Removable media

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In computing, a removable media is a data storage media that is designed to be readily inserted and removed from a system. [1] Most early removable media, such as floppy disks and optical discs, require a dedicated read/write device (i.e. a drive) to be installed in the computer, [2] while others, such as USB flash drives, are plug-and-play with all the hardware required to read them built into the device, so only need a driver software to be installed in order to communicate with the device. [3] Some removable media readers/drives are integrated into the computer case, while others are standalone devices that need to be additionally installed or connected.

Contents

Examples of removable media that require a dedicated reader drive include:

Examples of removable media that are standalone plug-and-play devices that carry their own reader hardwares include:

Using removable media can pose some computer security risks, including viruses, data theft and the introduction of malware. [6]

History

The earliest form of removable media, punched cards and tapes, predates the electronic computer by centuries, with the Jacquard loom of 1801 using interlinked cards to control the machine. [7] This followed a loom made by Basile Bouchon in 1725 that used paper tape for its instructions. [8] Punched tape was later used in Colossus, the first electronic computer. [9]

Magnetic tape was developed in the early 20th century in Germany, based on magnetic wire recording invented by Valdemar Poulsen in 1898. [10] In 1951, the UNIVAC I was released, using magnetic tape to store data. [11] 8-inch floppy disks were commercially introduced in 1971 by IBM, [12] with them being compacted to 5+1⁄4-inch by Shugart Associates in 1976. [13] At the same time Compact Cassettes started being used to store data, being popular in the late 1970s and 1980s for holding data for personal computers. [14] In 1982, the 3+1⁄2-inch floppy disk became commonplace, with its introduction for the Apple Macintosh and Amiga. [15]

The CD-ROM was introduced in 1985, providing much higher capacity than a floppy disk, however could not be written to. This was resolved in 1990 with the introduction of the CD-R. [16] [17] The CD-RW, introduced in 1997 allowed the CD to be written to multiple times, rather than just once, as with the CD-R. [18] DVD versions of these formats introduced in the late 1990s provided further increases in capacity. [19] Additional capacity improvements were achieved with Blu-ray in 2006. [20]

The turn of the millennium saw the widespread introduction of solid-state removable media, with the SD card being introduced in 1999, followed by the USB flash drive in 2000. [21] The capacity of these removable flash drives improved over time, with 2013 seeing Kingston unveiling a 1 terabyte USB flash drive. [22]

Floppy disk storage

Storage is intended to be used to access data that is access less often. Memory on the other hand is used to access data that is used on a more frequent basis. One of the problems with the earliest computers was how to store data. In the 1950s the International Business Machines (IBM) was trying to solve this problem. [23]

The first floppy disk was developed under the supervision of Alan Shugart in the late 1960s. The floppy disk was not introduced to the public until the 1970s by IBM. But, like any man-made product the floppy disk came with its pros and cons, such as it being cheap and portable while also having severely limited data storage.[ citation needed ]

Risks

The use of removable media creates a risk of data loss in the event that the media is lost or stolen. This can lead to the compromise of large amounts of sensitive data, which can result in significant damage to the reputation of a business, as well as possible financial penalties. [24] This risk can be minimised by company policies that reduce the use of removable media when transporting and storing data, and by encrypting the contents of removable media. Prior to the disposal or reuse of removable media, appropriate steps should be taken to ensure that all data previously stored on the device is not accessible. [6] Additionally, any device holding sensitive data should be kept secure when not in use. [24]

Removable media can also be used as a vector for malware. Attackers generally use social engineering to get someone to put a media device into a computer, for example by leaving an infected drive in a busy location, from which someone may pick up the device and put it into their computer to find its contents, such an attack is known as baiting. Once the device has been plugged in it can be used to infect an entire network. One example of malware that propagates through removable media such as USB flash drives is Stuxnet, which caused significant damage to Iran's nuclear program. The risk from an attack like this can be reduced by automatically scanning media for malware and prohibiting users from attempting to access the contents of removable media of unknown origin. [6] [24]

See also

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Floppy disk</span> Removable disk storage medium

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Write protection</span> Protection for the overwriting of data

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boot sector</span> Sector of a persistent data storage device

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zip drive</span> Removable floppy disk storage system

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A boot disk is a removable digital data storage medium from which a computer can load and run (boot) an operating system or utility program. The computer must have a built-in program which will load and execute a program from a boot disk meeting certain standards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Live CD</span> Complete, bootable computer installation that runs directly from a CD-ROM

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">USB flash drive</span> Data storage device

A USB flash drive is a data storage device that includes flash memory with an integrated USB interface. It is typically removable, rewritable and much smaller than an optical disc. Most weigh less than 30 g (1 oz). Since first appearing on the market in late 2000, as with virtually all other computer memory devices, storage capacities have risen while prices have dropped. As of March 2016, flash drives with anywhere from 8 to 256 gigabytes (GB) were frequently sold, while 512 GB and 1 terabyte (TB) units were less frequent. As of 2023, 2 TB flash drives were the largest currently in production. Some allow up to 100,000 write/erase cycles, depending on the exact type of memory chip used, and are thought to physically last between 10 and 100 years under normal circumstances.

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Reading is an action performed by computers, to acquire data from a source and place it into their volatile memory for processing. Computers may read information from a variety of sources, such as magnetic storage, the Internet, or audio and video input ports. Reading is one of the core functions of a Turing machine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">USB mass storage device class</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Live USB</span> USB drive with a full bootable operating system

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Secure USB flash drives protect the data stored on them from access by unauthorized users. USB flash drive products have been on the market since 2000, and their use is increasing exponentially. As both consumers and businesses have increased demand for these drives, manufacturers are producing faster devices with greater data storage capacities.

This glossary of computer hardware terms is a list of definitions of terms and concepts related to computer hardware, i.e. the physical and structural components of computers, architectural issues, and peripheral devices.

Solid-state storage (SSS) is a type of non-volatile computer storage that stores and retrieves digital information using only electronic circuits, without any involvement of moving mechanical parts. This differs fundamentally from the traditional electromechanical storage, which records data using rotating or linearly moving media coated with magnetic material.

References

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  3. ↑ "USB Drives - How do they Work?". Data Recovery Specialists. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
  4. ↑ "Removable Hard Disk Drive". Archived from the original on 2016-04-14. Retrieved 2016-03-21.
  5. ↑ "Who Invented the Flash Drive?". WhoInventedIt.net. 4 March 2018. Archived from the original on 3 July 2017. Retrieved 19 March 2018.
  6. 1 2 3 "10 steps to cyber security - Removable media controls". National Cyber Security Centre. Archived from the original on 8 July 2019. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
  7. ↑ "19th Century Contributions and their Impact on Elements of Modern Computers". University of Liverpool Department of Computer Science. Archived from the original on 20 September 2015. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
  8. ↑ "You May Not Know Who Basile Bouchon Was, But You Should". Selby Soft Furnishings. Archived from the original on 8 July 2019. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
  9. ↑ "Colossus". Crypto Museum. Archived from the original on 13 June 2019. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
  10. ↑ Wolpin, Stewart (16 May 2016). "Tape recording was introduced 70 years ago today". Vox. Archived from the original on 8 July 2019. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
  11. ↑ "The History Of Magnetic Tape And Computing: A 65-Year-Old Marriage Continues To Evolve". Iron Mountain. Archived from the original on 8 July 2019. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
  12. ↑ "1971: Floppy disk loads mainframe computer data". Computer History Museum. Archived from the original on 3 July 2019. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
  13. ↑ "The 5 1/4" flexible disk drive was introduced". Centre for Computing History. Archived from the original on 8 July 2019. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
  14. ↑ "The History of Computer Data Storage, in Pictures". Pingdom. Archived from the original on 7 June 2019. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
  15. ↑ "The history of the floppy disk". Hewlett Packard Enterprise. Archived from the original on 8 July 2019. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
  16. ↑ "CD-ROM". PC Magazine. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
  17. ↑ "History of the Compact Disc". Low End Mac. 2 May 2014. Archived from the original on 7 July 2019. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
  18. ↑ "The history of the CD - The CD family". Phillips. Archived from the original on 28 September 2017. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
  19. ↑ "History". Pioneer Europe. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
  20. ↑ "SONY UNVEILS FIRST BLU-RAY DISC DRIVE BURNER". Sony Electronics - News & Information. Archived from the original on 21 February 2009. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
  21. ↑ "A brief history of memory and storage". Koofr blog. Archived from the original on 9 July 2019. Retrieved 9 July 2019.
  22. ↑ "Kingston unveils 1 terabyte flash drive". USA Today. Archived from the original on 8 March 2021. Retrieved 9 July 2019.
  23. ↑ "Welcome | Computer History Museum". www.computerhistory.org. Archived from the original on 2017-09-15. Retrieved 2018-07-21.
  24. 1 2 3 Strawbridge, Geraldine (12 December 2018). "How to Manage the Risks of Removable Media". MetaCompliance. Archived from the original on 8 July 2019. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
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