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Are USB storage devices a serious enterprise risk?

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There are various options for controlling the use of these devices. One is to disable Universal Plug and Play, which automatically loads USB storage devices as a drive, though this method is a little draconian. A better solution is to control which USB devices are allowed to connect to your systems. GFI EndPointSecurity, for example, allows administrators to manage and log access and activity of storage devices such as USB drives, as well as communication devices like BlackBerrys. I would combine this type of product with some form of application control at the desktop. Safend Protector, for example, allows smart storage devices to be used as mere simple storage devices -- so long as they comply with the rest of your storage policy. The tool also blocks smart functionality so that programs can't be run from the device. Finally, if you are thinking of upgrading to Windows Vista, check out its built-in USB device control features.

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This was first published in March 2007

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