Portable Panic: Evolution of USB Insecurity

05 June 2009
Download Type: Adobe PDF

Once a mere novelty peripheral, USB storage devices are now as common as the mouse and keyboard. Analysts say by 2010 the market will have shipped 2.8 billion USB-enabled devices. Unfortunately, even as USB devices have evolved into useful storage media, they’ve also turned into a security nightmare for organisations.

The development of this technology has always been about ease of use, connectivity, low cost and performance – with little, if any, thought to USB security. It is not only corporate users who enjoy the benefits of today’s USB devices; cyber criminals and data thieves are increasingly using removable media to introduce malware and steal information from computers. One only need to read the news regularly to see that USB devices are repeatedly involved in the highest profile data breaches, either through the loading of breach-causing malware into the backend corporate network, by facilitating intentional covert removal of copied data, or simply by enabling data loss through the misplacement of an unencrypted device.

This white paper, provided by Lumension, analyzes the top security risks for USB devices that are not only tied in to the USB standard, but extend to all forms of removable media in use today. The report also offers proactive solutions that enable enterprises to protect their organizational endpoints, no matter how much they evolve.