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Can USB Be Disabled?

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by mrs_doctor_jones

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I was wondering whether or not it is possible to disable USB ports on workstations. If so, is there a way to do it so that "smart" workstation users could not easily enable them again.

In an interest of network security I think it would be prudent for us to disable the ports on all workstations in the office so that no one could use USB drives to put stuff onto or pull stuff off of the network.

5 replies

by cg it

depends upon the motherboard in the workstations. Most "newer" motherboards have a diable feature in the BIOS to disable the two [or four]built in USB ports located next to the mouse and keyboard connectors. Add on USB ports via a PC card or bracketcan simply be "unplugged" to disable them.

by thechas

Your best option, is to disable the USB ports in BIOS settings.

Then, set a BIOS password.

Finish up with case locks, or other security hardware so that users cannot open the cases, and reset the CMOS memory.

If you need a truely 'fool-proof' option, CAREFULLY fill the USB connectors with a thick epoxy adhesive.
CAUTION!!! This will render the ports totally unusable should you ever desire to use them in the future.
Use extreeme caution to not allow the epoxy to seep into other connectors, or motherboard components.

Chas

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