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USB drives pose serious threats to organizations, despite their convenience. USB sticks can be misused to incorporate systems by bypassing corporate systems and traditional network defenses. Using a compromised or unknown USB device can lead to ransomware attacks, data breaches and compromise of IT infrastructure. Many organizations lack proper protocols for testing USB drives securely before use. Without proper USB drive security measures, it can increase the risk of insider threats and the mishandling of confidential data. Even a single malware USB can lead to huge damage and affect the organization’s security posture badly.
In this blog, we will understand the hidden risk of USB drives and learning how to test USB drives safely.
Hidden Risks of USB Drives
The following are the hidden risks of USB drives which can be used to harm an individual or the organization:
- Infected By Malware and Viruses: The infected USB drives can lead to the spread of ransomware, spam or trojans when plugged into the system.
- Data Theft: Lost or stolen USB drives containing confidential data pose huge risks to businesses and individuals. These can be used to secretly exfiltrate data or inject harmful scripts.
- Hardware-Based Attacks: USB Killer devices can fry the system’s internal hardware by delivering high-voltage shocks. It can also be used to manipulate firmware to carry out malicious activities.
- Supply Chain Security Risks: Use of untrusted USB drives from unknown sources may contain pre-installed malware or unauthorized tracking software.
Real-World USB Attack Targeting the IT Industry
USB-Based Spread of PlugX Malware
- Incident: In 2024, cybersecurity officials discovered a widespread campaign which involved PlugX malware, which is a remote access trojan (RAT). It was delivered through infected USB devices. Attackers used these techniques to steal confidential data and maintain its persistence over the network.
- Impact: This attack resulted in the impact of more than 4,000 systems being compromised in various organizations, including IT-related ones.
- Key Highlights: This incident highlighted the risk of USB drives, which are still a high-risk vector and need to provide security awareness training to the employees.
Source: Reuters
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How To Test USB Drives Safely
When encountering an unknown or suspicious USB drive, it’s vital to avoid plugging it directly into your personal or corporate system. Here are methods for testing safely:
When there is doubt about encountering an unknown or suspicious USB drive, it’s always preferred to avoid plugging it directly into corporate or personal devices.
Here are the following ways to test USB drives safely:
Scan For Malware Before Use
- Use of antivirus software for scanning USB devices to find malicious files.
- There is a need to disable the auto-run feature on the systems to prevent automatic execution of unknown software.
Use of a dedicated Test System
- Avoid plugging the unknown USB sticks directly into the primary devices. Always test unknown USB drives on the standalone or isolated system instead.
- Virtual machines can be used to minimize the risk of malware affecting the primary operating system.
Checking USB Hardware Integrity
- There is a need to check the integrity of the USB drives by using modern security solutions.
- Inspection of the firmware and finding the origin of the USB to detect a potential BADUSB exploit is essential.
Encrypting and Managing USB Data Safely
- There is a need to encrypt confidential data stored on USB drives to protect against unauthorized access.
- Using hardware-encrypted USB drives can be useful for enhanced security.
Implementing Security Policies
- Organizations need to ban or restrict the use of unauthorized USB devices on work devices.
- There is a need to set up endpoint security solutions for monitoring USB activities and threat detection.
Best Practices to Minimize USB Drive Risks in the Workplace
Implementation of Policies and Restricting USB Usage
- It is necessary to disable USB on systems which don’t require external storage.
- Only authorized USB drives approved by the organization should be used.
- There is a need to enforce strict policies on USB usage, which specify acceptable use cases only.
Use of Encryption and Secure USB Drives
- Enforcing hardware-encrypted USB drives can be used to store confidential data.
- There is a need to implement password protection for all removable drives containing confidential details.
- Use of BitLocker for Windows and FileVault for Mac can be done for encrypting the storage.
Scanning USB Devices For Malware Detection
- There is a need to implement automatic scanning of all USB devices before allowing access.
- It is necessary to disable the auto-run feature to prevent malware execution upon insertion.
- To monitor USB activities, there is a need to implement endpoint protection solutions.
Monitoring and Restricting USB Access
- There is a need to enable logging for tracking USB usage and detecting suspicious activities.
- Implementation of role-based access control (RBAC) and restricting USB use to specific employees is a must.
- For monitoring and preventing unauthorized access, Data Loss prevention (DLP)is necessary.
Provide Proper Awareness Training
- There is a need for training employees on the dangers of unknown USB devices.
- There is a need to conduct phishing and malware-based awareness training which are focused on USB-based attacks.
- There is a need to simulate USB-based attacks for testing employee awareness.
Conclusion
USB drives pose high cyber risks, which could lead to malware infections, data theft, and unauthorized access. To mitigate these threats, it’s necessary to handle unknown drives with caution, disabling autorun features and using an isolated environment for testing USB drives. Organizations need to run employee awareness programs to aware employees about USB drive usage and its related risks. Cybersecurity awareness training and implementation of USB usage policies can reduce these modern risks. The combination of technical safeguards with user awareness training helps organizations to reduce the risks of USB drives.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q: 1. Why are USB drives considered a security risk?
USB drives are considered to be a security risk as they can carry malware or be used to bypass security controls.
Q: 2. What types of threats can come from USB drives?
Malware, Spyware, Ransomware, BadUSB attacks and Data Theft are types of threats which can come from USB drives.
Q: 3. What is a BadUSB attack?
It’s when a USB’s firmware is reprogrammed to act as a malicious device.
Q: 4. How can I test USB drives safely?
To test USB drives safely, there is a need for scanning USB drives with monitoring tools, using isolated environments and disabling auto run.
Technical Content Writer at Threatcop
Milind Udbhav is a cybersecurity researcher and technology enthusiast. As a Technical Content Writer at Threatcop, he uses his research experience to create informative content which helps audience to understand core concepts easily.
