Sandisk™ 8GB Cruzer Titanium USB Flash Drive animation
I have a love/hate relationship with USB Flash Drives: I have a few of these Cruzer
Titanium USB drives of varying capacities, but the 16GB version I have on my key
chain has been trodden on (also by my horse, Papillion), dropped in the mud, been
through the washing machine and dryer (I really would not recommend trying this),
and yet has survived to tell the tale! I don’t think even Sandisk would expect it
to survive this kind of punishment. I keep the data secure using the fantastic Truecrypt
software, and have challenged my techie friends to crack it - so far none have managed
it.
So, overall I am very happy with my little drives.
Having said all that, their diminutive size and yet extraordinary capacity makes
me nervous...
Okay, they are innocuous devices that do nothing more than help people carry around
their most important files.
I feel really strongly that individuals and ALL companies need to be reminded about
the safe use of portable storage devices. A USB drive is an important business tool
for many people, the fact that they are cheap, portable and spacious has helped an
increasingly mobile workforce do their job.
But, flash drives - and other small storage devices - are a definite management headache
for many if not ALL companies.
Rogue storage devices
Many companies simply have NO idea how these drives are being used, and for that
matter, the same goes for any removable media. The security firm Insightix has showed
that organisations can have large numbers of "rogue" devices joining their networks
every day. The company said that, on average, 20% of the devices connecting to a
large organisation's network could be classed as "rogue". Unless organisations know
who is connecting to their network and what they are using, managing what they are
doing is impossible.
The head of forensics at Detica, said the roominess of USB drives made them dangerous
devices to leave unwatched and uncontrolled.
"The reality is that you can easily buy a very high capacity drive that will hold
an awful lot of intellectual property or government secrets."
"If a companies security policy/protocol is a hindrance rather than a help then users
will try to avoid it - and generally succeed!"
"On a well-managed network that's policed properly, it's very difficult for members
of team A to access team B's data."
At the very least, data on USB drives should be encrypted so that should it go astray
there is not much that can be done with it.
So, please be careful with your data, regularly back it up, be careful about accessability
to your data, who has access, why they need it, and what can be done with it. Remember,
the value of your PCs, laptops, netbooks, gadgets and cellphones is generally insignificant
compared to the often priceless value of your stored data/information (documents,
photos, music, etc.)
