With the growing popularity of pen drives, the users are rejoicing with the ease of use and the convenience it provides to them. However the corporate and other organizations are feeling the heat generated by the pen drives which have emerges as a major security threat in the recent times. With easy access and easy connectivity to any computer having an USB port it is very easy to use an USB pen drives to copy confidential data and files on a pen drive and walk off.
Security officers of major companies and government organization have initiated the war against the pen drive. Pen drives are so small and easy to use that security of confidential data in the organizations computers is at stake. Unless drastic steps are taken, it is very easy for any employee or even a visitor to copy confidential data and remove it from the office premises. Earlier when floppies and compact discs were in vogue their limited capacities and requirement of special hardware made it difficult to smuggle confidential files on them. It was ‘difficult’ then, now it has become ‘very easy’ to accomplish such a task.
Back Office Operations (BPO) are also feeling the heat as the handle confidential data of their clients specially BPO dealing in credit card details. It is very easy to siphon off sensitive data relating to credit cards o pen drives and sell them in the criminal markets making handsome profits at the stake of the BPO’s reputation and even loss of business.
Keeping in mind the security threats, most of the companies specially the BPOs and other government, semi-government organizations have put into practice the policy of ‘Ban the Pen Drive’. Any employee found to be carrying a pen drive at work is immediately sacked from service without any notice. Pen Drives are strictly forbidden devices at these work places. But thieves are thieves, inspite of the ban imposed, if they want to steal data they do with ease using the now enormously large capacity pen drives. So the threat is some what reduced but not eliminated. |
