Virus on HP Hybrid USB Keys

HP hybrid USB drives come with malicious software during production. It is almost out of the question that this is not a targeted attack.

Even though the floppy is practically "extinct", in reality you may still sometimes need floppy-looking drives. For this very reason, HP offers USB keys that can be configured with the help of a switch to look not only like a traditional USB storage unit, but also like a floppy drive. The company offers the HP USB Floppy Drive Key for Pro Liant servers with a storage capacity of 256 megabytes or 1 gigabyte.

Legend: 1. switch, 2. floppy mode, 3. conventional mode

The drives appear to have been infected with W32.Fakerecy or W32.SillyFDC worms during manufacture. Experts from the Internet Storm Center (ISC) of the SANS Institute say it is almost out of the question that this should not be a targeted attack. These malware were identified as early as 2007, so an up-to-date antivirus can detect and eradicate them.

Although HP Hungary does not keep this type of flash drive in stock, it can be ordered by anyone, and given the gray import habits, it cannot be ruled out that such a product has entered the country.