1.1.24 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
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/3393

Item Details

Category: CONFIGURATION MANAGEMENT, SYSTEM AND SERVICES ACQUISITION

References: 800-53|CM-1, 800-53|CM-2, 800-53|CM-6, 800-53|CM-7, 800-53|CM-7(1), 800-53|CM-9, 800-53|SA-3, 800-53|SA-8, 800-53|SA-10, CSCv7|8.4, CSCv7|8.5

Plugin: Unix

Control ID: b0467ec915a1aa9d46a4d40bd93c3ed64ff8953db7e5d9b3f69158125f3d79b1