A USB flash drive containing detailed information on the British military troop movements was recently found in a nightclub Cornwall. BBC News reports that more than 120 flash drives have been lost or stolen from the Department of Defense since 2004, many of which contained secret or restricted information. The latest Internet Security Threat Report from Symantec warns against the security threat from USB drives and other forms of portable data storage. USB drives are small, easy to lose or steal, are rarely encrypted or protected by any kind of security software, and are often used to store sensitive data. Symantec also speculates that in the near future, flash drives and other small storage devices can be used by hackers and identity thieves as malicious code distribution system. Symantec cites the case of digital photo frames were used to distribute a Trojan.
As laptops and iPhones, small portable media storage devices can put you at risk of identity theft in case of loss or theft. If you are concerned about identity theft, we recommend a protection service against identity theft. For more information on identity theft protection services, see our reviews and comparison.