Secure USB Drive

In the last 6 months or so we’ve seen how USB flash drives have become recognised as a vector for spreading malware, especially malware that uses Windows’ Autorun capability.

This week, Symantec is reinforcing that message during its Cyber Crime initiative.   The company’s Security Response group product manager says that as well as being a method for propagation, USB-borne malware is particularly difficult to get rid of. 

Of course, one way of stopping the spread of malware via USB memory sticks is to use secure flash drives with on-board antivirus, which stops malware on the drive itself.

It’s also worth noting just how the sheer number of threats has grown.  In 2000, antivirus vendors issued 1,500 new signatures.  In 2009, over 2.5 million signatures are expected.  AV protection on all computing devices makes more sense than ever before.