HT TECH wants to start sending you push notifications. Click allow to subscribe

Found an abandoned USB drive on the street? Don’t pick it up

In one in five instances in a survey done by trade association COMPITA, abandoned USB drives were picked up and connected to a device and the files searched and links clicked on.

By: AFP
Updated on: Oct 27 2015, 15:10 IST
In one in five instances in a survey done by trade association COMPITA, abandoned USB driveswere picked up and connected to a device and the files searched and links clicked on. (Razor512/Creative Commons)

The chances are that if you find a penny and pick it up, there's still an all-day possibility of good fortune. However, the same cannot be said of an abandoned flash drive. Pick one of those up and there's an all-day risk of falling prey to some form of cybercrime.

To highlight how easy it is to completely expose one's digital life, simply via misplaced altruism, the US IT Industry Trade Association -- CompTIA -- conducted a social experiment. It left 200 unbranded USB flash drives in busy areas in Chicago, Cleveland, San Francisco and Washington DC to see what would happen. In one in five instances, the drive was picked up and connected to a device and the files searched and links clicked on.

You may be interested in

Mobiles Tablets Laptops
7% OFF
Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max
  • Black Titanium
  • 8 GB RAM
  • 256 GB Storage
₹148,900₹159,900
Buy now
23% OFF
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra 5G
  • Green
  • 12 GB RAM
  • 256 GB Storage
₹115,999₹149,999
Buy now
Google Pixel 8 Pro
  • Obsidian
  • 12 GB RAM
  • 128 GB Storage
₹106,998
Check details
Apple iPhone 15 Plus
  • Black
  • 6 GB RAM
  • 128 GB Storage
₹87,900
Check details
21% OFF
Acer Swift Go SFG14 41 NX KG3SI 002 Laptop
  • Pure Silver
  • 8 GB RAM
  • 512 GB SSD
₹58,990₹74,999
Buy now
39% OFF
Acer Aspire 5 A515 57G Laptop
  • Gray
  • 16 GB RAM
  • 512 GB SSD
₹54,949₹89,999
Buy now
22% OFF
Acer Aspire 3 A315 24 NX KDESI 004 Laptop
  • Silver
  • 8 GB RAM
  • 512 GB SSD
₹33,499₹42,999
Buy now
39% OFF
Asus VivoBook 15 X515JA BQ322WS Laptop
  • Transparent Silver
  • 8 GB RAM
  • 512 GB SSD
₹31,490₹51,990
Buy now
34% OFF
Xiaomi Pad 6
  • Mist Blue
  • 6 GB RAM
  • 128 GB Storage
₹26,299₹39,999
Buy now
55% OFF
Lenovo Tab M10 5G
  • Abyss Blue
  • 6 GB RAM
  • 128 GB Storage
₹20,999₹47,000
Buy now
32% OFF
Realme Pad 2
  • Imagination Grey
  • 6 GB RAM
  • 128 GB Storage
₹19,790₹28,999
Buy now
Honor Pad X9
  • Gray
  • 4 GB RAM
  • 128 GB Storage
₹14,999
Check details

"These actions may seem innocuous, but each has the potential to open the door to the very real threat of becoming the victim of a hacker or a cybercriminal," said Todd Thibodeaux, president and CEO, CompTIA.

Also read: Looking for a smartphone? To check mobile finder click here.

The study is a great way of highlighting how simple it is to fall victim to a potential cyber attack -- especially when not in a digital safety frame of mind.

But the experiment was also used to publicise a new in-depth white paper (which includes a study of 1200 full-time workers in the US) on the subject that suggests businesses as well as individuals need to take greater responsibility when it comes to cyber safety.

For example, 94% of workers said they regularly access public Wi-Fi with a company device and 69% of that number do so for conducting business.

What's more, over 60% use their business devices for personal activities, 36% use their work email for personal correspondence, and 38% re-appropriate their work passwords for other logins.

All of which are just a small sample of the many activities exposed in the report that can lead to both personal and corporate data exposure.

"Employees are the first line of defense, so it's imperative that organizations make it a priority to train all employees on cybersecurity best practices," said Thibodeaux.

What this means is that businesses should approach cyber security training and awareness as an on-going exercise that continually informs and educates workers and teaches lessons they can apply at home.

"We can't expect employees to act securely without providing them with the knowledge and resources to do so," said Thibodeaux.

Catch all the Latest Tech News, Mobile News, Laptop News, Gaming news, Wearables News , How To News, also keep up with us on ,Twitter, Facebook, , and Instagram. For our latest videos, subscribe to our YouTube channel.

First Published Date: 27 Oct, 15:09 IST

Sale

Mobiles Tablets Laptops
4% OFF
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra
  • Titanium Black
  • 12 GB RAM
  • 256 GB Storage
₹129,999₹134,999
Buy now
7% OFF
Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max
  • Black Titanium
  • 8 GB RAM
  • 256 GB Storage
₹148,900₹159,900
Buy now
13% OFF
Xiaomi 14
  • Matte Black
  • 12 GB RAM
  • 512 GB Storage
₹69,999₹79,999
Buy now
10% OFF
Apple iPhone 15 Plus
  • Black
  • 6 GB RAM
  • 128 GB Storage
₹80,990₹89,900
Buy now
57% OFF
Lenovo Tab M10 5G
  • Abyss Blue
  • 6 GB RAM
  • 128 GB Storage
₹19,999₹47,000
Buy now
38% OFF
Realme Pad 2
  • Imagination Grey
  • 6 GB RAM
  • 128 GB Storage
₹17,999₹28,999
Buy now
13% OFF
Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 5G 256GB
  • Graphite
  • 8 GB RAM
  • 256 GB Storage
₹88,058₹101,398
Buy now
28% OFF
realme Pad 2 WiFi
  • Imagination Grey
  • 6 GB RAM
  • 128 GB Storage
₹17,999₹24,999
Buy now
23% OFF
Infinix INBook X1 Neo XL22 Laptop Intel Celeron Quad Core 8 GB 256 GB SSD Windows 11
  • Blue
  • 4 GB RAM
  • 128 GB SSD
₹22,990₹29,990
Buy now
36% OFF
Infinix INBook X1 Pro Laptop
  • Black
  • 8 GB RAM
  • 256 GB SSD
₹44,990₹69,999
Buy now
29% OFF
Asus VivoBook 15 X515JA EJ522TS Laptop
  • Grey
  • 8 GB RAM
  • 512 GB SSD
₹44,689₹62,889
Buy now
34% OFF
Asus ROG Strix G17 G713QM K4215TS Laptop
  • Black
  • 16 GB RAM
  • 1 TB SSD
₹180,990₹272,990
Buy now