It’s been a high-profile year for USB memory sticks: they have been the subject of many headlines thanks to a series of losses and theft incidents, and have been exploited as a new vector for spreading malware across networks (thanks to Conficker and related Autorun-exploiting worms). Read More »

After being banned in November 2008, it looks likely that USB flash drives are about to be reintroduced to U.S. Defense Department computers and networks.

But there will be very strict controls on their use, to avoid future malware and security issues which caused the DoD to suspend the use of all USB memory sticks, removable storage devices and camera flash cards on all networks after a worm infection.

In a recent blog post, the CIO for the U.S. Navy, Robert Cary said Defense officials are finalising details of the new USB security policy.  Cary said in his blog that the important thing is to ensure that thumb drives used in the future cannot transfer viruses to military computers and networks.

Policies will also include practice such as authorised staff being issued with government-owned and procured secure USB drives, a ban on all personally owned flash media, and upgrades to DoD antivirus and malware detection and procedures.  These are all recommended, sensible controls to ensure network hygiene and reduced risks of data losses.

Our Cruzer Enterprise secure USB flash drives have been further enhanced to meet the needs of government employees.  The drives have been independently tested to be waterproof under Military Standard 810-F, and the user interface has been reconfigured for better accessibility for visually-impaired users. 

The drives are certified as waterproof when immersed or in rainy conditions.

The drives are also suitable for use by the visually impaired under the requirements of Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which requires federal agencies to make IT accessible to people with disabilities.  The drives’ user interface is compatible with assistive technologies such as screen reader software that recreates the Cruzer Enterprise’s GUI through text-to-speech representation or via a Braille output device.

Of course, Cruzer Enterprise drives feature industry-leading cryptographic modules and encryption algorithms, and are fully compliant with Trade Agreements Act (TAA) requirements, qualifying them under the strictest federal guidelines.  They are also the only secure USB drives listed for Common Criteria certification.

Following a question by a member of the UK parliament, UK Government departments have revealed the numbers of laptops lost or stolen recently.

The figures are quite startling, with well over 100 laptops lost or stolen in the past year alone.  One organisation – the Department for Work and Pensions – alone lost 41 laptops last year, from its fleet of around 9,700 machines. 

Although Government departments claim that all laptops are now required to be encrypted, that’s still an awful lot of data lost.  There is also the real risk that the data may not be protected

And don’t forget, these figures are just for laptops.  You have to wonder how many other devices – such as USB memory sticks – were lost in the same period, what data was on them, and whether that data was encrypted. 

Although some UK Public Sector organisations – such as the National Health Service – are leading the way in deploying secure USB flash drives to protect data on the move, not all Government organisations are at the same level.  Unfortunately there will be many more data breaches to come in the next year.

Following last Friday’s announcement by President Obama of his plan to stop cyberthreats, it was perhaps inevitable that someone would introduce a Barack Obama USB drive.

And here it is.  The 2GB USB drive has a hologram of Obama’s face on its front cover, with the drive rotating out from the side.  The drive is also pre-loaded with some of President Obama’s most famous speeches, including his inaugural address. 

Unfortunately, despite his recent address about national data security, the drive is not encrypted

Hay Group, a global management consultancy, is deploying Cruzer Enterprise secure USB flash drives and Central Management & Control (CMC) software to help protect confidential business and client data.

The company’s UK operation wanted to extend data security to cover USB flash drives, and add further protection for third-party data and internal files against loss or theft while its consultants are away from the office.  The company also plans to deploy SanDisk’s Central Management & Control (CMC) software to manage the lifecycle of the drives.
 
Gary Spokes, Hay Group’s data protection officer said:  “Intellectual property is our business – and clients rely on our confidentiality.  As part of our ongoing drive to improve data security, we identified the increasing use of USB memory sticks by our consultants.  We wanted a solution that kept the convenience of the drives, while ensuring data was fully protected.”
 
Hay Group UK IT manager Parminder Bharj added:  “The CMC software was a key factor for us, as it synchronizes with Active Directory to ensure adherence to our data security policies.  For example, we can ensure users can only set complex passwords, and terminate drives that are lost or stolen.  It lets users get on with their work without having to worry about data being secured.”