Paw Detector – Malicious USB Cable Detector

What Is Paw Detector? Paw Detector is a pocket-sized, plug-and-play adapter that checks any USB cable for hidden keyloggers and malicious data transfers before you plug it into your phone, laptop, or charger. A keylogger is a tiny hidden device that secretly records what you type; a malicious cable looks just like a normal charging cable but hides that same kind of circuitry inside the connector, ready to move your data the moment you plug it in. Paw Detector sits in between: connect the cable you want to test to its port connector, then plug Paw Detector itself into your computer’s or charger’s USB port. Its onboard LED lights up steady if the cable is malicious, so you know before any harm is done. There’s nothing to install or configure — just plug it in and check the light. It’s small enough to carry on a keychain or in a bag. How do I detect a malicious USB cable? Plug the cable into Paw Detector’s port connector, then plug Paw Detector into your computer’s or charger’s USB port. If the LED lights up, the cable is malicious — unplug it. If it stays off, the cable is safe to use. Test a cable before you trust it You’re about to charge your phone at an airport kiosk, hotel room, or with a borrowed cable, and you don’t know what’s really inside it. Plug the cable into Paw Detector’s port connector, leaving the cable’s other end unplugged, then plug Paw Detector into the USB port and check the LED. If it lights up, the cable is malicious and moving data it shouldn’t — unplug it. If it stays off, it’s safe to charge with. Charge without sharing your data Your phone is almost dead and the only option is a USB port you don’t know, at a café, on a train or at a venue. Paw Detector also works as a data blocker: put it between the port and your cable before you charge. Your phone charges at standard speed (it doesn’t negotiate fast charging the way PAW Protector does) while your data stays out of reach. Check a cable before it touches your laptop Someone hands you a cable, or you find one you can’t place, and you need it for your laptop. A malicious cable can hide a keylogger that records what you type. First, plug that cable into Paw Detector’s port connector, leave its other end unplugged, and plug Paw Detector into your computer’s USB port. If the LED stays off, the cable is safe to use. If it lights up, set it aside. Microcontroller CH32V003F4U6 Board dimensions 35 x 18 mm Connectors USB plug connector (host side, male), USB port connector (test-cable side, female) Detection LED Lights up steady (no blinking) when the connected cable is malicious Form factor Pocket-sized, keychain-portable Detection method Onboard analog (ADC) signal analysis on the microcontroller's port A pins