Digital Trends

Device Authorisation Service

The increased popularity of portable mass storage devices that are automatically detected and installed by Windows Plug & Play, has introduced a significant security risk for corporations. The main concern with the use of this type of devices for Risk & Security managers are:ConfidentialityCorporate data can be copied to a portable storage device and removed outside the company boundary and possibly misused or disclosed to unauthorised parties.Malicious codeA portable storage device attached to a PC in the corporate environment may contain malicious code in terms of viruses and worms that could possibly spread throughout the enterpriseThe challenge with controlling devices attached to USB ports is to distinguish between devices that have a legitimate use and devices that may be of cause of concern for security reasons. A simple solution could be to simply disable USB ports in the computers BIOS and effectively disable all USB attached devices. However, this would also disable devices such as printers, pointing devices or keyboards.The Device Authorisation Service is a Windows Service that provides the flexibility to control access on a per user basis to:External Storage DevicesCD-Rom/DVD DrivesFloppy DisksDigital CamerasAuthorisation to use a device is based on Windows group membership that may be managed locally on single installations, or through Active Directory restricted groups in an enterprise environment.