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Aug 17 02:16:44 <hostname> kernel: usb 1-2: new high-speed USB device number 13 using xhci_hcd
Aug 17 02:16:45 <hostname> kernel: usb 1-2: New USB device found, idVendor=05c6, idProduct=aaff, bcdDevice= 3.18
Aug 17 02:16:45 <hostname> kernel: usb 1-2: New USB device strings: Mfr=1, Product=2, SerialNumber=3
Aug 17 02:16:45 <hostname> kernel: usb 1-2: Product: Android
Aug 17 02:16:45 <hostname> kernel: usb 1-2: Manufacturer: Android
Aug 17 02:16:45 <hostname> kernel: usb 1-2: SerialNumber: 0123456789ABCDEF

Above is a snippet from my journalctl output. Are entries stating new USB device found... a log entry of a USB device being plugged in to my system? I didn't plug any USBs today. So was wondering if this could be something worrying like someone else trying to access my computer when I am away?

TIA!

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  • Sure you didn't charge your mobile? – Panki Aug 17 '20 at 15:42
  • I never use the laptop to charge my mobile. And I haven't plugged in any USB devices in the last week either. – computronium Aug 17 '20 at 15:51
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    To be clear, nothing was connected at all? Sometimes on-board devices use a USB bridge so even if you don't have anything plugged in physically, the system might detect a USB device because technically it's wired to one on-board. What's the context of this message, was there a system reboot or anything to trigger restart / reload at 2:15 in the morning? – Philip Couling Aug 17 '20 at 16:09
  • @PhilipCouling No restarts at around that time. Checked last and auth.log. i also did a grep on the SerialNumber mentioned in the output. Doesn't seem like an unusual device because it has around 800 entries in the last two months. I still need to figure out which device this is. The only thing I plug into my laptop with that frequency is my usb dongle, so probably it's that. So, I just tried to remove and re-insert it hoping I'd get the same entry again, but didn't. Will update here after rebooting once, perhaps. Thanks. – computronium Aug 17 '20 at 16:22
  • USB dongle? The manufacturer number looks like Qualcomm, Inc. so that could be likely. I wonder if loss of signal makes the dongle restart. – Philip Couling Aug 17 '20 at 16:51
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Yes, it means exactly that.

It is possible for hardware to emulate USB devices for you, for example some servers have a baseband controller simulating a remote keyboard and mouse. In this case it looks like an Android device was connected to your system, but that's so easily faked it may not be reliable.

I bet someone just wanted to charge their phone.

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