Honeywell: USB Malware Attacks on Industrial Orgs Becoming More Sophisticated

An analysis conducted by Honeywell shows that much of the USB-borne malware targeting industrial organizations can still cause OT disruption.

Industrial giant Honeywell has published its sixth annual report on the threat posed by USB-borne malware to industrial organizations, warning of an increase in sophistication.

The report is based on analysis conducted by the company’s Global Analysis, Research and Defense (GARD) team using data collected by a security product designed to detect and block malware on USB drives used in customers’ industrial environments.

Some data has remained largely unchanged in the past year compared to the two previous years. Of all the malware detected by Honeywell’s product on USB drives, 31% was part of or associated with a campaign known to target industrial systems or companies.

Similar to the past years, more than half of the malware was designed to target or spread via USB drives, which can ...