YSK those free USB sticks in your drawer are somehow crappier than you thought

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2024/02/rejected-chips-hidden-microsd-cards-plague-the-usb-stick-market/

Many have microSD cards soldered to their circuit boards.

124 points · 14 comments · view on lemmy.world

14 Comments

Hamartiogonic@sopuli.xyz · 33 pts · 2y (5 replies)

Reminds me of the time when I bought a stack of microSD cards and readers from alibaba. About half of the cards and readers were dead on arrival, and the remaining ones died within a few years.

Now I’ve learned my lesson. This is what happens when a company outsources quality control to the customer.

VelociCatTurd@lemmy.world · 32 pts · 2y (1 reply)

I had a less technical savvy coworker putting together a raspi for something, emulation I think. And he was notoriously cheap, he told me he got a micro SD from China for a suspiciously low price.

Well during this endeavor, he would keep asking me about random errors he was seeing. And I kept saying bro it is that cheap SD card you bought. He wouldn’t hear it.

Eventually, he tried out another SD card and sure enough, no more weird errors.

Hamartiogonic@sopuli.xyz · 20 pts · 2y

Power sources is another one. The errors caused by a slightly broken PSU can be really mysterious.

smotherlove@sh.itjust.works · 30 pts · 2y (2 replies)
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Squizzy@lemmy.world · 11 pts · 2y (1 reply)

Absolutely, the companies are just so big the choice is so small so they can all be shit

smotherlove@sh.itjust.works · 2 pts · 2y
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KittenBiscuits@lemm.ee · 21 pts · 2y (3 replies)

Is no one else paranoid to put a free usb stick in their computer? I thought that was the classic social engineering hack.

(full disclosure: I'm not in I.T. and my info might be older than the hills)

swab148@startrek.website · 6 pts · 2y (1 reply)

They used that trick in Mr. Robot, so I'm pretty sure it's legit. As long as not too many people know about it 🤫

Ultragramps@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 2 pts · 2y

Tappity tappity tap “I’ve got total control. It’s all yours.”

helpImTrappedOnline@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 2y

Yes, it is still a thing to be concerned about. Perhaps the method of handing out free usbs is less common now. If there's a drive lying around in public, don't plug it in.

A new name brand 64gb usb costs around $10. The free ones are usually 2 to 8gb and a probably a 50¢ micro SD card. Free usbs go in trash.

rem26_art@kbin.social · 17 pts · 2y (3 replies)

i just had one of those free sticks that I got from an event die on me the other day. I should pry it open and see if it's just a microSD card lmao. Didn't lose anything of worth on it cuz it was only like 128MB

Dave@lemmy.nz · 8 pts · 2y (2 replies)

Didn’t lose anything of worth on it cuz it was only like 128MB

What year was the event, 2005?

rem26_art@kbin.social · 8 pts · 2y (1 reply)

lol no it was in 2016. I was shocked too

helpImTrappedOnline@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 2y

Sounds like an SD card, did they make any drives less than 2gb back in 2016?

Septimaeus@infosec.pub · 5 pts · 2y

Oh dope, infinitely upgradable memory

livus@kbin.social · 2 pts · 2y

Bwa ha ha ha this is like a real version of the condom hair ties thing.