The theft of sensitive data via USB ports is by far the greatest risk presented by unmanaged USB devices. Companies with databases full of sensitive data such as customer information, intellectual property, and trade secrets are especially vulnerable to insider data theft as this data can be used for personal or professional gain.Ī USB blocker is an essential part of any data theft prevention strategy. By not restricting USB drives and other external devices from USB ports a data security incident is as simple as a user sneaking in an unauthorized USB flash drive, plugging it into an available port, initiating a download of sensitive data from the network to the device, then walking away. USB devices are portable, which makes them convenient for mobile data storage. It also makes them incredibly easy for a user to misplace. If a proper data backup system is not in place for crucial data there is a risk that the most up-to-date version of a file is located on a USB removable storage device. Should one of the removable devices go missing the integrity of the data will be compromised, not to mention the potential data breach if the data wasn’t encrypted. With a USB blocker you can improve data security by limiting what files are allowed to be transferred to a USB device. Since USB flash drives are capable of storing and transmitting data, they are potential vectors for malware. The infamous Stuxnet computer worm, for example, was able to infect air-gapped computers in an Iranian uranium enrichment plant when infected USB flash drives were plugged its USB port.Įven if USB drives aren’t intentionally infected with malware, personal USB devices are at a greater risk of inadvertent infections.
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