1.1.23 Disable USB Storage - lsmod

Information

USB storage provides a means to transfer and store files insuring persistence and availability of the files independent of network connection status. Its popularity and utility has led to USB-based malware being a simple and common means for network infiltration and a first step to establishing a persistent threat within a networked environment. Restricting USB access on the system will decrease the physical attack surface for a device and diminish the possible vectors to introduce malware.

Solution

Edit or create a file in the /etc/modprobe.d/ directory ending in .conf Example: vim /etc/modprobe.d/usb-storage.conf
and add the following line: install usb-storage /bin/true Run the following command to unload the usb-storage module: rmmod usb-storage

See Also

https://workbench.cisecurity.org/files/2518

Item Details

Category: CONFIGURATION MANAGEMENT

References: 800-53|CM-7, CSCv7|8.4, CSCv7|8.5

Plugin: Unix

Control ID: 5c743e595ac9d22446f3fd1da12e42df805bdd3dc2ec512b67afb7e290c46b26