Wednesday, September 27, 2006

USB memory sticks pose new dangers

The ability to use tiny USB memory sticks to download and walk away with relatively large amounts of data has already made the ubiquitous devices a potent security threat in corporate environments. Now, the emergence of USB flash drives that can store and automatically run applications straight off the device could soon make the drives even more of a security headache.

Demonstrating the potential danger, Hak.5, a security-related podcast, earlier this month showed how a USB memory stick can -- in just a few seconds -- be turned into a device capable of automatically installing back doors, retrieving passwords or grabbing software product codes.

Hak.5's "hacking framework" is called USB SwitchBlade and gives hackers a way to automate different payloads running on a USB flash drive, said Darren Kitchen, the Williamsburg, Va.-based co-host of Hak.5.

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