turkey3_scratch :
Ehh, I don't know. I took a criminology course, and the primary thing they wanted to get into our brains is that criminals don't plan out elaborate things like that. Of course there are rare occasions where crime is planned, but I don't possibly see this USB thing becoming a relevant issue where motherboard manufacturers need to become concerned.
The concern that IE is painting is that this could be used by a disgruntled worker/ex-lover/etc. or
perhaps as a failsafe to cover tracks or buy time in some espionage situation. This isn't a likely tool for dumb crooks.
In practical terms, I think the manufacturer is playing up the threat to help sell their hardware. I don't expect the majority of consumer devices to add protection, since it would add cost and the risk is so small.
I
do worry about the level of ESD protection on USB ports, but I try to ground myself before touching the device & haven't fried a USB port yet.