Security Controls for Monitored Use of USB Devices Based on the NIST Risk Management Framework
Rajbhooshan Bhakte, Pavol Zavarsky, Sergey Butakov · 2016
Universal Serial Bus (USB) is one of the most popular and extensively used technologies in the world due to its user friendly nature and ease of use. It is also one of the most widely targeted technologies by hackers. Hackers have discovered a vulnerability in the USB technology, known as "Bad USB", that allows them to plant and execute a malware at any desired time once the USB device is connected to the operating system (OS). The malware remains undetected from the security applications installed in the OS because it is embedded in the firmware of the USB device and security applications usually do not scan the firmware. This makes the malware pose a significant risk to the OS since it can stay undetected and can execute itself at a pre-planned time without the knowledge of the user or the security applications installed in the OS. This research paper aims to address this vulnerability and mitigate the risks posed by it by (i) building a Bad USB device and testing it in a controlled OS environment, studying the results and (ii) recommending security controls based on the U. S. National Institute of Standards and Technology risk management framework. The recommendations are divided into three categories, those are Technical, Operational and Management. Using the outlined solutions and following the recommendations provided in this paper, organizations and individual users can protect their information assets from being exploited by any risk posed by the Bad USB threat.