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.
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
Item Details
Category: CONFIGURATION MANAGEMENT, SYSTEM AND SERVICES ACQUISITION
References: 800-53|CM-1, 800-53|CM-2, 800-53|CM-6, 800-53|CM-7, 800-53|CM-7(1), 800-53|CM-9, 800-53|SA-3, 800-53|SA-8, 800-53|SA-10, CSCv7|8.4, CSCv7|8.5
Control ID: 4e430e7aac044258d1e1bfe33c5f2e2a69e1b4f66297bdeedc0d5e0ae5ea1464