1.1.23 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.

Solution

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

Additional Information:

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.

See Also

https://workbench.cisecurity.org/files/2971

Item Details

Category: SYSTEM AND INFORMATION INTEGRITY

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

Plugin: Unix

Control ID: 54f6b3fcf8af17de690060002356d5bfd9878cb5fd13b6af29e8f7e0ab9391cf