The humble USB memory stick and its variations have become a standard part of our computing world. Where we once used CDs or even floppy disks (remember those?) to move files around from computer to computer, nowadays it’s quicker and easier to grab a USB drive to do the transfer. It’s the modern day sneakernet, right?

The problem with this transition to USB, is the fact that it can be abused. Yeah, you’re surprised I can tell. /sarcasm. USB Guardian is a free program which protects your PC from attack by malware trying to deliver sinister payloads to your machine when you insert a flash drive into the slot. The software constantly monitors your USB slots and when a drive is inserted, it automatically blocks the autorun file, and then isolates any potential malware threats on the drive.

If you do a lot of USB file transfer work, you might think seriously about using a tool like this, just in case. It may add a little more complexity to your file transfer process, but in the long run it could also save your PC from some nasty unwanted visitors.