Stay Safe From Rogue USB #AAH
USB drives, sometimes known as thumb drives, are small, readily available, inexpensive, and portable, so they are popular for storing and transporting files from one computer to another. However, these same characteristics make them appealing to attackers. It’s important to therefore stay safe from rogue USB.
Attackers can use USB drives to infect other computers with malware that can detect when the USB drive is plugged into a computer. The malware then downloads malicious code onto the drive. When the USB drive is plugged into another computer, the malware infects that computer.
Attackers may also use their USB drives to steal information directly from a computer. If an attacker can physically access a computer, he or she can download sensitive information directly onto a USB drive. Even computers that have been turned off may be vulnerable because a computer’s memory is still active for several minutes without power. If an attacker can plug a USB drive into the computer during that time, he or she can quickly reboot the system from the USB drive and copy the computer’s memory, including passwords, encryption keys, and other sensitive data, onto the drive. Victims may not even realize that their computers were attacked.
The most obvious security risk for USB drives, though, is that they are easily lost or stolen. If the data was not backed up, the loss of a USB drive can mean hours of lost work and the potential that the information cannot be replicated. And if the information on the drive is not encrypted, anyone who has the USB drive can access all of the data on it.
Safety tips:
- Never plug in a random USB device into your laptops or computers
- Use USB drives from reputable sources — avoid shady third party suppliers or USB drives handed out at conferences
- Never ever use pre-owned USB devices
- Use passwords and encryption on your USB drive to protect your data, and make sure that you have the information backed up in case your drive is lost.
- Keep personal and business USB drives separate. Do not use personal USB drives on computers owned by your organization, and do not plug USB drives containing corporate information into your personal computer.
- Disable Autorun. The Autorun feature causes removable media such as CDs, DVDs, and USB drives to open automatically when they are inserted into a drive. By disabling Autorun, you can prevent malicious code on an infected USB drive from opening automatically
- Lock the USB port on your computer and only allow access to trusted administrators
Watch the video for more important safety tip to stay safe from rogue USB.
Stay Aware, Stay Safe!
Jai Hind, Jai Bharat!
PS- we have compiled several of these tips from experts/ orgs on the internet.
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ABOUT ‘AKANCHA AGAINST HARASSMENT’
‘Akancha Against Harassment’ is India’s largest social impact initiative against cyber harassment. It was founded by Miss Akancha Srivastava in February 2017. It’s a not-for-profit Section 8 organization.
Honorary Board of advisors
Foundation’s advisory board hosts – Former Special DGP RK Vij (Chattisgarh), ADG Navniet Sekera (Uttar Pradesh), Special IG Krishna Prakash (Maharashtra), Dr Poonam Verma (Principal- SSCBS, Delhi University)
Goals of this initiative
The initiative aims at Education, Empowerment & Bridging of general population with the authorities.
Support of the Indian Police for the initiative
Bridging is the most unique attribute of the initiative. We have a host of over 65+ senior police officers from across the country supporting us in content & awareness drive.
This unique strength helps us address any victim complaints that come to us as well as inform people about various measures of law enforcement across the country.
Multilingual AI Chat helpline for cyber safety
We run India’s only private national multilingual AI chat helpline for cyber safety. This helpline is currently available in Hindi & English on our website. It can be accessed from any internet enabled device. You can chat here anonymously, fearlessly.
Stay Aware, Stay Safe.