USB devices are the bane of security conscious personnel in corporate environments. No matter how secure the network perimeter is, the moment an unwitting person brings in a USB storage device containing a malware, the entire system will be compromised. This is how malware such as Flame and Stuxnet spread.
IcarusLabs, Cyber Security & Privacy Foundation have created a program that would turn the Raspberry Pi, a small computer running Linux, into a handheld malware scanner. A person can plug in a USB that is to be scanned into the device. The Pi will scan all the files in the device and check the signatures of 44 different antivirus providers to see if the file is malicious or not. This is done by obtaining a unique value associated with every file, called an MD5 hash, for each file and then submitting it to a server for processing. The server will see if the file is present in its malware database and respond accordingly.
As a device this has many uses. In certain corporate environments, USB devices are not allowed because they would contain malware. This device can be deployed at entrypoints where it will be used to scan the USBs that are allowed in. This will prevent malicious software from getting in. The program is also made in such a way that once it is started, no further maintenance would be necessary. Even non technically oriented personnel like security guards can use it.
Currently it has been developed as a proof of concept. If any organisation would like to know more, all communications should go through email@example.com .