In-Place Restrictions
USB Restrictions
To eliminate the possibility of having a laptop be compromised via Removable Storage Media such as a USB flash drives or external hard drives, Removable Storage Media will not be accessible if plugged into your laptop.
Removable Storage Media consists of the following types of devices:
- USB Flash Drives
- External Hard drives
- Memory Cards
- Digital Cameras
- Smart Phones (charging is not affected)
Exception
If you require access to a USB flash drive or other Removable Storage Media device, please contact IT Support as exceptions can be given on a case-by-case basis.
Administrative Rights
To protect against privilege escalation if a laptop were to be compromised, your user account does not have administrative rights and as such cannot perform administrative functions such as:
- Installing/updating software.
- Changing system settings.
- Installing device drivers.
Privilege escalation is is when a hacker has gained access to your account on your laptop but does not yet have full system access. In these situations the hacker will attempt to find a vulnerability, secondary account or other method to gain full system control. Once achieved they can use your device to perform further compromises deeper in the network on more sensitive targets.
Requesting Assistance
If you require administrative access, please reach out to IT Support for assistance. IT Support will perform a quick remote session on your laptop and perform the administrative request on your behalf.
At times prior approval from the partners may be necessary before the request can be fulfilled.