Indeed too lazy didn't read.
I missed the kubuntu part. Not that it tells me all that much now (don't follow ubuntu version numbers) except that it's ubuntu based and thus debian based and thus you'll have apt-get.
At any rate ... ldd ==> not a dynamic executable. Yeah, that will teach me to be lazy. I was thinking of mentioning it, but naaah, lets first see what we get. Anyways, the not a dynamic executable means it's probably a script. So you'll have to read the script to see what binary gets called, and then do ldd for that binary.
That or run a strace, but the output might take some getting used to.
As for permissions ... nope, there are some sneaky permission things that can go wrong, but never mind those. If you sudo it, then that should take care of that.
So switching usb ports helps, but if you use diff port on same hub then it's a nogo. That's curious. Does this also apply to root hubs (so diff chipsets on same motherboard), or only hubs in the form of a physical device you plug into usb port?
Sounds a bit like it doesn't want to enumerate for the 2nd time. If you do dmesg and then plug in, out, in ... do you get proper messages?
Oh, wait. This is a cheapo random parts clone, right? How about boot into windows, install stuff and see if it works properly there.
Mmmmh, or the ever popular: plug hub into port, plug crapblaster into port. works. remove hub + replug hub in same port, see if it works. That might just change enumeration, but who knows.