• Press Releases
    • Submit a press release
    • Read All
  • Advertise
  • Contact us
Sensei Inu Logo Sensei Inu Logo
Bitcoinist.com
No Result
View All Result
  • Bitcoin
    • News
    • Price
    • Businesses
    • Acceptance
    • Technology
    • Investment
    • Regulation
    • Reviews
    • Gambling
      • Bitcoin Casinos
      • Real Money Slots
      • Online Casino Real Money
      • Casino utan svensk licens
    • All Bitcoin News
  • Altcoins
    • News
    • Price
    • Ethereum
    • Ripple
    • Litecoin
    • EOS
    • NAGA
    • All Altcoin News
  • Tech
    • Blockchain
    • Security
    • FinTech
  • Industry
    • Industry News
    • Press Releases
  • Price
    • Bitcoin Price
    • Ethereum Price
    • Litecoin Price
    • Binance Coin Price
  • How to
    • Buy gift cards/mobile Top Ups with Cryptos
    • What Is Bitcoin?
    • Best Bitcoin Wallet
    • Bitcoin vs Ethereum
    • Why Use Blockchain Technology?
    • Bitcoin Cash ABC vs. Bitcoin Cash SV
    • How to Buy Cryptocurrency
    • Bitcoin Mining
    • Best Bitcoin Brokers
    • Best Bitcoin Forex Brokers
    • How To Earn Bitcoin
    • What is Facebook Libra?
    • Ripple and XRP: The Complete Guide
    • Bitcoin Casinos – Where, What and How to Play
  • Events
  • Play Games
  • Play Casino Games
  • Play Finance
  • Best crypto casino
Breaking News: Breaking: Bitcoin Repayment Plan Gets New Deadline From Mt. Gox Trustee
  • Bitcoin
    • News
    • Price
    • Businesses
    • Acceptance
    • Technology
    • Investment
    • Regulation
    • Reviews
    • Gambling
      • Bitcoin Casinos
      • Real Money Slots
      • Online Casino Real Money
      • Casino utan svensk licens
    • All Bitcoin News
  • Altcoins
    • News
    • Price
    • Ethereum
    • Ripple
    • Litecoin
    • EOS
    • NAGA
    • All Altcoin News
  • Tech
    • Blockchain
    • Security
    • FinTech
  • Industry
    • Industry News
    • Press Releases
  • Price
    • Bitcoin Price
    • Ethereum Price
    • Litecoin Price
    • Binance Coin Price
  • How to
    • Buy gift cards/mobile Top Ups with Cryptos
    • What Is Bitcoin?
    • Best Bitcoin Wallet
    • Bitcoin vs Ethereum
    • Why Use Blockchain Technology?
    • Bitcoin Cash ABC vs. Bitcoin Cash SV
    • How to Buy Cryptocurrency
    • Bitcoin Mining
    • Best Bitcoin Brokers
    • Best Bitcoin Forex Brokers
    • How To Earn Bitcoin
    • What is Facebook Libra?
    • Ripple and XRP: The Complete Guide
    • Bitcoin Casinos – Where, What and How to Play
  • Events
  • Play Games
  • Play Casino Games
  • Play Finance
  • Best crypto casino
Bitcoinist.com
No Result
View All Result
Breaking News: Breaking: Bitcoin Repayment Plan Gets New Deadline From Mt. Gox Trustee
Bitcoinist_Urbana-Champaign

University Students Risk Ransomware Infection Through USB Drives

Jp Buntinx by Jp Buntinx
7 years ago
in Breaking News, News, News teaser, Technology
0

A recent security experiment conducted at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign goes to show how insecure freely distributed USB drives can be. Almost one in two drives were taken and plugged into a computer right away, regardless of possible consequences.

Also read: Syscoin 2.0 Launches DirectBTC on Decentralized Marketplace

Please Refrain From Using Unknown USB Drives

Bitcoinist_Urbana-Champaign Ransomware USB Drives

There is something very appealing about goodies, especially if they come in the form of an item everybody can use. USB Drives present an excellent example of how dangerous these goodies can be, though, as users will plug them into their computer without giving it a second thought.

That became abundantly clear during the experiment at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus, as 48% of all USB drives were inserted into a computer without using a more secure environment first. In most cases, these drives were inserted within minutes after being picked up from the campus premises.

Albeit there was nothing wrong with the USB drives themselves, an assailant could use similar methods to distributed a virus or Bitcoin ransomware across hundreds of potential victims. It is very unsafe to pick up an untrusted USB drive, and the researchers compared it to “picking up discarded food off a sidewalk and eating it”.

Using such devices opens up all kinds of potential risks for the users, even if the drives are given away through honest intentions. Promotional actions usually involve some free USB drives being handed out, yet none of them can be trusted by default.Any of these devices may contain tools for hackers to take control of the host computer, which could have even more severe consequences.

At the same time, it is also important to note 16% of all users properly checked the USB drives before using them. This paints a worrisome picture as to how only a handful of people seem to be concerned about computer security these days. Given the number of malware and Bitcoin ransomware threats in existence today, people should be far more careful when dealing with unknown devices.

What are your thoughts on this experiment? Would you plug unknown USB drives into your computer without conducting proper scans? Let us know in the comments below!

Source: Finextra

Images courtesy of Shutterstock, Startclass

ShareTweetShareShare

Sign Up for Our Newsletter!

For updates and exclusive offers enter your email.

I consent to my submitted data being collected and stored.

Jp Buntinx

Jp Buntinx

JP Buntinx is a freelance Bitcoin writer and Bitcoin journalist for various digital currency news outlets around the world. In other notes, Jean-Pierre is an active member of the Belgian Bitcoin Association, and occasionally attends various Bitcoin Meetups in Ghent and Brussels

Related Posts

Upbit

Upbit’s Dark Hour: Fake APT Tokens Wreak Havoc In South Korea

1 day ago
Barclays

Crypto Investor Barclays Announces Closure Of UK Accounts For British Expats

2 days ago
Friend.tech

New Report Dives Into The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly Side Of Friend.Tech

3 days ago
crypto

Crypto Clients In China Targeted As Singapore Expands Money Laundering Probe

5 days ago
TikTok

TikTok Faces Challenge As Elon Musk Crypto Scams Multiply

7 days ago
Binance.US

Binance.US Hit Hard: Trading Activity Tanks 98% Amid SEC Squabble

1 week ago
Please login to join discussion

Premium Partners

Premium Casino Partners

Play Finance

Top Casinos

Trust Dice
Trust Dice
Punt Casino
Punt Casino
mBit
mBit

Press Releases

  • Pepe Coin Price Continues To Decline, Kangamoon and Shiba...

    29 mins ago
  • Polygon (MATIC) and Ripple (XRP) are in the Recovery Mode...

    38 mins ago
  • Imagine Buying Bitcoin at 20 cents! Gold Coin on the rise

    1 hour ago
  • The Growing Traffic to the Scorpion Casino Presale Hints at...

    4 hours ago
  • VeChain (VET) and Avalanche (AVAX) Market Dilemmas: New...

    10 hours ago

Bitcoin news portal providing breaking news, guides, price analysis about decentralized digital money & blockchain technology.

Bitcoin

  • News
  • Price
  • Businesses
  • Acceptance
  • Technology
  • Investment
  • Regulation
  • Reviews

Altcoins

  • News
  • Price
  • Ethereum
  • Ripple
  • Litecoin
  • EOS
  • NAGA

Categories

  • Blockchain
  • Security
  • FinTech
  • Technology
  • Trending
  • Breaking News
  • Press Releases
  • How to

Pages

  • Contact us
  • Editorial Policy
  • Advertise
© 2023 Bitcoinist.com. All Rights Reserved.
  • Bitcoin
    • News
    • Price
    • Businesses
    • Acceptance
    • Technology
    • Investment
    • Regulation
    • Reviews
    • Gambling
      • Bitcoin Casinos
      • Real Money Slots
      • Online Casino Real Money
      • Casino utan svensk licens
    • All Bitcoin News
  • Altcoins
    • News
    • Price
    • Ethereum
    • Ripple
    • Litecoin
    • EOS
    • NAGA
    • All Altcoin News
  • Tech
    • Blockchain
    • Security
    • FinTech
  • Industry
    • Industry News
    • Press Releases
  • Price
    • Bitcoin Price
    • Ethereum Price
    • Litecoin Price
    • Binance Coin Price
  • How to
    • Buy gift cards/mobile Top Ups with Cryptos
    • What Is Bitcoin?
    • Best Bitcoin Wallet
    • Bitcoin vs Ethereum
    • Why Use Blockchain Technology?
    • Bitcoin Cash ABC vs. Bitcoin Cash SV
    • How to Buy Cryptocurrency
    • Bitcoin Mining
    • Best Bitcoin Brokers
    • Best Bitcoin Forex Brokers
    • How To Earn Bitcoin
    • What is Facebook Libra?
    • Ripple and XRP: The Complete Guide
    • Bitcoin Casinos – Where, What and How to Play
  • Events
  • Play Games
  • Play Casino Games
  • Play Finance
  • Best crypto casino

© 2023 Bitcoinist. All Rights Reserved.

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy Center or Cookie Policy.