Centennial Software has released software that can
control the use of portable storage devices on enterprise
laptops.
Version 4.5 of DeviceWall enables network administrators to
track what users do with specific files and grant temporary access
to storage devices such as USB flash drives, either at specific
times or for a given amount of time.
DeviceWall can now record read/write/delete/rename actions done
to a given file or group of files. So when a user’s laptop
reconnects with the corporate network, the agent code passes this
information to the DeviceWall management console.
Although the data currently has to be called up by an
administrator, future DeviceWall versions will create a set of
alerts so that
administrators can be notified automatically if unauthorised
actions are taken on specific files.
The new version also refines the control over USB flash drives
and other storage media. The previous version could block the use
of such devices, including U3 smart USB drives or DVD drives, but
an administrator could temporarily unlock the device at a user's
request.
In the latest version, administrators can schedule temporary
use, at specific times on a given day, or grant use for a specified
time span. After that, DeviceWall would restore and enforce the
standard enterprise security policy for the devices.
It may be early days, but this sort of product, locking down the
usage of USB drives, is just the sort of thing hard-pressed
security teams probably pray for. It’s not enough bemoaning the
problems of portable data through USB drives. Find a way of locking
them down.