Prague, Czech Republic, April 21, 2022 — Avast (LSE:AVST), a global leader in digital security and privacy, today introduced USB Protection, a new feature available in the Avast Business Hub, and Avast Business Premium and Avast Ultimate Business Security products. USB Protection safeguards company data by preventing employees from using unauthorized removable storage devices, including flash drives, external drives, smartphones, and more. The new feature helps block, control, and monitor USB ports to stop data theft, data loss, and malware infections. 

Giving businesses full control of their data

“With Work-from-Anywhere becoming the norm in today’s digital world, accessing sensitive business data is constantly required from outside the corporate network. And the more this data is being accessed by busy employees, the greater the potential for data loss or damage, especially when removable media and devices are commonly utilized,” says Filip Hlinka, VP of Product Avast Business. “Additionally, removable storage devices such as USB drives, and external hard drives make companies vulnerable to malware infection. They are easily transportable and small in size, and can house infected files as well as tremendous amounts of sensitive information - the perfect recipe for disaster in the event they wind up in the wrong hands.”

USB Protection provides businesses the ability to control the transfer of data from desktops and laptops, even when users are not connected to the corporate network. With USB Protection, users must get permission to use a USB device, where an administrator can manually allow or deny access and customize settings to meet their requirements, thereby reducing the risk of potentially serious threats.

Keeping tabs on external connected devices

Avast’s USB Protection also provides visibility into who is using what devices on which endpoints. All external storage devices that are connected to computers in numerous locations can be effectively monitored through detailed reports, which can be accessed from the Avast Business Hub online management platform. The USB Protection report provides insights into user patterns as they are working from anywhere so that policies can be further modified to meet their requirements. 

USB Protection is now available in the Avast Business Hub for Avast Premium and Ultimate Business Security customers.