1.1.24 Disable USB Storage - modprobe

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.

Rationale:

Restricting USB access on the system will decrease the physical attack surface for a device and diminish the possible vectors to introduce malware.

Notes:

An alternative solution to disabling the usb-storage module may be found in USBGuard.

Use of USBGuard and construction of USB device policies should be done in alignment with site policy.

Solution

Edit or create a file in the /etc/modprobe.d/ directory ending in .conf
Example: vim /etc/modprobe.d/usb_storage.conf
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/2925

Item Details

Category: SYSTEM AND INFORMATION INTEGRITY

References: 800-53|SI-3, CSCv7|8.4, CSCv7|8.5

Plugin: Unix

Control ID: 2b267486b2416977bffc82d2bc4e321b4bd5544dacd65039993af47a160b62bd