1.1.23 Disable USB Storage - lsmod

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

See Also

https://workbench.cisecurity.org/files/2420

Item Details

Category: SYSTEM AND INFORMATION INTEGRITY

References: 800-53|SI-3, CSCv6|8.3, CSCv7|8.4, CSCv7|8.5

Plugin: Unix

Control ID: c892336122ad639df4d0fddb894ba7fc50cad6dd5d716679d3d0e5d37faf6fd6