Secure USB Drive

This article shows just how easy it is for a hacker to introduce malware to a company’s network using a little social engineering.  In this case, the infected USB thumb drives were introduced by a security consultant conducting an experiment in an organisation.

But it shows just how vulnerable companies are to a simple, but powerful driver:  human curiosity.  This is mirrored in the USB security survey done by SanDisk in April 2008.  12% of corporate end users reported finding a USB pen drive in a public place, and 55% said they would try and view the data on it.

So it’s no surprise that networks can be hacked, and infections spread by these means.  Once again, it’s a powerful reason to deploy port control, to issue users with company encrypted USB thumb drives, and to enforce the policy that only company-issued drives are used on the network.