Open-source stealth USB hides an encrypted partition behind an 8GB decoy drive — 'Phantom Drive' appears as a regular USB stick until you create a text file to unlock the hidden data
This USB looks like a standard 8GB drive, but it unlocks a hidden partition when you create a text file with the password inside. The password is never actually written to storage; it's instead intercepted by the custom firmware and copied into the microcontroller's SRAM during hashing.
The Phantom Drive, crafted by Rootkit Labs, masquerades as a regular USB stick, appearing as an 8GB drive until a text file is created to unlock its hidden encrypted partition. This innovative device is powered by a microSD card, whose contents are shielded by AES-256 encryption. Built with the CH569 microcontroller, the Phantom Drive relies on a microSD card for both its decoy and hidden partitions, as direct NAND chips are scarce due to a component shortage.
The device's firmware intercepts data transmissions, identifying a specific "password" string to unlock the hidden partition. The password, once typed, is hashed 100,000 times to generate a key for encryption and decryption, thwarting brute-force attacks. The Phantom Drive can be customized to resemble various brands, evading detection.
Despite being limited to USB 2 speeds, the device is available for $50 or can be self-assembled using open-source resources.
Written by urgent.news from Tom's Hardware's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — it may contain errors, so check the original before relying on it.
