USB Disk Security is a free application that provides complete protection against all kinds of malware distributed via removable USB drives. The application works with external hard drives, memory cards, digital cameras, flash drives, as well as other devices that can be connected via a USB connector. Disk Security is based on special threat detection technology; Like an antivirus program, the utility is able to work in hidden mode, only making its existence known only if malware is detected.

Basically, a personal computer is infected with viruses while using the global Internet; a little less often this happens during the installation of a dubious or unverified program. An infected file can also enter a PC through the most ordinary flash drive.

When an infected flash drive is connected to a personal computer, malicious software penetrates the hard drive, and most importantly, this happens so quickly that installed anti-virus programs do not always have time to react in time. Especially for such cases, it is necessary to use programs that can easily cope with this type of threat. Today, Disk Security is one of the best programs for protecting against infected files distributed via USB drives.

When viruses are detected, the application, depending on the settings, will delete or block them, thereby preventing them from launching automatically. In addition, the utility is able to restore the system after it has been infected with malware, clear the hard drive of temporary files, prohibit copying files from the computer’s hard drive, check URLs, completely block USB ports, manage startup, force scan hard drives.

The program is equipped with a convenient and simple user interface in Russian. The control panel is located on the left side of the working window, consisting of seven main points. The following sections deserve special attention: data protection, scanning and USB shield.

The last section is responsible for displaying a full report on all detected threats. You also need to take into account that by default the utility automatically removes any malicious application. So, in order to avoid deleting important documents, it is better to disable this option, for example, after deleting the boot file, your USB drive will not be able to start. After disabling, Disk Security will act as follows - it will automatically move the infected file to quarantine or simply mark it.

In addition to tools for automatically checking flash media, the “Scanning” section is equipped with a vaccination function. Vaccination can be carried out both on removable media and on the personal computer itself. In this case, a special file is created on a flash drive or hard drive that prevents some malicious applications from launching. If desired, vaccination can be turned off.

The “Data Protection” section is able to provide devices with higher protection; for example, you can set a ban on moving data from the computer to a memory card or even block access to the PC via the USB port. To close access, you will need to restart the computer, only after this the settings will take effect.

Key features of USB Disk Security:

• Perform a more thorough scan of external drives. If malware is detected, it is either deleted or quarantined.
• The presence of a resident anti-virus scanner that is triggered when a new USB drive is connected. Without making changes to the settings, infected files will be automatically deleted.
• If necessary, you can completely disable automatic startup on your PC.
• When using the utility, you can view the content without the risk of infecting your personal computer.
• Sites are scanned for infected applications. The following services are used during the scan: Trend Micro, McAfee, VirusTotal, Symantec and Google.
• The search service linkzb.com provides the opportunity to safely use the Internet.
• The application is able to prevent unauthorized connection of a USB storage device to the PC.
• Blocking the copying of unauthorized data to USB is done by using the Access Control tool.
• Using a system for cleaning temporary files, if the virus is located in temporary directories, it will be deleted immediately.
• You can set a password in the program settings.
• Full control over applications included in startup.
• Availability of a built-in system for restoring important directories in the registry that were affected by malware.
• You can download Disk Security completely free of charge.
• Works on Windows XP, 7 and 8.
• Automatically checks for updates.
• The application does not need to update the virus database, since it does not work like a standard anti-virus program.
• Due to its small size, the utility can be installed even on a weak personal computer.
• Seems to be fully compatible with many modern antivirus programs.
• Using a multilingual interface, a total of 12 languages ​​are available.

USB Disk Security is a simple and effective program to use to provide complete protection against malware distributed through removable media.

The article talks about how to check a flash drive for viruses, the dangers of infection of removable storage devices, and how to cure an infection.

Digital Age

Every year the accessibility of digital technologies is growing, and for a long time now you won’t surprise anyone with a powerful computer, tablet or smartphone with Internet access. Such technologies have firmly entered our world, and many can no longer imagine life without them. And it’s not just about entertainment, they significantly simplify any work, communication between people and other processes. But over time, a whole subset of attackers has emerged who use digital technologies for various crimes, theft and personal gain; they are called hackers, and their weapons are computer viruses.

This began long before the widespread use of computers and the Internet. The very first viruses were a kind of jokes and practical jokes, they did not pursue evil intentions, but over time everything changed. Especially when various financial organizations began to use computers, and people began to use credit cards and other electronic currencies.

Antiviruses have been developed to protect against them, but malware can bypass them, and very often unsuspecting people participate in their distribution, for example, using an already infected flash drive. So how to check a flash drive for viruses and clean it of them? We'll figure this out.

Distribution methods

First, let's talk a little about what flash drives are for and why they are dangerous.

Any virus, whether biological or computer, needs to spread itself somehow. In the case of digital technologies, the Internet and vulnerabilities in operating systems and antiviruses are required. And at some point, hackers came up with an interesting and original solution in their own way: viruses began to copy themselves onto circuit media.

In practice, it looks something like this: when a computer is infected, the virus does not reveal itself for some time, and when a removable device is connected to the computer, be it a flash drive, floppy disk or hard drive, the virus is copied onto it and the moment it is connected to another computer it infects already his. Such malware may not reveal itself for a very long time and can be activated on hundreds of PCs at once at the command of its creator. And if this happened, then how to check the flash drive for viruses?

Examination

First you need to decide on an antivirus program. They all perform the same task, but some differ in functionality, for example, they do not have an intelligent module that recognizes a threat that is not yet in the official databases. So, if you need a guarantee, it is better to use several at once; they are free and can be found on the official websites of full versions of the software.

In the case of a regular antivirus, you need to open “My Computer,” right-click on the flash drive icon and select anti-virus scanning.

If temporary utilities are used, then before launching them you must specify the scan zones, in particular, the flash drive. So now we know how to check a flash drive for viruses.

The duration of this process greatly depends on the power of the computer, specific security software, the “cloggedness” of the flash drive, and a number of others. By the way, most modern antiviruses can scan all removable media automatically immediately after they are connected, or this parameter can be configured manually. So now we know how to clean a flash drive from viruses.

Errors

By the way, flash drives, like all storage media, are sometimes susceptible to file system errors. This happens mainly due to interruption in reading or writing information, power failure, etc. In any case, if the flash drive does not immediately fail, but the system reports errors, you can try to fix them. So, in Windows OS, the system itself will offer to run a scan if there are errors. But this can also be done manually. You need to select the flash drive in “My Computer”, right-click, then “Properties”, “Tools” and “Check disk for errors”.

But sometimes it happens that it is not possible to do this using standard OS tools, then a specialized program comes to the rescue. You can check the flash drive with third-party software, for example, Flash Memory Toolkit. This is free software, which can be found on the official website. If errors can be corrected, the program will do everything automatically and you can use the storage device again.

Conclusion

So we dismantled it from viruses and checked it for file system errors. It is advisable to carry out these actions regularly, as they will protect your computer from becoming infected and losing important data. But perfect protection does not exist, and viruses are constantly modified by their authors.

The “Flash Drive” section contains programs that help protect against viruses that spread through external storage devices - disks, flash drives, portable hdds and other mobile devices.

USB Flash Drives Control – security when connecting...

A program that runs in the system tray, next to the system clock, and provides various operating modes for connected storage devices (flash drives). These options are available through the right-click context menu on the taskbar.

Ratool – blocks access to the computer from a flash drive

A simple utility that allows you to block all USB ports when connecting flash drives. The lock created by the program cannot be “broken” by making changes in the registry or using third-party software, plus the program has password access that will completely exclude third-party access via USB.

Phrozen Safe USB - an excellent protector for a flash drive

By activating the USB Mode Read option, the user will make the flash drive readable. In other words, the contents of the drive can be studied, but information cannot be written to it. Activating USB Mode Disabled will hide the portable drive in File Explorer. The program also allows you to prohibit auto playback of the contents of the flash drive.

Lim Flash Security – recovers hidden files on your...

The program is capable of restoring the functionality of all USB drives infected with a virus that creates malicious shortcuts in place of programs and makes the files themselves hidden. Free software that allows you to return hidden files on USB drives and clean them from viruses.

Panda USB Vaccine – antivirus for flash drive

Using the program, you get a double level of proactive protection against infection via USB flash drives. Panda USB Vaccine disables autorun both on the computer and on USB drives and other external devices (external hdds, players and phones).

USB Ports Disabler – disable/enable usb ports on the...

The program prevents Windows from detecting and identifying USB devices. Allows you to quickly disable and enable USB ports without interfering with the operation of USB keyboards and mice. By disabling USB ports, you will at least be protected from infecting your computer with viruses from portable devices, and will also prevent the theft of personal information.

USB Hidden Recover – to recover hidden files...

If your files are lost due to viruses, you can try to recover them using the free USB Hidden Recovery utility. It will help after viruses that hide data on flash drives, try to change the attributes of files and folders so that it is not always possible to unlock them using the standard method.

USB Disk Security – the enemy will not pass!

Protecting your computer from possible penetration of the latest viruses, worms and other harmful software via USB media. The principle of operation of the program is that it automatically disables autorun of all removable media, passing them through itself.

Antirun – protection against infection via a flash drive

A convenient anti-virus solution to protect your system from infection threats from USB drives. Features: controls the connection of USB devices, allows you to safely open or remove the device, protects the flash drive from viruses, completely disables autorun.

Every storage medium can become a haven for malware. As a result, you may lose valuable data and risk infecting your other devices. Therefore, it is better to get rid of all this as soon as possible. We will look further at how you can check and remove viruses from your drive.

Let's start by looking at the signs of viruses on a removable drive. The main ones are:

• files appeared with the name "autorun";
• files appeared with the extension ".tmp";
• suspicious folders appeared, for example, "TEMP" or "RECYCLER";
• The flash drive stopped opening;
• the drive cannot be removed;
• files have disappeared or turned into shortcuts.

In general, the media becomes slower to be detected by the computer, it takes longer for information to be copied onto it, and sometimes errors may occur. In most cases, it would be a good idea to check the computer to which the flash drive is connected.

To combat malware, it is best to use antivirus software. These can be either powerful combination products or simple, highly targeted utilities. We invite you to familiarize yourself with the best options.

Method 1: Avast! Free Antivirus

Today this antivirus is considered one of the most popular in the world, and for our purposes it is perfect. To take advantage Avast! Free Antivirus To clean the USB drive, do the following:

You can also scan media through the context menu. To do this, follow a number of simple steps:
Right-click on the flash drive and select "Scan".


By default, Avasta is configured to automatically detect viruses on connected devices. The status of this function can be checked using the following path:

Settings / Components / File system screen settings / Scan on connection

Method 2: ESET NOD32 Smart Security

And this is an option with less load on the system, so it is often installed on laptops and tablets. To scan a removable drive for viruses using ESET NOD32 Smart Security, do the following:

You can set up automatic scanning when you connect a flash drive. To do this, follow the path

Settings / Advanced settings / Virus protection / Removable media

Method 3: Kaspersky Free

The free version of this antivirus will help you quickly scan any media. Instructions for using it to complete our task are as follows:

Don't forget to set up automatic scanning. To do this, go to settings and click "Examination". Here you can set the antivirus action when connecting a flash drive to a PC.


For reliable operation of each antivirus, do not forget about virus database updates. They usually happen automatically, but inexperienced users can cancel them or disable them altogether. This is not recommended at all.

Method 4: Malwarebytes

One of the best utilities for detecting viruses on your computer and portable devices. Instructions for use Malwarebytes consists of this:

You can go the other way by simply right-clicking on the flash drive in "Computer" and selecting "Scan Malwarebytes".