Kelly.Manning@ncf.ca
Date: Sat, 15 Jul 2017 17:47:11 -0400 (EDT)
> "How do you check out shrink-wrapped commercial thumb drives?"
The commercial antivirus installed on my home computer automatically scans any portable media connected via a USB port. The scan continues unless stopped explicitly.
Doing away with auto run was a good start.
That said, scanning only works for detectable malware.
Custom or low volume malware may evade scans for a long time, unless the people using it get stupid or the check monitors patterns of access to storage and network.
Michael Haephrati and his "clients" got caught when he used his custom malware to hack ex-relatives after a bitter divorce, then posted draft novel excerpts written by one of them on the web.
Ironically the novel portrayed police investigating IT crimes as unresponsive and ineffective. In life Israeli Law Enforcement action was timely and very effective. Life is not compelled to imitate Art.
http://www.networkworld.com/article/2344015/security/four-private-investigators-in-the-israeli-trojan-fiasco-sentenced--finally-.html https://www.theguardian.com/world/2005/may/31/israel https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amnon_Jackont#Trojan_horse_exposure