1.1.23 Disable USB Storage - modprobe

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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/2521

Item Details

Category: CONFIGURATION MANAGEMENT

References: 800-53|CM-7, CSCv6|3.1, CSCv7|8.4, CSCv7|8.5

Plugin: Unix

Control ID: 29dc5bcf38f55a798b5fca4e0bc41e8e02386133d0758d7c0e96f4ca38237872