US USB STICKS AND iPODS REMAIN A THREAT IN THE WORKPLACE Security Park - USB sticks and iPods remain a threat in the workplace: "USB sticks and iPods remain a threat in the workplace

Organisations are ignoring the impact data theft can have on the business. Companies should react quickly to stop confidential information from being stolen in minutes by an employee or visitor armed with a USB stick and a motive.

Security expert Abe Usher highlighted this threat by developing a data theft tool called slurp.exe. Capable of copying thousands of document files from a computer to an iPod in less than two minutes, the virus-style programme from IT consultancy Sharp Ideas was specifically designed to demonstrate the threat posed by portable storage devices such as USB sticks and iPods. Usher, the founder of Sharp Ideas LLC, used Centennial's DeviceWall to test PCs exposed to Slurp. The software defeated the programme, heralding an alliance between Centennial and Usher.

"Data theft has become a huge concern within corporations worldwide," said Usher. "Centennial DeviceWall proved to be a foolproof solution for preventing the inappropriate usage of portable devices in a network environment. It was very easy to set up and once running, completely blocked devices running Slurp Audit."

As part of Centennial's R&D process, it has worked with Sharp Ideas to create Slurp Audit, a version of Slurp that produces a list of unprotected documents with their filenames and paths. The audit shows users how easy it would be to copy large amounts of data via the USB port and other connections, wired and wireless.

"Data theft has become a huge concern for corporations worldwide, yet they are still leaving themselves exposed by not controlling the wide range of portable media devices being brought in the front door," said Andy Burton, CEO of Centennial Software. "Slurp Audit demonstrates key weaknesses in corporate network security. Any company wanting to see first-hand how vulnerable their data is can visit our website and download it for free.” "