Portable USB sticks are useful in both everyday and professional life. The data stored on them is often valuable and confidential. For the sake of their safety, it is worth using the media wisely and protecting them properly.
Research shows that almost half of people who find a USB flash drive with unknown content will connect it to the computer without much reflection. Curiosity wins in this case, and this can have serious consequences. An unknown USB stick can be infected with malware that will be used to steal data, receive access to files, demand ransom or spy on the user.
To avoid this type of unpleasant event, be careful not to connect to the computer media whose content we are not sure. However, if we want to do it safely, it is worth scanning the memory before running, using an antivirus program. To do this, you must disable the automatic start of data storage devices in the system.
Not only the use of unknown media can be dangerous. It is also risky to connect the pendrive to computers in public places, such as a photocopier, library or school. Viruses can transfer to our device immediately after placing on the USB port. So it’s best to avoid connecting your pen drives to computers that are unknown to us. When we have to do it, it is good to scan the suspicious computer with a free anti-virus program or online scanner.
In addition to being cautious and using common sense, it’s also worth securing access to our data on a medium. The most popular way to protect information stored on a USB stick in case of theft or loss is encryption. Using it makes it impossible to read the contents of the medium to a person who does not know the password. Free software can be used for encryption. You can encrypt the entire carrier or only the data that we care about. A slightly more convenient option is to buy a portable memory with its own encryption system.
To calmly use portable storage, it is worth following the basic security principles:
– Do not use unknown storage media.
– Avoid connecting your memory to computers that we are not sure.
– Secure your carrier with encryption – using special software or a function built into the device.
