Block Autorun Malware with BitDefender USB Immunizer

For years, Autorun-based malware has been atop of the worldwide e-threat landscape, with notorious representatives such as Trojan.AutorunInf, the Conficker worm (Win32.Worm.Downadup), Worm.Autorun.VHD or the fearsome Stuxnet.

The Autorun feature dates back in the Windows® XP® era, when it was first introduced to facilitate software installations from CD-ROM media for non-technical computer users. This feature has quickly become the cyber-criminals’ tool of choice to automatically execute malware located on infected USB drives.

The USB Immunizer – You’re just two clicks away from full protection against Autorun-based e-threats

Since early 2009, malware exploiting the Autorun technology in order to subsequently infect other computers via flash disks has significantly increased. Trojan.AutorunINF has been world’s number one e-threat since  the second half of 2009, while the other two representatives of the Autorun family – Worm.Autorun.VHG and Trojan.Autorun.AET are constantly present in the global Top 10 malware tops.

The evolution of autorun-based malware displayed in percentage points of infection

The BitDefender USB immunizer is our response to this growing issue. Divided in two sections, this small utility is able to protect both your storage device and your computer.

The Immunize option allows you to immunize your USB storage device or SD card against infections with autorun-based malware. Even if your storage device has been plugged into an infected computer, the piece of malware will be unable to create its autorun.inf file, thus annihilating any chance of auto-launching itself.

The Immunize Computer slider allows you to toggle the Autorun feature On or Off for any removable media (except for CD/DVD-ROM devices). If you frequently read and write data from USB sticks or SD cards which do not belong to you or which haven’t been immunized yet, disabling the Autorun option may save you the unpleasant surprise of getting your computer infected without warning.

The BitDefender USB Immunizer is available for free on the product’s page located at the BitDefender Labs.