A good reminder from our partner, KnowBe4, on USB sticks (aka thumb drives). We’ve stopped giving out branded USB sticks at events to make sure we don’t encourage folks to plug in an unknown drive. If you find one, be sure to give it to an IT professional (like your friendly WorkSmart consultant) so he or she can test it safely off the network.
Have you ever found a USB Stick/Thumb Drive, or a CD on the ground or in a parking lot? Hopefully you did not put this into your computer.
While you may be tempted by curiosity to see what data is on there, or perhaps to identify the owner, Do Not insert any of these found objects into your computer.
You may think that it is your lucky day… ‘Hey, Free USB Stick!’, but in fact it could turn out to put you in a hot seat with your IT department.
This is a common tactic used by bad guys to infiltrate your network and steal information and to gain unauthorized access.
Code can be executed simply by inserting these devices into your computer. By the time you can see what files are on it, the damage may have already been done.
- Your company should have a policy on how to handle such a situation.
- If they do, please be sure to follow the guidelines as listed in that policy.
- If you are not sure, or if your company does not have a policy, ask your IT department what you should do in this situation.
- The average cost of a cyber attack such as this one on a small company is $200,000.
- The cost to a large public corporation can cost over $6,000,000 per day of downtime.
- Remember to always refer to your company policies or consult your IT department on how to handle these situations.
–the KnowBe4 Security Team