Chrome OS will block the USB ports on locked Chromebooks

Even when your Chromebook is locked, dangerous actors can entry it utilizing a "Rubber Ducky," or malicious USB drive that mimics a keyboard. Chrome OS will quickly put a cease to these assaults with a characteristic referred to as USBGuard, seen in a Canary Chrome construct by Chrome Story. It stops the working system from studying code or executing instructions from USB units when your Chromebook is locked. The characteristic is much like what Apple launched in a current construct of IOS 11 that stops USB exercise if a tool has been locked for greater than an hour.

Gadgets already plugged right into a Chromebook when it is locked will proceed to perform, making certain information transfers will not cease, for example. As soon as the characteristic arrives, you need to be capable of choose in to make use of the service and whitelist USB units like a keyboard or mouse.

Chromebooks are thought-about safer than Home windows and different units, particularly for clueless customers (I am speaking to you, Aunt Gertrude with six spy ware toolbars). Nonetheless, any pc may be susceptible to Rubber Ducky units, basically miniature computer systems that pose as keyboards and inject pre-programmed keystroke sequences at as much as 1,000 wpm. All of this may be stopped simply be disabling the USB port, so the USBGuard characteristic -- coming to Chromebooks within the close to future -- is welcome information.