FutureSoft Warns of Unsecured Removable Media Security Threat

Businesses at risk from flash drives, MP3 players, other portable storage devices

Houston, TX-July 22, 2004

The growing number of high capacity portable storage media devices poses a potentially huge security threat to businesses, warns FutureSoft, the Houston-based makers of the DynaComm i:series Enterprise Content Security product family. Such devices bypass traditional safeguards and open the Enterprise to a range of threats because they remain invisible to normal perimeter-based security.

Flash drives and MP3 players, which many employees bring into the organization, can be plugged into any USB port and are automatically recognized by recent Windows operating systems. They can transport very large quantities of data and that, according to FutureSoft, is why they are so dangerous.

The risks come from the fact that there is no way to control what is already on the devices when they are connected to the corporate network, nor is it easy to control what is transferred onto them.

In the first case, FutureSoft warns, such things as Trojans, hacking tools, viruses, worms, or any number of other malware infections can simply walk in the door and bypass corporate security systems and procedures. A single infected file on a flash memory stick, they say, could cause thousands, or even millions, of dollars of damage.

What is even more concerning is that the huge storage capacity of modern MP3 players and other removable storage devices, means that they can be used to steal considerable quantities of sensitive or propriety information.

Rick Mansel, President and CEO of FutureSoft comments, “With the report published earlier this month by Gartner, warning of the dangers of devices like the Apple iPod or USB hard drives being used in corporate networks, it’s clear that businesses are starting to see the risks they represent. Companies lose billions of dollars every year through intellectual property theft, and as more of these devices become used in corporate networks, the risk that they can be used to steal information grows. What’s needed is a secure solution that manages how, where and when these media devices can be connected to a network.”

Companies that fail to implement such secure access policies face not only the risk of data theft, but also prosecution under privacy laws, and damage to their reputation, which is potentially the most expensive consequence of all.

“A company that loses a customer’s credit card information, or a hospital that can’t protect patient records," Mansel continues, "is going to face a lot of difficulty regaining that trust in the future. That's why we’re seeing more and more interest in technology, such as that found in our patent-pending DynaComm i:scan software, which enables even very large organizations to securely implement network-wide policies for access to removable media devices.”

DynaComm i:scan, FutureSoft's File Surveillance software solution, enables administrators and managers to centrally control any removable media device the instant it is connected to a system. It can either monitor and report on file transfers to and from these devices, or even disable their operation, all in real-time.

As part of the DynaComm i:series Enterprise Content Security product family, DynaComm i:scan provides the necessary protection from malware, adware, spyware, data theft and other ‘insider threats’that businesses need to maintain legal compliance and protect their most vital business assets.

About FutureSoft

Founded in 1982, FutureSoft is an international software company focused on the development of Enterprise Content Security solutions. The DynaComm i:series product suite allows organizations to filter and monitor Internet and e-mail access and also to track and categorize individual files stored within their network. For more information, contact Futuresoft at (800) 989-8908, send an e-mail, or visit the DynaComm i:series Web site at www.dciseries.com.

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