Emerging USB and FireWire technologies allow massive amounts of data to be transferred at lightning speeds. Devices continue to decrease in size, and the storage capacity keeps multiplying. All this makes for fast, efficient, and convenient information exchange, but there is a downside - security. Firewalls and antivirus software are no defense against the latest form of computer attack that comes via open USB and FireWire (IEEE 1394) ports. Not only can viruses, worms and Trojans get into the corporate network this way, but valuable data can leave the company in huge quantities. Unfortunately, standard access control solutions coming with Windows operating systems do not allow the assignment of permissions for USB and FireWire ports. Restricting these devices in the corporate environment will be next to impossible. Their small size allows for easy concealment anywhere on the body or in a bag.		Did you know? Employees can use tiny USB storage devices to download hundred megabytes of proprietary information and upload potentially harmful software or viruses.
All that disgruntled employees need to do is to connect a small digital camera or MP3 Player to the USB or FireWire port of any unattended computer and they are able to download confidential data or upload harmful viruses. Since the malicious attack is launched from within the organization, firewalls and antivirus software are not alerted.		Did you know? You don't have to be an administrator to install USB and FireWire devices, and you can't manage these devices via Group Policy!