Kingston is one of the most counterfeited brands. How to verify genuine 0951:1666?
| Feature | Genuine | Fake | |--------|---------|------| | PID 1666 | Matches spec | Often spoofed (same VID/PID) | | Capacity | Correct (e.g., 32GB) | Often 4GB with fake capacity | | Write speed | 5–10 MB/s | <3 MB/s or highly variable | | Controller ID | Phison/Toshiba | Alcor, Chipsbank, or unknown | | h2testw result | No corruption | Data loss >4GB |
Test command (Linux):
sudo lsusb -v -d 0951:1666 | grep iSerialGenuine: often blank or short alphanumeric. Fake: long fixed string like "0123456789ABCDEF". Usb Device Id Vid 0951 Pid 1666
When you plug a USB device into a computer, the operating system uses the VID and PID, among other descriptors, to identify the device and load the appropriate drivers. If the device is recognized, it will be listed in the device manager under the "Disk Drives" or sometimes under "Universal Serial Bus Controllers" with a specific name that can be further detailed by checking properties.
If you found this device ID in your system logs and are just identifying it: It is a genuine Kingston drive and safe to use. Kingston is one of the most counterfeited brands
If you are considering buying this drive:
Older Kingston controllers (like the one in PID 1666) are vulnerable to BadUSB attacks. A malicious actor can reprogram the drive’s microcontroller to emulate a keyboard and inject keystrokes the moment it is plugged in. If you find a loose flash drive with this VID/PID in a parking lot, do not plug it into your computer. It could be a "USB drop attack" weapon. Test command (Linux): sudo lsusb -v -d 0951:1666
Because this device adheres to the USB Mass Storage Class Specification, most modern operating systems (Windows, macOS, Linux, Chrome OS, Android) recognize it natively.
Before we identify the specific device, let’s break down the anatomy of the string: VID_0951&PID_1666.
So, when Windows sees VID_0951, it immediately knows: "This device was made by the company that owns Vendor ID 0951." When it sees PID_1666, it knows: "This is the specific product model linked to that company."