Five Ways to Protect Your Flash Disk

Most people know that the internet is a hotbed of virus activity. They know to protect their computers. However, a growing number of users have found their computers infected even though they have the latest anti-virus software to protect them. The source of these infections is not the internet, but rather an infected flash disk connected to their computers. Flash disk virus infections are a growing concern. Here are some ways you can protect your computer from this method of attack.

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Know where your flash disk has been.

It is a common practice to trade a flash disk around the office. Oftentimes, co-workers need to share information and files. Your drive could accidentally become infected while in the hands of an unwitting co-worker. Just like sharing silverware, this can rapidly lead to the spread of infection. When you avoid giving your drive to anyone, you are protecting everyone from the spread of harmful software.

Use flash disk anti-virus software.

Check your virus-scan software to make sure it has USB protection built in. Many of the best anti-virus software applications will scan anything that is connected to the computer, no matter how it is introduced to the system. However, you cannot rely on this alone. A physically inserted flash drive will often bypass a virus scan. Computers read these drives as merely an extension of the computer system, so they see no reason to check external hardware unless you instruct them to do so.

To avoid this problem, you can do two things:

First, you should perform a check on the drive as soon as it is inserted. Before you move anything from the drive onto your computer, do a quick scan.

Second, you can obtain some very good flash disk protection applications for little or no cost. The most commonly used is one called ClamWin. Once installed, you can use it to run a basic sweep to check your drive for infections. It takes a few minutes and can save you hours in the long run.

Transfer files one at a time.

Infections like to hide in the background of directories. They are usually disguised as EXE or ZIP files. If you take the extra time to know exactly which files you are moving rather than selecting an entire directory, you can often avoid introducing harmful malware into your system.

Keep your drive clean.

Much like cleaning out your closet, don't let files build up on your flash disk. A cluttered mass of files is the easiest place for malware, spyware and Trojans to hide. A tidy drive is often a safe drive. It is easier to see any corrupted or suspect files. It also makes scans easier for protection software.

The best idea is to scan the drive, move the files and then format the drive periodically to completely eradicate any infections.

Write protect your drive.

This goes along with the first point, which is to know where your drive has been. Write protection will keep any unsolicited material from being added to your drive without your express consent. Most drives come with this option pre-loaded, but you can add write protection software for extra security.

A flash disk is as dangerous as it is useful. These devices can become infected with files that can destroy entire networks more easily than whole computer systems can. As with most security measures, a little time, patience and discipline are all that you need to avoid a flash drive infection from reaching your system.

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