Users Really Do Plug in USB Drives They Find

Explore a revealing study on human behavior and cybersecurity risks presented at the 2016 IEEE Symposium on Security & Privacy. Delve into the findings of a controlled experiment where 297 USB flash drives were strategically dropped across a large university campus. Discover the alarming success rate of 45-98% for this potential attack vector, with the first drive connected in under six minutes. Examine the analysis of connected drives and user motivations through surveys, uncovering that drive appearance doesn't impact success rates. Learn how altruistic intentions to return lost property drive user actions, and gain insights into the risk-taking profiles of those who plug in found USB drives. Reflect on the persistent effectiveness of social engineering attacks and the cybersecurity community's ongoing challenge in addressing this vulnerability.