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[BBC] IBM workers banned from using USB sticks



 
 
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  #21  
Old May 14th 18, 12:04 AM posted to alt.comp.freeware,alt.comp.hardware.pc-homebuilt,alt.windows7.general,alt.comp.os.windows-10,alt.conspiracy
Andy Burns[_6_]
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Posts: 43
Default [BBC] IBM workers banned from using USB sticks

Diesel wrote:

Frank Slootweg wrote:

That's why insert_diety invented PS/2!


Have you seen a recent motherboard that has it?


recent enough?

https://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/Z370%20Pro4/index.us.asp
  #22  
Old May 14th 18, 02:28 AM posted to alt.comp.freeware,alt.comp.hardware.pc-homebuilt,alt.windows7.general,alt.comp.os.windows-10,alt.conspiracy
Diesel[_2_]
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Default [BBC] IBM workers banned from using USB sticks

Andy Burns
Sun, 13 May 2018 23:04:03 GMT in alt.comp.freeware, wrote:

Diesel wrote:

Frank Slootweg wrote:

That's why insert_diety invented PS/2!


Have you seen a recent motherboard that has it?


recent enough?

https://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/Z370%20Pro4/index.us.asp


Ayep. You'll notice it has a single ps/2 port available. For mouse or
keyboard, not both. Short of using one of those adapters that may/may
not work. Instead of the previous standard of two. One for each...ps/2
is on it's way out, in favor of USB. It has been for quite sometime.
Give it a few more years, boards won't even include the single port
anymore, of those that still do.


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  #23  
Old May 14th 18, 02:41 AM posted to alt.comp.freeware,alt.comp.hardware.pc-homebuilt,alt.windows7.general,alt.comp.os.windows-10,alt.conspiracy
Ant
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Default [BBC] IBM workers banned from using USB sticks

In alt.windows7.general Frank Slootweg wrote:
Libor Striz wrote:
mechanic Wrote in message:
On Sun, 13 May 2018 07:05:06 +0200 (GMT+02:00), Libor Striz wrote:

"Mr. Man-wai Chang" Wrote in message:
[BBC] IBM workers banned from using USB sticks

It is a logical decision.
I do not see it as a topic.

Welcome to UseNet mate.

Being here for more then 20 years, mate.


No worries, mate. Newbies are welcome!


Ditto.
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  #24  
Old May 14th 18, 09:13 AM posted to alt.comp.freeware,alt.comp.hardware.pc-homebuilt,alt.windows7.general,alt.comp.os.windows-10,alt.conspiracy
Libor Striz
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Default [BBC] IBM workers banned from using USB sticks

"Mr. Man-wai Chang" Wrote in message:
[BBC] IBM workers banned from using USB sticks
Full story: http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-44069488

Staff at IBM have been banned from using removable memory devices such
as USB sticks, SD cards and flash drives.



In fact, USB based storages were banned in IBM multiple years ago,
unless authorized, e.g. USB stick based audit software, or
company HW/OS service department.

This time, it just gets to be more strictly controlled and
eventually software countermeasures may to be applied.


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  #25  
Old May 14th 18, 11:44 AM posted to alt.comp.hardware.pc-homebuilt
[email protected]
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Default [BBC] IBM workers banned from using USB sticks

On Sunday, May 13, 2018 at 11:20:19 AM UTC+8, Jason wrote:

I recall a few years ago reading that the Pentagon had
such a policy in place and had filled USB sockets with
epoxy to enforce it.


Last place I worked, the PCs were all fitted with DVD-ROM drives, i.e. no
burners. The front panel USB sockects were unplugged, but not the rear ones.
They were small form factor PCs, mounted under custom-made desks, that made
it pretty hard for anybody to use the rear socket with making a commotion.
  #26  
Old May 14th 18, 04:28 PM posted to alt.comp.freeware,alt.comp.hardware.pc-homebuilt,alt.windows7.general,alt.comp.os.windows-10,alt.conspiracy
Frank Slootweg
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Posts: 46
Default [BBC] IBM workers banned from using USB sticks

nospam wrote:
In article , Frank Slootweg
wrote:

The company I worked for banned them many years ago - for
reasons of (a) concern of theft of secure [either in the
government (it was a defence contractor) or commercial sense]
material, and (b) fear of infection.

Exactly. Same with the little 150K employee computer company I worked
for. As soon as USB ports showed up on computers, they were made
inoperable. (No card-readers at that time.) That was well before the
year 2000.

there weren't very many usb peripherals 'well before the year 2000' so
disabling the usb ports didn't make much of a difference.


Huh? The discussion is about USB (memory) sticks!


which didn't exist 'well before the year 2000'.


Correct. I thought it was earlier, but according to my notes, it was
probably mid-2001.

usb 1.1 was finalized in late 1998 and started to become popular in
1999 as manufacturers ramped up.

usb 1.0 and win95 'support' did exist before that, but it was more of a
technology demo than actual products.


We used Windows 2000 (and NT before that).

according to wikipedia, the first usb memory stick was available in
mid-december, 2000, so really 2001 when people could buy them.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USB_flash_drive#History
USB flash drives were invented at M-Systems, an Israeli company, in a
US patent filed in April 5, 1999 by Amir Ban, Dov Moran and Oron
Ogdan, all M-Systems employees at the time. The product was
announced by the company in September 2000, and was first sold by
IBM in 8MB capacity starting December 15, 2000.

meanwhile, ethernet ports remained active...


Duh! Yes, they were quite handy to connect to our *intra*net, thank
you very much! And yes, our Internet gateways were very secure/strict,
TYVM. (Think NET-15 (and -16.)


connect a rogue device to the intranet. done. spoof mac address (easy)
and it will go unnoticed by the admins.


Unlikely that someone trying to make a physical connection would get
unnoticed, i.e. they would have to disconnect an existing device. And
they would have to set a correct/non-clashing computer name. Not
impossible, but unlikely. And what could they do, other than infect
their own computer? No way they could get to any company data without
knowing logins/passwords, etc.. (IIRC, they also would need the client
software in order to be able to *get* a login, but I'm not absolutely
sure about that.)

if data theft and malware infection was truly a concern, they'd need to
disable floppy drives and pcmcia slots. did they?


Yes. The whole environment was locked down and all software
installation/updating was managed by the IT department. I.e. one could
only install/update software which was provide/blessed by the IT
department.

We actually sold our management software/services to our customers,
i.e. if it serves us, it would most likely suit them as well.

disabling usb was nothing more than fear of the unknown.


I wouldn't call it 'fear', but a justified precaution, *because* the
dangers were unkown.

Bottom line: Trust me, you can leave it up to a 150K employee computer
company to really lock down their own IT.
  #27  
Old May 14th 18, 04:28 PM posted to alt.comp.freeware,alt.comp.hardware.pc-homebuilt,alt.windows7.general,alt.comp.os.windows-10,alt.conspiracy
Frank Slootweg
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Posts: 46
Default [BBC] IBM workers banned from using USB sticks

Diesel wrote:
Frank Slootweg newsdacd4.9uk.1@ID-
201911.user.individual.net Sun, 13 May 2018 20:10:36 GMT in
alt.comp.freeware, wrote:

Libor Striz wrote:
Jason Wrote in message:

I recall a few years ago reading that the Pentagon had
such a policy in place and had filled USB sockets with
epoxy to enforce it.

Quite a disadvantage if one is using a USB mouse or keyboard.


That's why insert_diety invented PS/2!


Have you seen a recent motherboard that has it?


It was/is 1) tongue-in-cheek, 2) in the given historical (hysterical?)
context, 3) about IBM internal use (i.e. their MBs would have what they
want/need) and 4) irrelevant for locked-down internal systems. And Andy
Burns answered your question.
  #28  
Old May 14th 18, 04:36 PM posted to alt.comp.freeware,alt.comp.hardware.pc-homebuilt,alt.windows7.general,alt.comp.os.windows-10,alt.conspiracy
Andy Burns[_6_]
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Posts: 43
Default [BBC] IBM workers banned from using USB sticks

Diesel wrote:

Andy Burns wrote:

https://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/Z370%20Pro4/index.us.asp


Ayep. You'll notice it has a single ps/2 port available. For mouse or
keyboard, not both.


Don't quote me, but I think those PS/2 ports that are half green/half
purple can cope with a 'Y' splitter
  #29  
Old May 14th 18, 05:54 PM posted to alt.comp.freeware,alt.comp.hardware.pc-homebuilt,alt.windows7.general,alt.comp.os.windows-10,alt.conspiracy
Char Jackson
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Posts: 213
Default [BBC] IBM workers banned from using USB sticks

On Mon, 14 May 2018 16:36:14 +0100, Andy Burns
wrote:

Diesel wrote:

Andy Burns wrote:

https://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/Z370%20Pro4/index.us.asp


Ayep. You'll notice it has a single ps/2 port available. For mouse or
keyboard, not both.


Don't quote me, but I think those PS/2 ports that are half green/half
purple can cope with a 'Y' splitter


I have two systems here that are working fine with PS/2 splitters, but I
can't speak for more than that.

  #30  
Old May 14th 18, 06:04 PM posted to alt.comp.hardware.pc-homebuilt,alt.windows7.general,alt.comp.os.windows-10
Paul[_28_]
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Posts: 1,467
Default [BBC] IBM workers banned from using USB sticks

Andy Burns wrote:
Diesel wrote:

Andy Burns wrote:

https://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/Z370%20Pro4/index.us.asp


Ayep. You'll notice it has a single ps/2 port available. For mouse or
keyboard, not both.


Don't quote me, but I think those PS/2 ports that are half green/half
purple can cope with a 'Y' splitter


There are sufficient pins on the miniDIN to host two
PS/2 electrical interfaces. Clock,Data for one, plus
Clock,Data for a second interface. The remaining pins
are power,ground.

Once a PS/2 is spotted on the motherboard, it means
there is a SuperI/O chip on the motherboard, and it's
just as easy to support one PS/2 as two PS/2. SuperI/O
exist in various stripped-down forms, but I don't think
there's much incentive to strip off the second clock,data
pair. The chip might typically be present so there
can be a working Hardware Monitor interface.

And to me, PS/2 is one of the most trouble-free interfaces
in terms of drivers. Never seems to be a problem.

Paul
 




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