Lax USB stick security causing havoc

According to a straw poll carried out at Infosecurity Europe last month, 90 per cent of the 12,000 attendees routinely carried portable storage devices. The survey also showed that 80 per cent of visitors believed their company had lost valuable confidential data through the use of these devices.

SmartLine, a developer of network management and end-point security offerings, conducted a short survey on its stand.

"Although these gadgets are designed to be perfectly harmless, it does not take much for them to become a major security headache. It is all too easy to use them to siphon off valuable data.

"Even legitimate users can simply lose the device, or have it stolen. Organisations need to ensure that they have the right security measures in place to protect themselves from this type of data leakage."(more)

Some companies stamp their logos onto USB sticks and use them as give-a-ways. Keep in mind that this may be the perfect Trojan Horse gift - if pre-loaded with spyware, the infection begins the second you plug it in. Don't let visitors stick you either. ~ Kevin