INTRO TO CYBER SECURITY

Malicious USB Prevention

In recent years, data has been corrupted or stolen due to portable storage devices that either contain malware or are used to copy data from a business network. In this lab, you will use various tools to prevent USB devices from accessing a device.

Learning Goals

Understand the potential harm that can come from removable USB storage devices. Use tools to block USB storage devices from connecting to a computer.

Materials

Windows 10 (with Administrator access) USB storage device

Procedures ( QUESTION STARTS FROM HERE)

1. Launch the Start menu and conduct a search using the syntax gpedit.msc. Press the [Enter] key.

2. Select Computer Configuration>Administrative Templates>System from the left pane.

3. Scroll down and double-click on Removable Storage Access. Note that the default setting established for these options is Not configured.

4. Scroll down and locate the three entries for Removable Disks. Double-click on Removable Disks, and then select Deny read access. You want to prevent this type of disk from being read. Review the available help to determine if you should choose enable or disable. Select your choice and choose Apply.

5. Leave your screen open. Open the Windows command prompt and run the gpupdate command. Once the policy has been updated on this computer, insert a portable USB storage device and attempt to access the files.

6. To reverse the policy, change the Deny read access to the appropriate option. Update your policy again using gpupdate.

7. Attempt to access your USB device again. Were you able to access it?

8. Review the other options under Removable Storage Access. Which settings would you recommend if you want to prevent data loss from a user copying files to portable storage devices? List all settings that apply in the space provided.