Data theft

<h2 id="data-theft-methods">Data theft methods</h2>
<h3>Thumbsucking</h3>
<p>Thumbsucking, similar to podslurping, is the intentional use of a portable <a href="/facts/USB_mass_storage_device_class/mUCq0A5G">USB mass storage device</a>, such as a <a href="/facts/USB_flash_drive/Jv0qmTCF">USB flash drive</a> (or "thumbdrive"), to illicitly download confidential data from a network endpoint.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:4" href="#fn:4"><sup>4</sup></a>
</p><p>A USB flash drive was allegedly used to remove highly classified documents about the design of U.S. nuclear weapons from a vault at Los Alamos without authorization.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:5" href="#fn:5"><sup>5</sup></a>
</p><p>The threat of thumbsucking has been amplified for a number of reasons, including the following:
</p>
<ul><li>The storage capacity of portable USB storage devices has increased.</li>
<li>The cost of high-capacity portable USB storage devices has decreased.</li>
<li>Networks have grown more dispersed, the number of remote network access points has increased and methods of network connection have expanded, increasing the number of vectors for network infiltration.</li></ul>
<h2 id="investigating-data-theft">Investigating data theft</h2>
<p>Techniques to investigate data theft include <a href="/facts/Stochastic_forensics/oskA1EEF">stochastic forensics</a>, <a href="/facts/Digital_artifact/AgqnmFVc">digital artifact</a> analysis (especially of <a href="/facts/USB_flash_drive/Jv0qmTCF">USB drive</a> artifacts), and other <a href="/facts/Computer_forensics/g59dDNYz">computer forensics</a> techniques.
</p>
<h2 id="see-also">See also</h2>
<ul><li><a href="/facts/Pod_slurping/WIg60W5V">Pod slurping</a></li>
<li><a href="/facts/Bluesnarfing/QKqjmcJn">Bluesnarfing</a></li>
<li><a href="/facts/Sneakernet/kKtBQHfw">Sneakernet</a></li>
<li><a href="/facts/Data_breach/xGxRFY1A">Data breach</a></li></ul>

<h2 id="external-links">External links</h2>
<ul><li><a href="http://www.darkreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=122252&f_src=darkreading_informationweek">USBs' Giant Sucking Sound</a>[<i>permanent dead link</i>‍]</li>
<li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20070502202739/http://www.networkworld.com/news/2007/041807-ipod-readers-react.html">Readers Weigh In: Is the IPod a Threat or a Scapegoat?</a></li>
<li><a href="https://blog.crifhighmark.com/online-behaviours-that-can-lead-to-data-theft/">Online Behaviours that can Lead to Data Theft</a></li></ul>

<h2 id="references">References</h2>

<ol>
<li id="fn:1"><p>Ian (2021-11-06). "The Data Theft You Never Hear About". Steadfast Solutions. Retrieved 2022-07-11. <a href="https://www.steadfastsolutions.com.au/insights/the-data-theft-you-never-hear-about/" target="_blank">https://www.steadfastsolutions.com.au/insights/the-data-theft-you-never-hear-about/</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
<li id="fn:2"><p>Xing, Liudong; Levitin, Gregory (November 2017). "Balancing theft and corruption threats by data partition in cloud system with independent server protection". Reliability Engineering & System Safety. 167: 248–254. doi:10.1016/j.ress.2017.06.006. <a href="/wiki/Doi_(identifier)" target="_blank">/wiki/Doi_(identifier)</a> <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
<li id="fn:3"><p>Schneier, Bruce (10 June 2013). "Government Secrets and the Need for Whistle-blowers". Schneier on Security. Retrieved 15 February 2015. <a href="/wiki/Bruce_Schneier" target="_blank">/wiki/Bruce_Schneier</a> <a href="#fnref:3" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
<li id="fn:4"><p>"Do you know who is sucking data from your computer?". Archived from the original on August 19, 2007. Retrieved 15 February 2015. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20070819080552/http://www.thumbsuckingthreat.com/index.html" target="_blank">https://web.archive.org/web/20070819080552/http://www.thumbsuckingthreat.com/index.html</a> <a href="#fnref:4" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
<li id="fn:5"><p>Zagorin, Adam "A breach in nuclear security." Archived 2008-01-31 at the Wayback Machine Time, April 19, 2007. Retrieved April 21, 2007 <a href="http://rawstory.com/showoutarticle.php?src=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.time.com%2Ftime%2Fprintout%2F0%2C8816%2C1612912%2C00.html" target="_blank">http://rawstory.com/showoutarticle.php?src=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.time.com%2Ftime%2Fprintout%2F0%2C8816%2C1612912%2C00.html</a> <a href="#fnref:5" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
</ol>

Data theft open-in-new

Data theft