1.1.23 Disable USB Storage - modprobe

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: /etc/modprobe.d/usb_storage.conf
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.

See Also

https://workbench.cisecurity.org/files/3152

Item Details

Category: SYSTEM AND INFORMATION INTEGRITY

References: 800-53|SI-3, CSCv6|3.1, CSCv7|8.4, CSCv7|8.5

Plugin: Unix

Control ID: 3db9830546cfc2460c5b4eea8898cc4f2a7ee2ce36a0887b036e62ab437f320d