Network-wide control of portable storage devices

The need to control entry and exit of data via USB sticks, iPods, PDAs and other devices
You have invested in network anti-virus software, firewalls, email and web content security to protect against external threats. Yet any user can come into the office, plug in a USB stick the size of the average keychain and take in/out over 2 GB of data. This poses a tremendous threat: Users can take confidential data or they can unknowingly introduce viruses, trojans, illegal software and more – actions that can affect your network and company severely. Yet, as an administrator you have no way to control this! Group policy offers no control.

According to a 2005 FBI Computer Crime Survey, 44% of organizations have reported network intrusions from within their own organizations. Technology analyst Gartner warns that portable devices containing a USB or FireWire connection are a serious new threat to businesses. In their report, Gartner named removable media devices as a significant security risk in the workplace and advised that these can be used both to download confidential data, and also to introduce a virus into the company network.

How it works
To control access, GFI EndPointSecurity installs a small footprint agent on the machine. This agent is only 1.2 MB in size – the user will never know it is there. GFI EndPointSecurity includes a remote deployment tool based on GFI LANguard technology, allowing you to deploy the agent to hundreds of machines with just a few clicks. After installation, the agent queries Active Directory when the user logs on and sets permissions to the different nodes accordingly. If the user is not a member of a group that allows him/her access, then access to the device is blocked.
Controls access to portable storage media like USB memory sticks, SD cards (used by digital cameras) and more
USB sticks are one of the main threats as they are small, easily hidden and can store up to 4 GB of data. GFI EndPointSecurity recognizes USB storage sticks in addition to any device that can be mounted as a hard disk (whether accessed via USB, FireWire, etc.). For example, plugging a digital camera into a USB port gives users access to storage on an SD card; SD cards are available in several sizes including 2 GB and over.

Controls access to CDs and floppies
You can centrally disable users from reading or writing data to/from a CD or floppy. This way, you can block normal users from bringing in data that could be harmful to your network, such as viruses, trojans and other malware. Although you can switch off CD and/or floppy access from the BIOS, in reality this solution is impractical: You would have to physically visit the machine to temporarily switch off protection and install software. In addition, advanced users can hack the BIOS.