Common Sense – or Lack of it – at the Front Door of Cyber Defense

    HUNTSVILLE, AL, August 29, 2019 /24-7PressRelease/ -- The physical points of access to the data networks and information systems that make life as we know it today possible are often unguarded. Spending $170 billion a year globally on cybersecurity without protecting data ports and connectors is like installing in your home every sophisticated electronic security device available – and leaving the front door wide open.

Not only is this strange circumstance counter-intuitive, it is considered by some to be the greatest vulnerability of all in cyber defense. First, the bulk of attention and activity is devoted to online and cloud-based defenses – programs and software. Second, the most historic failures of cyber defense came from attacks on open data ports. All it would have taken to prevent them was a simple USB port lock.

Yes, many of the attacks that have made headlines over the years were perpetrated by scattering unidentified flash drives and letting human nature take its course. It seems that, without a USB port lock in place, even the best-trained, most highly indoctrinated personnel don't hesitate to plug a "found" memory device into any data port that isn't protected by a USB port lock.

Add to this unruly data-storage-and-exchange impulse the common daily behavior of plugging-in personal mobile devices at work to sync or charge, and you have the most widespread breach of data access known. It comes not from specialized geniuses or devoted hackers, but rather from practically anyone with access to a data port not protected by a USB port lock.

The Attention of a Recognized Authority

Small and inexpensive, the USB port lock might be hard to take seriously, but consider the size of what it solves – stopping insider threats. And stopping insider threats has been the focus of many highly reputable organizations.

Carnegie Mellon University's Common Sense Guide to Mitigating Insider Threats is now in its sixth edition. Since it was first published in 2005, the guide has continually been expanded, evolved, and developed to keep pace with the dynamic and escalating nature of cybersecurity threats from both employee/associates and business partners. The Common Sense Guide comes from an uncommonly well-qualified source.

And who are the insiders? One of the evolutions of the sixth edition was to define "insider" as someone who has, or had, authorized access to assets. The assets might be data, channels of communication, systems, or devices. Because these are the sources of the threats, and these are the points of attack, shouldn't protecting the actual, physical points of access to your vital data networks and information systems with USB port locks be a top-tier priority?

Anyone who walks in the door of your operation qualifies for this definition of the threat. And in a sense, the more operational, the more trusted that person is (or was), the greater the potential damage he or she could cause – whether intentionally or unintentionally. It kind of makes the USB port lock see a bit more important, doesn't it?

The USB Port Lock – a Solution as Small as a Thumbnail

The engineering elegance of the USB port lock is disguised by its size. The importance of its contribution is belied by its reasonable price. The USB port lock from The Connectivity Center is available in entry-level and professional grades. Both varieties physically block access to any of the hundreds of unused USB ports that lie open in the workplace. They require no electricity, software, or special expertise to install, and no maintenance or upgrades to operate. A Smart Keeper USB Port Lock Key is required to control access and restrict the guarded ports to only authorized personnel.

The efficiency and speed of USB data ports have made them nearly universal and resulted in that design's use for many of the high-speed cables that are used to unite devices and peripherals in the workplace. This had made protecting those connecting ports just as important as the USB data ports themselves.

Among the hundreds of solutions you'll find from The Connectivity Center are a variety of locking 4K high-speed cables and both the entry-level and professional series of the Smart Keeper USB Port Lock Key. Together with the Smart Keeper collection of computer and laptop security devices, they provide you with the PC security you need, without sacrificing the access that makes your system so vital to operations. Its Link Lock connectors and the https://www.connectivitycenter.com/smart-keeper-link-lock-hub.html serve not only as secure USB connections, but also lock your devices so that they cannot be removed without authorized access.

Isn't it time those "inside jobs" were put to an end?

About The Connectivity Center

The Connectivity Center is a supplier of some of the leading physical cyber security and AV connection technologies. The company is especially known for its Smart Keeper series – a portfolio of physical data security products. The Connectivity Center brand prides itself in quality, value, variety, and versatility. We want to be a one stop shop for most of your connectivity needs and we love to serve our partners in this evolving industry.

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