February 2011 update: with the update from the Windows Update, autorun and automatic execution from USB sticks are deactivated so it is no longer possible for a PC to be affected by a virus if it is connected to an infected USB stick.
However, the fact remains that an infected PC can automatically copy viruses to the USB stick, therefore, it is still worth disabling the autorun.
Usb pens, removable media, pen drives and more or less large keys, today, are cheap and have become an electronic accessory of common use that anyone can carry in their pocket and useful to always carry with them documents, programs and personal data.
Their usefulness is enormous, in other articles we have seen how, for example, you can load a complete Linux operating system on a USB stick, and how you can load many popular programs, so-called portable, that work on any PC, without installation.
USB sticks, in fact, are physical storage media, like any hard disk inside the computer and, in the same way, they can be infected with viruses and malware of any kind .
Since then, they are widely used by all and on different computers, the worst thing that can happen is to have, instead of a useful portable program, a portable virus, which hides among the files of the stick and which can damage all the systems to which that pen drive is connected.
It is therefore important to protect the PC and the key from these accidents and to prevent some unaware friend from taking the virus home by loading it directly into the computer.
Most infected keys install the virus as soon as it is inserted into the USB port, when automatic start or " Autoplay " starts, which is seen when a window appears that counts the files on the key, with the choice of the program to navigate files.
Even if automatic startup is not enabled, the other risky step is when you go to " My Computer " and open the " Removable Disk ".
Most likely, an infected usb stick has a file called autorun.inf which automatically infects the pc.
So, to be sure not to infect other people's computers with your USB stick, to protect the pen drive from receiving viruses, to prevent a friend's pen from damaging your computer, you can make simple changes on the registry keys.
In order not to start the autoplay, it is quite simple and you just have to go to My Computer, press the right button on the removable support and, in the "Autoplay" tab choose "no operation".
Certainly to do, however, is to tell Windows to ignore the presence of the autorun.inf files and this can be done by creating a new text.txt document, opening it and writing in it:
To finish, double click on the Noautorun.reg file and give the ok to add that registry key to the system.
Restarting the PC or logging out of the user, the change will be effective and active.
To go back, just open the registry editor file, (Start -> Run -> Regedit) and delete the Autorun.inf key which is located at the path HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ Windows NT \ CurrentVersion \ IniFileMapping .
To block the autorun.inf file you can also use an automatic Panda Software tool that does the same thing, on one click, simple and easy.
There are two small and simple to use free tools: Panda USB Vaccine and Bitdefender Immunizer .
Autorun Exterminator is another application that disables the automatic start of the autorun.inf file from USB sticks or other immovable media.
These applications do not act on the CD / DVD autorun.
Avoid that the key can be written, ie make sure that no data can be added and no program on the USB stick can prevent it from being infected by the programs active on the computer.
To give write protection to the USB stick, you still browse the registry keys, this time to the folder.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SYSTEM \ CurrentControlSet \ Control \ and create the new StorageDevicePolicies key.
Inside the folder, in the right part of the editor, press the right button and choose " new-> DWord value ", name the value with the name WriteProtect and put the value 0 to allow writing on the USB medium, 1 to prevent the writing new data to the external drive.
This system also prevents someone else from copying data, files and documents, from the PC to any removable medium or any USB stick and effectively prevents the data from being "stolen" from the computer.
Alternatively, the USB ports of the computer can be completely blocked or, in a less drastic way, specific authorizations can be given for new USB devices that are connected to the PC.
Precious advice is, even if you have an antivirus like Nod 4 or Kaspersky, which have the protection of USB media, to always disable the autorun anyway .
To disable the autorun you can also use the excellent soware from Nirsoft, USBDeview which also measures the data transfer speed of a USB stick.
In another article, I remember how to protect data from reading and create a password for access to all or only some files of a USB stick.
However, the fact remains that an infected PC can automatically copy viruses to the USB stick, therefore, it is still worth disabling the autorun.
Usb pens, removable media, pen drives and more or less large keys, today, are cheap and have become an electronic accessory of common use that anyone can carry in their pocket and useful to always carry with them documents, programs and personal data.
Their usefulness is enormous, in other articles we have seen how, for example, you can load a complete Linux operating system on a USB stick, and how you can load many popular programs, so-called portable, that work on any PC, without installation.
USB sticks, in fact, are physical storage media, like any hard disk inside the computer and, in the same way, they can be infected with viruses and malware of any kind .
Since then, they are widely used by all and on different computers, the worst thing that can happen is to have, instead of a useful portable program, a portable virus, which hides among the files of the stick and which can damage all the systems to which that pen drive is connected.
It is therefore important to protect the PC and the key from these accidents and to prevent some unaware friend from taking the virus home by loading it directly into the computer.
Most infected keys install the virus as soon as it is inserted into the USB port, when automatic start or " Autoplay " starts, which is seen when a window appears that counts the files on the key, with the choice of the program to navigate files.
Even if automatic startup is not enabled, the other risky step is when you go to " My Computer " and open the " Removable Disk ".
Most likely, an infected usb stick has a file called autorun.inf which automatically infects the pc.
So, to be sure not to infect other people's computers with your USB stick, to protect the pen drive from receiving viruses, to prevent a friend's pen from damaging your computer, you can make simple changes on the registry keys.
In order not to start the autoplay, it is quite simple and you just have to go to My Computer, press the right button on the removable support and, in the "Autoplay" tab choose "no operation".
Certainly to do, however, is to tell Windows to ignore the presence of the autorun.inf files and this can be done by creating a new text.txt document, opening it and writing in it:
REGEDIT4After take that file and name it NoAutorun.reg (make sure that, by opening the folder settings from the control panel, in the "View" tab, the flag under "Hide extensions for known file types" is eliminated).
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ Windows NT \ CurrentVersion \ IniFileMapping \ Autorun.inf]
@ = "@ SYS: DoesNotExist"
To finish, double click on the Noautorun.reg file and give the ok to add that registry key to the system.
Restarting the PC or logging out of the user, the change will be effective and active.
To go back, just open the registry editor file, (Start -> Run -> Regedit) and delete the Autorun.inf key which is located at the path HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ Windows NT \ CurrentVersion \ IniFileMapping .
To block the autorun.inf file you can also use an automatic Panda Software tool that does the same thing, on one click, simple and easy.
There are two small and simple to use free tools: Panda USB Vaccine and Bitdefender Immunizer .
Autorun Exterminator is another application that disables the automatic start of the autorun.inf file from USB sticks or other immovable media.
These applications do not act on the CD / DVD autorun.
Avoid that the key can be written, ie make sure that no data can be added and no program on the USB stick can prevent it from being infected by the programs active on the computer.
To give write protection to the USB stick, you still browse the registry keys, this time to the folder.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SYSTEM \ CurrentControlSet \ Control \ and create the new StorageDevicePolicies key.
Inside the folder, in the right part of the editor, press the right button and choose " new-> DWord value ", name the value with the name WriteProtect and put the value 0 to allow writing on the USB medium, 1 to prevent the writing new data to the external drive.
This system also prevents someone else from copying data, files and documents, from the PC to any removable medium or any USB stick and effectively prevents the data from being "stolen" from the computer.
Alternatively, the USB ports of the computer can be completely blocked or, in a less drastic way, specific authorizations can be given for new USB devices that are connected to the PC.
Precious advice is, even if you have an antivirus like Nod 4 or Kaspersky, which have the protection of USB media, to always disable the autorun anyway .
To disable the autorun you can also use the excellent soware from Nirsoft, USBDeview which also measures the data transfer speed of a USB stick.
In another article, I remember how to protect data from reading and create a password for access to all or only some files of a USB stick.
