On Tue, Feb 23, 2010 at 10:21 AM, tjp <[email protected]> wrote: > > http://gcn.com/blogs/quick-study/2010/02/to-usb-or-not-to-usb.aspx?s=gcndaily_230210 > > "Those little USB thumb drives are very helpful little critters for > transporting data easily between one computer and another, you have to > admit. However, they are also very useful for introducing malware into a > system. That was that the reason the Pentagon banned their use in November > 2008, declaring that “Memory sticks, thumb drives and camera flash memory > cards have given the adversary the capability to exploit our poor personal > practices and have provided an avenue of attack ... malicious software > (malware) programmed to embed itself in memory devices has entered our > systems." > > Why don't they simply ban Windows? >
I could easily put together a USB drive, especially a U3-type that presents as a CD drive, with stuff for Mac OS, Windows, Linux, and others. All you need is a curious but clueless user to mess up any of those Operating Systems. Plenty of stories out there about people "losing" a handful of USB drives, and finding 80+% of them were inserted in people's computers and clicked on, compromising the computers. People who wouldn't click on a dangerous web site are likely to think that the USB they found or borrowed must have something interesting on it. Just more user education, really. -- John DeCarlo, My Views Are My Own ************************************************************************* ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *************************************************************************
