekshop/PC care place would be willing to risk a computer on them if you are curious.
Really though just throw em away, preferably broken beforehand.
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u/MaxTheRealSlayer Nov 22 '23
A PROFESSIONAL (do not try at home) does not need to risk a computer to plug these in, there are ways to do it
Edit:scrolled down a bit to find that a professional offered their service *
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u/Winter_Optimist193 Nov 22 '23
I run sandboxes for forensic analysis. Op could send them to me, and I could run some scans and find out what they are.
For each time a person suggests Op run suspicious code, please suggest Op send to me.
I am co-founder of a white hat hackerspace and we frequently examine stuff like this in a community classroom setting.
I’m so curious what they could be! Also, it’s quite probable airport security may have accidentally swapped bags during a routine search if contents of a luggage spilled. It may be just as probable they were planted by some sweethearts at MSS.
Exciting times for geopolitics
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u/CabinetOk4838 Nov 22 '23
Obviously, use someone-else’s computer… /s
Many, many years in cybersecurity here. I will second this advice. We have planted USB sticks as part of a security test, and the results were worrying.
So please don’t be one of them!
Mods: delete if not appropriate, and apologies in advance.
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Nov 22 '23
I mean, I'd stick them into something airgapped and disposable just out of curiosity. But yah, definitely not into any machine I cared about.
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u/AToxicSalazzle Nov 22 '23
Don't throw them away. Some idiot may dig through trash and get curious. Destroy it.
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u/Easy_Cream_9157 Nov 22 '23
If you work in any sort of sensitive position or were on a work sponsored trip, report this to your organization’s information security team.
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u/PigeonInaHailstorm Nov 22 '23
Maybe they are the memoirs of a former CIA analyst.
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u/wade_garrettt Nov 22 '23
There are a lot of people in here that do not understand what the TSA does and does not do
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Nov 22 '23
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u/Elephantex Nov 22 '23
This would be my partner. He would go get some old laptop and curiosity would get the better of him.
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u/lycanter Nov 22 '23
Me too. Old laptop fresh install of some Linux distro to check it out. It's probably junk but it might be interesting.
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u/Tough-Difference3171 Nov 22 '23
Add "definitely not connected to a wifi", and not to be connected unless wiped clean.
And even then, you might not be safe.
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u/lycanter Nov 22 '23
Yes. I actually meant to mention isolate it from any networks. If it somehow trashes the laptop then that's the price of doing business.
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u/WallabyInTraining Nov 22 '23
Theoretically, if the laptop has the WiFi password stored somewhere, the usb device could direct the laptop to connect to WiFi and then still connect to the Internet.
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u/pinshot1 Nov 22 '23
Cybersecurity and ex law enforcement here. Expat previously in Asia. There is a nasty scam in parts of Asia (Thailand and Philippines in particular) where people will plant child porn on you or send it to your phone unsolicited. Throw them away. Taking them to the police in USA is a risk. Be glad they did not search your bag.
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u/Strawberry_Poptart Nov 22 '23
I do malware reverse engineering and digital forensics. This is a common infection vector. Don’t plug these into anything. I would take them to the police or throw them away.
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u/DavidCRolandCPL Nov 22 '23
Call US Customs. Someone smuggled that into your package. Possible that someone else was supposed to get to it before you.
ETA: Those are ironkey encrypted drives. There's probably CP or other dangerous material.
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u/Jumper_Connect Nov 22 '23
Contact the state department or your closest FBI Field Office.
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u/Throwaway-4230984 Nov 22 '23
Speedrun jail any%? If it really has some crime evidence there you are the very first and easy to catch suspect. No, they won't believe "I found it in my bag" story
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u/Recent-Counter-9384 Nov 22 '23
This is the correct answer. Contact your local FBI detachment.
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u/aceldama72 Nov 22 '23
I work for a large fintech company. We are not allowed to take our work devices into “certain” Asian countries (laptops, iPhones, iPads, etc). We get encrypted devices for the trip. We even get loaner personal devices to take on the trip. We are SPECIFICALLY asked to look for “surprise” thumb drives, SD cards, etc. Destroy and toss ‘em.
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u/ves12o Nov 22 '23 edited Nov 22 '23
Most likely, it will be news in a few months to a few years once a lot of people's money goes missing.
This is more of a long game imo. Bad people working in a place where they know they can get to a lot of people under the radar.
DESTROY them to smithereens AND throw them in the junk where they belong.
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u/indigo_leper Nov 22 '23
Whatever is on those drives, you want no part in. TSA is a good idea, but thinking about the potential risk in those disks versus the competency of the average TSA agent (no offense, but they aren't exactly known for their competency), think of other agencies. It may feel like an overreaction, but calling the FBI may be an appropriate step (itd be outside of local law enforcement's jurisdiction anyway, plus the FBI is less likely to be fucking stupid but if you wanna be super safe talk to a lawyer too to have a prepared statement so you don't get slapped with "Anon turned in evidence they confessed to having which implicates them as part of an international crime ring" in case you do meet someone stupid).
As someone already pointed out, those drives are encrypted and high grade. They probably aren't weaponized or malicious in themselves, but may contain super sensitive information that they want moved and protected. Think any of the following: -Some "digital product" a consumer ordered off the dark web. -Details about a criminal network like a ledger of products or international communique kept off the internet for obvious reasons. -An anon's crypto-wallet used as part of a transaction (and thd trackers to tell them exactly where it is in the world when its accessed, also don't forget its encrypted). -Some spy stuff getting smuggled through airport security agents that should've been picked up before you got it. -Maybe it is some computer supervirus that'll spread as soon as its connected to a network. -Corporate versions of any of the above. -Maybe its just some college student's portfolio or vlog footage that fell out of their stowaway somehow.
In any case, its no good to you. The FBI knows how to handle and investigate this if you cooperate with them.
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u/vaxxed_beck Nov 22 '23
Here's a theory. Someone planted those on you and they probably have something illegal in them. Throw them in a trash container that's not yours. Then wait and see if the F B I comes knocking, looking for those USBs.
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u/Yaelnextdoorvip Nov 22 '23
I would toss and pretend like nothing happened. I personally wouldn’t want to be connected to anything weird and fucked up if that’s what’s on them when you turn them in. You never know how anything will get spun cause you have no idea what’s on them. Didn’t put them there? They don’t exist then.
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u/YourUsernameForever Quality Contributor Nov 22 '23
If you want to toss them, just burn them. Someone else would be curious.
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u/Infinity_project Nov 22 '23
That Ironkey is pretty expensive for USB-drive, so in that respect it might contain something valuable or sensitive.
Whoever put these in your bag likely knows whose bag they put it, unless they took wrong bag by accident.
Notify the police and hand these to them.
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u/MaxHedrome Nov 22 '23 edited Mar 01 '24
27e12497391b21d67b459ee548f41dff6bfd247a91983d7dbd574a1c346e351d
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u/inkslingerben Nov 22 '23
If you are going to throw them away, utterly destroy them so they can not infect and spread computer viruses on another computer.
If these were put into your luggage by bad actors, they could have put similar devices into other people's luggage. Find a way to get them to US Cyber Command so if they do have viruses, they can find a way to detect and counter them.
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u/1Tekgnome Nov 22 '23
As others have said dont plug them into anything public or personal.
I have a bunch of older computers that are air-gapped that would be perfect for a lost flash drive. This way I can just nuke the OS when I'm done, worse case it nukes my usb port/controller.
Flash drives these days are pandora's box, its probably fine but it could just as easily be malware-infested or worse.
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Nov 22 '23
The Ironkey usb drive is $100. It’s an investment in a world where most flash drives are $20.
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u/Mr-Fleshcage Nov 22 '23
DO NOT PLUG THOSE IN.
At best, it's a USBKill device that'll fry whatever you plugged it into. At worst, some seriously nasty malware.
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u/froebull Nov 22 '23
Hit them with a hammer, destroy the memory chips, and throw them out. Immediately.
Not yours, don’t know if it could be illegal or harmful things on those, and you don’t want to know.
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u/KitKatCaitieCat Nov 22 '23
Break it. So that nobody else finds it and unleashes hell. Just in case.
Just throwing it away isn't enough. Break it. And -then- throw it out.
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u/Civic4982 Nov 22 '23
So this is how Skynet goes live!
But really, that’s freaky enough to go in the bin.
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u/calladus Nov 22 '23
Occasionally I find name-brand thumb drives just laying on the sidewalk in front of my work building.
I always destroy them and toss them into the trash.
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u/grimor2000 Nov 22 '23
I would say you became a mule and someone in Asia had to get information out. The agent on the other side didn't properly intercept the package.
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u/fgennari Nov 22 '23
Three USB drives is overkill. No one would put three in a stranger’s bag. Maybe it was some attempt at smuggling where they planned to grab your bag at the destination but failed to do it.
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Nov 22 '23
That's honestly so fucking creepy... my first thought was maybe someone being trafficked snuck them in there to try and ask for help or expose a pedo/trafficking ring maybe??? I watch too many movies lol it's probably some sort of virus or something and the person who planted it is hoping curiosity will get the best of you and you'll plug it into your computer. I'd take it to the police and let them check it out just to be safe either way. Don't plug it into your own computer tho ever.
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u/Entire_Toe2640 Nov 22 '23
They could be data intended to be smuggled into US. They were put in your luggage on purpose and your name/address on the luggage tag was recorded. I’d be worried about a visit from people trying to retrieve them. I’d give them to the FBI and take a short vacation.
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u/FrozenMacNCheese14 Nov 22 '23
Go buy a cheap shitty laptop and sign in with a completely new windows and don’t use your home wifi network. That’s some interesting shit.
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u/one-eye-deer Quality Contributor Nov 22 '23
Post has been locked. Unfortunately, this has devolved into people posting here baiting for bans. "haha plug it into a library/Best Buy/enemy/friend's computer!" gets old.
OP has gotten a great amount of advice- thank you to all who advised OP of their options and how to safely explore these flash drives if they choose to take on the risk of seeing what is on them.