14 DAY TRIAL // The Internet is not the only way in which the networks of an organization can become infected with malware. Malware can end up on a computer even if the device is cut off from the Internet, and the easiest way to achieve this is by using a USB flash drive.
That’s how the notorious Stuxnet malware made its way to an Iranian nuclear facility a few years back. In other cases, the attackers have been known to plant malware-infected USB drives in the targeted company’s parking lot, hoping that someone would find it and insert it into a computer.
To address such issues, experts from IcarusLabs, the private research labs of the Cyber Security and Privacy Foundation, have developed a piece of software that turns any Raspberry Pi device into a handheld malware scanner.
“This device can be deployed at entrypoints where it will be used to scan the USBs that are allowed in. This will prevent malicious software from getting in. The program is also made in such a way that once it is started, no further maintenance would be necessary,” IcarusLabs wrote in a blog post announcing the handheld malware scanner application.
USB flash drives plugged into the Raspberry Pi device are scanned for any traces of malware. The antivirus engines of 44 companies are used to make sure nothing slips by.
Besides being portable and highly efficient, there’s another advantage to IcarusLabs’ software: it’s easy to use.
The company says that even non-technical individuals, such as the ones in charge of a company’s physical security, can utilize it.
According to the company, for the time being, the device is only a proof-of-concept used for research purposes. However, IcarusLabs representatives say they’re willing to share their work with any company that reaches out to them.