Cyber Security DoD

Pentagon Bans External Flash Drives, (Washington Times)…Unattributed, Nov 22, 2008

The Pentagon has banned, at least temporarily, the use of external computer flash drives because of a virus threat detected on Defense Department networks.

Although defense officials would not publicly confirm the ban, messages were sent to department employees informing them of the new restrictions. As part of the ban, the Pentagon was collecting any of the small flash drives that were purchased or provided by the department to workers, according to a message distributed to employees.

Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman would provide no details on the virus Friday, but he described it as a “global virus” that has been the subject of public alerts.

The Pentagon has acknowledged that its vast computer network is scanned or probed by outsiders millions of times each day. Military leaders have consistently warned of potential threats from a variety of sources including countries such as China, terrorists and self-styled cybervigilantes.