USB drive: info abo...
 
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USB drive: info about user or machine it was plugged into?

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 isth
(@isth)
Trusted Member
Joined: 15 years ago
Posts: 65
Topic starter  

Hello All,

I'm aware that there are many bits of information about a USB device that are written to a machine upon connection/disconnection of a USB device. What I'm wondering is if there is any information that goes the other way, writing info about the user/machine to a USB drive when it's plugged in? The drives in question are formatted as NTFS. Even if you can just point me in the right direction of a previous post/article that would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance!


   
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(@jonathan)
Prominent Member
Joined: 20 years ago
Posts: 878
 

Unless an application has been run from the USB device and creates and saves logs of its actions I can't think of any situation whereby a USB device would record details of what (Windows) box it has been plugged into. If I'm wrong, then I'm sure someone will point it out! 😉


   
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markg43
(@markg43)
Trusted Member
Joined: 18 years ago
Posts: 77
 

The only thing I can think of, maybe, is that when it was plugged into the Windows computer - it may write a drive signature onto the USB device if it had not been in a Windows computer before.

Outside of something like that, I also have not heard of anything going to the USB drive automatically.


   
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jaclaz
(@jaclaz)
Illustrious Member
Joined: 18 years ago
Posts: 5133
 

The only thing I can think of, maybe, is that when it was plugged into the Windows computer - it may write a drive signature onto the USB device if it had not been in a Windows computer before.

Naahh. (

MOST (read 99.99%) of USB sticks are formatted in factory as super-floppy. (NO disk signature)
MOST (read 99.99%) of USB hard disk are partitioned/formatted and accessed at least once by a NT based system.

The ONLY possibilities are

  • a hard disk partitioned and formatted from Linux or DOS and NEVER connected before to a NT based system (quite improbable nowadays)
  • a USB flash stick manually partitioned and formatted from Linux or DOS and NEVER connected before to a NT based system (quite improbable nowadays)

BUT since the mentioned devices volume(s) are formatted as NTFS this probability is 0.00%.

And anyway the MBR signature is pseudo-random and there is no way to "connect" it to a given machine. roll (without the actual machine, but that is the "normal" "other way round" info, vid/pid/serial and disk signature in Registry, etc.)

Outside of something like that, I also have not heard of anything going to the USB drive automatically.

Yep. )

jaclaz


   
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 isth
(@isth)
Trusted Member
Joined: 15 years ago
Posts: 65
Topic starter  

Cool beans. Thanks for the confirmation, all.


   
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