USB Devices Responsible for 1 in 8 Malware Attacks
USB devices are handy, powerful and convenient. They're also a major headache for IT security administrators because they're almost impossible to police and they can spread malware like wildfire.
Security software developer AVAST Software did some monitoring and research and came to the conclusion that roughly one in eight of the 700,000-plus malware incidents it identified this year were the direct result of tainted USB devices.
Researchers said the prime vulnerability is found in the "AutoRun" feature in the Microsoft Windows operating system. AutoRun alerts computer users when a new device, such as a memory stick is connected and is designed to help them choose which application should run with the new files. "AutoRun is a really useful tool, but it is also a way to spread more than two-thirds of current malware," Jan Sirmer, a security analyst at AVAST, said in the report. "The threat of USB-distributed malware is much more widespread than just the Stuxnet attacks on enterprise computers."
