# samyk/poisontap

Exploits locked/password protected computers over USB, drops persistent WebSocket-based backdoor, exposes internal router, and siphons cookies using Raspberry Pi Zero & Node.js.

Repository: https://github.com/samyk/poisontap
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/poisontap
Homepage: https://samy.pl/poisontap/
Language: JavaScript
License Family: other
Last push: 2018-11-26T16:50:44+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 32/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-02T17:46:02.011165+00:00)
- activity 0, release rhythm 35, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 3577, "days_push": 2837, "days_rel": null, "gap_med": null, "n_releases_24m": 0}
- flags: no_releases, no_license
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 6475, forks 978 (observed 2026-08-28T04:09:43.723373+00:00)

## What it is
PoisonTap is a USB-based attack tool built on a Raspberry Pi Zero and Node.js that exploits locked, password-protected computers by emulating an Ethernet device. It siphons HTTP cookies, exposes the internal router remotely via WebSocket and DNS rebinding, and installs a persistent cache-poisoned web backdoor that survives after the device is removed.

## Use cases
- demonstrate USB physical attack risks on locked computers
- siphon browser cookies and sessions from a locked machine
- gain remote access to an internal router via DNS rebinding
- install a persistent browser backdoor via cache poisoning
- physical penetration testing of endpoint security
- security awareness training on lock screen and network trust weaknesses

## When to choose
- you need to demonstrate physical USB attack vectors in a security assessment or talk
- you want to test how lock screens, routing priority, and cookie protections hold up against a rogue network device
- you have a Raspberry Pi Zero or compatible USB gadget device for hardware-based pentesting

## When to avoid
- you need a maintained or supported tool - it has no license and hasn't been updated since 2018
- you want a general-purpose network scanner or remote-access framework rather than a specific USB exploit demo
- unauthorized use - deploying this against machines you don't own is illegal

## Facets
- artifact type: application
- maturity: maintenance
- function: security, networking, websocket, http-server, proxy
- domain: security, penetration-testing, hardware, networking
- platform: iot, cross-platform
- tags: usb-attack, raspberry-pi-zero, cookie-siphoning, dns-rebinding, backdoor, physical-pentest, hak5, usb-gadget, linux, nodejs

## Member repositories
- samyk/poisontap (main) score 32

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:09:43.723373+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-29T17:44:35.164869+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/samyk/poisontap (fetched 2026-08-28T04:09:43.723373+00:00, sha 5f5d26551658)
  - homepage: https://samy.pl/poisontap/ (fetched 2026-08-29T08:41:29.421114+00:00, sha 92913ec7959d)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.