As a follow-up to yesterday's diary entry by Mark Hofman...

Whether its the Secure Digital device in your Digital Camera, or the USB Flash Drive that you carry around the office, the convenient and widespread use of Flash Memory Devices also offers a negative element - as an effective method of malicious software propagation.

One senario that recently became a negative experience for a relative of mine involved the use of a "kiosk" based photo printing system at a retail outlet.  After exhausting all methods of trying to understand how her computer became compromised, it quickly became aparent when I discovered an AUTORUN.INF file on her camera's SD card.

All future visits to "kiosks" now involve CD-ROMs containing her pictures for printing.

While some Flash memory devices do offer a convenient Write Protection Switch, I am only aware of two major manufactures of Flash USB devices that offer such a feature.

Do exercise care and caution when handling your Flash Memory Devices this Holiday weekend, and everyday for that matter.

G.N. White