Details
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
and add the following line:
install usb-storage /bin/true
Run the following command to unload the usb-storage module:
rmmod usb-storage
Supportive Information
The following resource is also helpful.
This security hardening control applies to the following category of controls within NIST 800-53: System and Information Integrity.This control applies to the following type of system Unix.