Thumb Drive Safety

Flash drive, jump drive, thumb drive, no matter what you call it, these days just about everyone uses them. However, most people aren't aware that thumb drives can be a potential safety hazard when it comes to protecting your data.

Thumb drives are small portable storage devices that can connect to computers via a USB port. They are primarily used to store documents, software, and other media. However, because of the nature of thumb drives, there are potential dangers that users may not be aware of. The dangers of thumb drives can include:

• They are easy to lose
• Can be used to transmit malware (viruses, trojans, rootkits, etc)
• May have unsecure data
• Can auto-run software programs in the background, leaving the user unaware
• Deleting a file doesn't actually delete the file
• Can contain sensitive, private information

However there are a number of ways to help protect yourself from these potential dangers. Whenever you use a thumb drive remember to practice these safety tips:

• Encrypt your thumb drive
• Password protect your thumb drive
• Do not share with others
• Purchase from a reputable company
• Use only on trusted computers

By increasing your data privacy efforts at a person level, you can protect not only your personal information, but the information of the University as well.

For more tips on how to safely use thumb drives, check out the entire presentation here.