USBs are the devices we use to carry data to the computer and export data. There is a high risk of introducing viruses to the computer when transferring data to a computer via USB.. You may want to disable USB in environments such as at work.. Let’s look at the steps to follow for this;
If you are worried about malware infecting your computer via USB storage, it would be wise to consider disabling USB. If you don’t use USB, it might be a good idea to use Cloud storage.
If you don’t use cloud storage, if you need a tool to regularly exchange data between computers, and you don’t have an option like cloud storage, then canceling USB will complicate things.
How to Disable USB Storage in Windows
Blocking USB storage on a Windows computer is simple. Here are two ways to do it.
Edit the registry
Press Win + R to open “Run” and type “regedit”.
Go to “HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetServicesUSBSTOR“. Here, double-click or right-click “Start“> Modify and edit the value. Change the value to 4 to disable it. If you need to re-enable the USB stick at any time, simply go back to 3. Click “OK“. After doing this, when you plug a USB into the computer, you will hear the new device insertion sound, but you will not be able to see the USB.
Using the Group Policy Editor
There is another option for Windows: in Group Policy Editor Edit USB storage setting.
Press Win + R to start and enter “gpedit.msc”. In the opened Group Policy Editor, go to Computer configuration > Administrative Templates> System> Removable Storage Access. In the right pane, you’ll see several items that control media access to your computer.. You can enable all three of them, or you can consider individual options.
Removable Disks: Deny playback access
Removable Disks: Deny read access
Removable Disks: Deny write access
Double-click each item in turn and select “Enabled” to enable the feature you want. USB blocking will occur when you enable it. Select “Not Configured” or “Disabled” to unblock USB.
In the registry operation, when you plug the USB device into the computer, the USB does not appear at all. In the process you do with the group action policy, the USB will appear, but for the actions you will take, you will receive a warning as in the picture above that the USB is blocked.. For the result seen in the example in the picture above, only the “Removable Disks: Deny read access” option is enabled.