If a threat actor has physical access to a device, they may be able to cause physical damage to the circuit board of a device, in some cases even destroying the device. A malicious actor may short circuit or introduce out-of-spec voltages and currents to pins on external connectors. This can lead to effects as mild as interrupting device functionality, by causing crashes or reboots, or as significant as corrupting data, corrupting firmware, or permanent hardware damage. Depending on how robust the hardware design is, physical damage may be limited to a single affected peripheral port or as extensive as destroying the entire device.

• CWE-1384: Improper Handling of Physical or Environmental Conditions