How do i make my USB pendrive more secure?

Discussion in 'other anti-malware software' started by Lebowsky, Apr 25, 2010.

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  1. doktornotor

    doktornotor Registered Member

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    Eh, those people have some extreme case of PEBKAC issue; seriously WTH. Tested, it works perfectly fine, no reboot needed or anything. However, it will NOT help you since what this does is disabling write via Windows registry key, i.e., on the local machine level. Not on USB media level.

    You can do the same like this with a simple REG file:

    Code:
    Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
    
    [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\StorageDevicePolicies]
    "WriteProtect"=dword:00000001
    
     
  2. Lebowsky

    Lebowsky Registered Member

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    Yes, thats what i suspected.

    [/QUOTE]

    How is the above different from this noautorun.reg file:
    Code:
    REGEDIT4
    [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\IniFileMapping\Autorun.inf]
    @="@SYS:DoesNotExist"
     
  3. doktornotor

    doktornotor Registered Member

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    Completely different thing. It disables writing on removable media. What you've posted above disables autorun only.
     
  4. Lebowsky

    Lebowsky Registered Member

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    ah i see.
    but of course, i would not want to add that to MY registry.
     
  5. HAN

    HAN Registered Member

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    I have been searching for a way to prevent writing to any/all USB drives when on untrusted machines but unless a USB has a physical write protect switch, I haven't found a way.

    RiDATA makes a few models of drives that have the switch and I have a couple. I always use one on machines that I know is infected that I am cleaning up for friends and family.

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Productcompare.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=40000522&Description=ridata&bop=And&CompareItemList=522|20-183-247^20-183-247-S01%2C20-183-239^20-183-239-S01%2C20-183-232^20-183-232-S01%2C20-183-237^20-183-237-S01
    (FWIW, my 2 drives have always been reliable. But I don't think RiDATA is known for the best USB drives. :( )

    Other than the RiDATA drives (or something like them), I learned that for now, the best you can do is make use of the autorun.inf protection that atleast keeps your PC clean. It just doesn't help your USB drive itself.
     
  6. tsilo

    tsilo Registered Member

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    Last edited: Apr 25, 2010
  7. MrBrian

    MrBrian Registered Member

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    Some more ideas here.
     
  8. Lebowsky

    Lebowsky Registered Member

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    It seems you are right. Wich a simple software loaded onto the pendrive itself would block any attempts by files froman infected system automatically getting onto the pendrive, but it seems no such software exists!
     
  9. doktornotor

    doktornotor Registered Member

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    Well, I definitely recall that Apacer supplied a utility for this. It only worked for their drives though. So, check w/ your manufacturer on their website. Other than that, well, there are SD cards with this floppy-style write-protect tab, though it's something that needs to be supported by the card reader to have any effect, it's not really a hardware-level write protection.
     
  10. Lebowsky

    Lebowsky Registered Member

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    The Panda USB vaccine is working side by side with USB disk security,
    no problems encountered.
    I was looking at my lcal PC store, to ask for pendrives that could have a read-only hardware switch that could be manually turned on and off,
    and they said as of now, they dont carry such pendrives.

    I am telling you, so many of my friends have infected pendrives, its tragic.
    And they just go on spreading the virus onto other unsuspecting people while transferring songs and movies etc.
     
  11. Konata Izumi

    Konata Izumi Registered Member

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    This one looks nice, I'll give it a try. :-*
     
  12. tsilo

    tsilo Registered Member

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    Right decision :)
    There isn't any software that will bring u better protection from USB threats.
     
  13. jmonge

    jmonge Registered Member

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    threatfire,mamutu,pe guard and defensewall will protect your usb
     
  14. Konata Izumi

    Konata Izumi Registered Member

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    too much for protecting from just usb. :<
    my pc can't handle them
     
  15. jmonge

    jmonge Registered Member

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    ofcourse just use one of those i mention;)
     
  16. Konata Izumi

    Konata Izumi Registered Member

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    I mean... I can't add one of them on top of my security arsenal mentioned in my sig.
    or it will slow me, I mean my PC. XD

    MAMUTU is nice though, but arghh its not free
     
  17. jmonge

    jmonge Registered Member

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    with PE Guard and Mamutu will not for sure slow you down;)
     
  18. Konata Izumi

    Konata Izumi Registered Member

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    Where can I find the official site for PE Guard? Is it FREE?
     
  19. doktornotor

    doktornotor Registered Member

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    Just commented on USB Guardian elsewhere.
     
  20. tsilo

    tsilo Registered Member

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    doktornotor the good thing in this software:http://www.usb-guardian.com/ is that even in Windows 7 it safely automatically opens USB stick drives, so you don't do that manually, can you understand that?
     
  21. doktornotor

    doktornotor Registered Member

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    Errr, what? You mean that it re-enables/re-implements autorun for USB sticks on W7? :eek: o_O
     
  22. tsilo

    tsilo Registered Member

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    So because of that I sad u to try this software, in that situation u will never ask me such questions :D
     
  23. doktornotor

    doktornotor Registered Member

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    See, I have absolutely no need for this kind of SW, so I won't install it. As said - I have already autorun disabled globally on every box so I couldn't even test it properly. Are you referring to the U3 nonsense here or does it seriously re-enable USB autorun on W7? What's so hard about asnwering a perfectly on-topic question here? And on another note - MS already figured out that disabling the functionality is the only way to go here. Relying on some middleware stuff produced by unknown author (??!!) to defend against malware doesn't sound like a security improvement to me personally.
     
    Last edited: May 1, 2010
  24. tsilo

    tsilo Registered Member

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  25. Lebowsky

    Lebowsky Registered Member

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    They dont protect the USB itself, only the PC in which the USB is inserted.
    I am looking for the virus not getting automatically on the USB in the first place, after being inserted into an infected PC.
     
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