1.1.10 Disable USB Storage - modprobe

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Information

USB storage provides a means to transfer and store files insuring persistence and availability of the files independent of network connection status. Its popularity and utility has led to USB-based malware being a simple and common means for network infiltration and a first step to establishing a persistent threat within a networked environment.

Rationale:

Restricting USB access on the system will decrease the physical attack surface for a device and diminish the possible vectors to introduce malware.

Solution

Edit or create a file in the /etc/modprobe.d/ directory ending in .conf
Example: vim /etc/modprobe.d/usb_storage.conf
and add the following line:

install usb-storage /bin/true

Run the following command to unload the usb-storage module:

rmmod usb-storage

Additional Information:

An alternative solution to disabling the usb-storage module may be found in USBGuard.

Use of USBGuard and construction of USB device policies should be done in alignment with site policy.

NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5:

SC-18(4)

See Also

https://workbench.cisecurity.org/files/3939