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AITA for my USB Killer Frying My Friend's PC After She Snooped in My Bag?

· 3 min read

I’m 20F, my friend is 21F. I always keep a USB “killer” in my backpack. It looks like a normal thumb drive, but I’ve slapped a tiny devil face sticker on it so I can’t mix it up with the “I have a million photos of my cat” USB. I carry it because I still live at home, and my parents are super nosy. If I ever left it on my desk, they’d find it, plug it into their laptop, and boom—they’d learn what I’m hiding.

Yesterday I had to dash off campus. I asked my friend to watch my bag for a bit. I didn’t get back in time, so I texted her: “Hey, can you take it home? I’ll grab it today.” She said cool. She got home, opened my bag out of curiosity, spotted the devil‑sticker USB, thought it was a regular drive, and plugged it into her gaming PC to see what files I had. The computer died instantly. Motherboard, PSU—gone. Now she’s mad, saying I’m reckless and that I owe her a whole new setup. I feel bad, but she should have known better than to plug in a random USB. Am I the asshole?

The Comments (in pure, unfiltered, Reddit‑style humor)​

  • “This is known as FAFO. She snooped, she stole, she paid the price. Too bad, so sad for her.”
    We’re calling it “Foolish Adventurous Fumble of the Opposite.” The moral? Don’t be a snoop, or you’ll end up with a busted PC.

  • “Who in their right mind sticks an unknown USB into their PC? Do people really do this? NTA”
    We’re all still wondering if the internet has a secret cult of people who think “USB” stands for “Unidentified Baffling Snafu.” Good news: the universe is still safe.

  • “NTA but, and I think a lot of us will have the same question. Why in gods name do you wander around with a USB that destroys computers? Are you a spy? Please spill!”
    Apparently, some folks are carrying “USB kill‑switches” because they’re undercover spies, or because they just love the feeling of “I’ve ruined a PC.” Either way, it’s a great conversation starter at parties.

  • “My boyfriend is an investigative journalist and he carries them, I took one from him, for no specific reason. They are also used to test device safety, or to kill your own device quickly in emergency situations.”
    So now we know the “USB killer” is a legitimate tool for journalists and emergency tech‑savvy folks. Maybe we should all carry one… or maybe not.

  • “I say NTA. There is a rule in PC security that says never plug in an unknown USB drive.”
    Yes, that rule exists and it’s not just a myth. The moral of this story: if you’re going to carry a USB that can kill PCs, you might want to consider a less dramatic name.

TL;DR​

You carried a USB “killer” with a devil sticker, your friend plugged it into her PC out of curiosity, and kaboom—her entire rig exploded. You’re not the asshole, but maybe keep the devil stickers on a separate shelf. 🚨💻🦸‍♂️