PoisonTap

PoisonTap is a security research project that demonstrates risks involving USB networking, locked computers, browser sessions, and internal network exposure. It was created to show how a small device can emulate network behavior when connected to a computer over USB. The project became notable because it highlighted how physical access, even for a short time, can create serious security problems. It is best understood as a proof of concept for awareness, testing, and defensive hardening rather than a general-purpose utility. PoisonTap also illustrates why organizations need strong endpoint policies, USB restrictions, browser protections, and network segmentation. Its main value is educational: it makes invisible trust assumptions in desktop networking much easier to understand.