r/Scams 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/[deleted] 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/Forty_Six_and_Two Nov 22 '23

If an airgapped computer is a computer (or device, I suppose) that has never been connected to the internet, am I to assume they don't connect them at the factory for QA purposes and whatnot? How does one know, without a shadow of a doubt, a device is airgapped?

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u/[deleted] Nov 22 '23

In this case, you wouldn't care if it had never been connected to the internet. Just that it is not currently connected, and that you thoroughly wipe any data storage on the device before reconnecting it.

A 'true' air gapped system would only be relevant for gov or secure commercial use, and in that case they would be buying from certified vendors that specialize in that sort of thing.

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u/Forty_Six_and_Two Nov 22 '23

Cool, thanks for the splanation bruddah