Washington Technology
www.washingtontechnology.com
By Doug
Beizer
Retrieved Feb 23, 2010
Go to Original Article
Across the board ban lifted for mission critical
applications
The Defense Department was able to lift a
ban on portable storage devices such as thumb drives because of changes to DOD
computer systems that make the devices safer to use, Vice Adm. Carl Mauney,
deputy commander of the U.S. Strategic Command, said today. But that doesn't
mean personnel have carte blanche. DOD still maintains strict rules for the
devices.
“After extensive testing of mitigation measures, DOD decided to
make this technology available again on a strictly controlled basis on DOD
computers,” Mauney said via e-mail. “Since the order restricting use of
removable media, DOD developed capabilities and processes that allow safe use of
these devices. Removable media use will be limited to mission-essential
operations, and only after strict compliance requirements are met.”
The
new policy, issued Feb. 12, only applies to government-procured and
government-owned devices, Mauney said. Personally owned devices are still barred
from all DOD networks and computers. Flash media can only be used as a last
resort to transfer data from one location to another, and only when other
authorized network resources are not available, he said.
Related story:
DOD lifts
USB ban
Randomly selected users and drives will
be subject to periodic auditing, under the new policy. Individual services and
agencies will determine whether flash media may be used in their individual
organizations, Mauney said.
Some in the military found the all out ban
too restrictive, according to one DOD source. The new policy is a compromise.
“This is not a return to 'business as usual,'” Mauney said. “There
remain strict limitations on using these devices. Use will be permitted only in
DOD computers that are in compliance with requirements for hardware that allows
for safe transfer of data.”
For now, Army officials plan to keep the ban on flash drives in place, according
to the Army News Service.
“We are currently conducting mission analysis
in order to provide guidance for the Army's safe return of thumb drives and
flash media,” officials from the Army Global Network Operations Security Center
said, according to the news service.
The ban was issued in November 2008
after a virus was found to be spreading through military networks by copying
itself from one removable drive to another. The ban covered all forms of USB
flash media, such as thumb drives, memory sticks and cards, and camera memory
cards, as well as some other removable media.
|
