Royal Holloway: An enhanced approach for USB security management

USB flash drives and other USB-connected data storage devices offer a simple way of making data more portable and more easily transferrable. However, their use presents security risks that must be addressed. Apart from increasing the risk of data theft, they have often been used to transfer malware, sometimes with disastrous results. Tracing flash drive-assisted data theft or malware to the culprit can pose a challenge to cyber security professionals and managers, but the problem can be addressed with the aid of a novel USB monitoring system. This article outlines such a strategy, identifies what security attributes such a system must have, and compares the new strategy with established methods.