US: Indian student charged with using ‘USB killer device’ to destroy dozens of computers in college

An Indian student has been arrested after being charged with intentionally causing damage to over 50 protected computers owned by a college in New York state capital Albany, officials said on Wednesday.

An Indian student has been arrested after being charged with intentionally causing damage to over 50 protected computers owned by a college in New York state capital Albany, officials said on Wednesday.

Vishwanath Akuthota, 26 was arrested on February 22 in North Carolina after being charged with intentionally causing damage to protected computers owned by The College of Saint Rose in Albany, US Attorney Grant Jaquith said.

According to a criminal complaint, on February 14, Akuthota entered numerous locations around the Saint Rose campus and inserted a device into more than 50 computers used by students.

The device, which resembles a normal USB memory stick, sends a rapid series of power surges into a computer’s electrical hardware, rendering it inoperable. The damage exceeds USD 50,000.

Akuthota, an Indian citizen, is residing in the US on a student visa. He appeared in the federal court in Raleigh, North Carolina, where a US Magistrate Judge ordered him detained and transported to the Northern District of New York.

The charge filed against Akuthota carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, a fine of up to USD 250,000, and a term of supervised release of up to three years.

Newsletter

These images show the Sun’s surface in greater detail than ever before

On Wednesday, astronomers released what they said were the most detailed images ever taken of the surface of our sun. As...

Magnitude 7.7 quake hits between Cuba and Jamaica, but no injuries

A powerful magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck in the Caribbean Sea between Jamaica and eastern Cuba on Tuesday, shaking a v...

US House passes bill on sanctions against Chinese officials for meddling in Dalai Lama’s succession

The US House of Representatives has passed a bill that authorises financial and travel sanctions against Chinese officia...

Squid Brains Are Nearly as Complex as Dog Brains, Researchers Claim

We all know that cephalopods are wicked smart, and their complex nerve systems go some way to explain their aptitudes. N...

Four Japanese evacuees from Wuhan taken to hospital with fevers

Japanese officials say four evacuees on a flight from the Chinese city of Wuhan have a cough and fever. Tokyo Metropolit...

US military recovers remains from Afghanistan plane crash

The United States on Tuesday recovered the remains of two personnel from a US military aircraft that crashed in Afghanis...