USB FLASH DRIVES REVOLUTIONIZE PORTABLE STORAGE BUT POSE SECURITY RISKS FOR ORGANIZATIONS

 

Over the last few years USB Flash Drives have become a must-have item for computer users everywhere. We rely on them to transport all kinds of data including letters, spreadsheets, presentations, music and movies. The capacity, physical size and speed of these drives have increased.

But there are some risks associated with this small device capable of storing vast amounts of data being kept in the pockets and on the key chains of millions of workers at companies/organizations across the world.

The first risk is a loss of productivity; workers could use their USB Flash Drives to bring in software that is not suitable for the workplace and that could cause disruption. Employees could also use the fast internet access usually provided in the corporate network to download illegal or unsavoury material onto their USB Flash Drives that could damage the company’s reputation and potentially cause spyware or adware infections.

The second risk is of workers bringing viruses, trojans, malware or adware into the workplace on USB Flash Drives. An employee with poor security on home computer can bring a file he/she has been working on at home into the workplace on USB Flash Drive and plug it into a company machine. This could expose the corporate network to all kinds of viruses or malicious code that may have been transferred on the USB Flash Drive from an unprotected computer.

The third and most serious risk is the theft of confidential data or “data leakage”. There have been many cases in the past where workers are given access to confidential information and abuse their position by copying sensitive data onto a USB Flash Drive. It could cause the possibility of negative press coverage, and even subject to legal action.

There is also the possibility of a USB Flash Drive containing confidential information being lost or misplaced by accident. A USB Flash Drive dropping out of the pocket of a worker could mean a database with private information falling into the hands of unscrupulous people.

There is now a solution to the problem of data leakage - a USB Flash Drive with strong 256-bit AES hardware-based. The SanDisk Cruzer Enterprise, available from Lucid IT Security, is the answer IT professionals have been looking for. It is specifically designed to meet the unique USB security, compliance and manageability needs of enterprises. Rather than rely upon users to secure files, it imposes mandatory access control on all files, storing them in a hardware-encrypted, password-protected partition. The Cruzer Enterprise is also the first secure USB flash drive to fully support Apple Mac OS X computers, and can be initialized from either a Macintosh or a Windows computer.

 

(Alex Culshaw, http://www.articlesphere.com, January, 2009)

 

 

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