Malware Is Found on USB Shipped with Schneider Electric Products

Malware Is Found on USB Drives Shipped with Schneider Electric Products

Schneider Electric, a French multinational corporation, specializes in automation solutions, energy management, spanning software, services, and software.

However, recently, this company has announced a piece of bad news that says Schneider Electric ships USB drives loaded with malware. This may be a big threat to the data security.

According to a security advisory released by this industrial equipment manufacturer, a malicious code is found on the USB drives that have been shipped with Conext ComBox and Conext Battery Monitor products.

Both of these two kinds of products are part of the solar energy offerings of this company. ComBox refers to a monitoring and communications device for operators and installers of Conext solar systems. And the Conext Battery Monitor is used to indicate the total hours of the battery based on runtime and it also describes the charging state of a battery bank.

The infected USB drives have been shipped with all versions of Conext ComBox (SKU 865-1058) and Conext Battery Monitor (SKU 865-1058).

Schneider has revealed that the USB drives may be loaded with malware or contaminated during manufacturing at a third-party supplier’s facility.

According to the company, these USB drives contain user manuals and non-essential software utilities and any operational software are not included. Therefore, this corporation urges the customers to not use these drives and to securely dispose of the USB dongles.

And these drives are not required for the installation, commissioning, or operation of the products mentioned above. Thus, the issue that malware is found on USB drives shipped with Schneider Electric products doesn’t have an impact on those products’ operation or security.

Currently, we don’t know the number of possibly affected customers and the malware type on the drives.

Schneider Electric Ships Infected USB Drives: A Threat to PC

Fortunately, the malware that is found on the USB drives can be easily detected and blocked by almost any antivirus programs. This indicates the malicious code is run-of-the-mill rather than a targeted attack against Schneider customers.

Even so, this isn’t the working of a malicious cybercriminal but it can serve as a clear reality check to persons who are used to using flash drives. If users insert the unverified USB drives into their computers, there could be serious implications. Now, this practice must be stopped.

What’s more, if those users believe that they might have accessed the infected USB drive, to perform a full system scan immediately is necessary.

Final Words

Actually, this is not the first time that a famous company has shipped USB drive loaded with malware. In addition to the issue “malware is found on USB drives shipped with Schneider Electric products”, there is another matter.

In 2017, IBM issued a warning saying some flash drives sent with purchased Storewize storage systems could be laden with dangerous malware. And IBM recommended customers to destroy USB sticks to avoid the attack to the system.

Thus it can be seen that Windows backup is very important. With a Windows backup image, the PC can be restored to a normal state after a virus attack or any other accidents.