The number of cyber threats designed to use USB sticks and other external media devices as launching pads doubled in 2021, according to new research from Honeywell, the industrial automation giant.
Of those threats, 79% could be used to disrupt operational technology systems, researchers found. The report was based on cybersecurity threat data collected from hundreds of industrial facilities over a 12-month period. The company did not immediately provide details on the specific type of threat data detected.
“USB-borne malware was a serious and expanding business risk in 2020, with clear indications that removable media has become part of the playbook used by organized and targeted attacks, including ransomware,” Eric Knapp, director of cybersecurity research at Honeywell Connected Enterprise said in a statement.
Since many industrial systems are cut off from the internet, external devices like USB drives can provide hackers with a foothold into sensitive networks. USB drives have been known to carry infamous malware strains including…
