USB Thief is a new virus that spreads exclusively via USB drives

ESET, a digital security company, discovered a new trojan virus today called USB Thief.

The new virus is unique as it spreads only via USB storage devices and leaves no evidence on the infected computer. Users’ information can be stolen even without a connection to the internet. USB Thief doesn’t copy itself to the host computer or even other storage devices, making it difficult for experts to analyse.

USB Thief hides itself in the form of a plugin or .dll file for portable versions of programs such as Firefox, Notepad++ and TrueCrypt, thereby allowing itself to be run automatically when the program is run from an infected USB drive.

Since USB Thief does not propagate except by infected USB drives, one easy way to protect yourself is not to use untrustworthy USB drives – don’t plug in just any device you find in the wild.

USB devices themselves remain one of the easiest ways to transfer large amounts of data relatively quickly, but USB Thief serves as a good reminder to know where your USB has been.

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