Investor's Business Daily says "Hackers always are on the lookout for the most vulnerable spot on your personal computers. These days, that weakest link might be your flash thumb drive." Using IBD's suggestions as a starting point, we've dug deeper to help you reach the glorious state of USB security a little faster.

Disable Windows AutoPlay for USB drives. USB drives are recognized automatically by Windows, and recent Windows versions include a feature called AutoPlay, which can be used to launch malware. To prevent AutoPlay from running on some or all drives on Windows XP, download the legendary TweakUI PowerToy and use its AutoPlay option to disable AutoPlay as desired. For more details, see my article "When Windows XP AutoPlay Goes Wrong, and How to Fix It."  Disabling AutoPlay in Windows Vista is trickier, since it's done on a content, rather than drive basis. However, the recommendations in this HowtoGeek.com article will help you knock AutoPlay out - easily.

Use security software. IBD recommends that corporations with sensitive assets keep an eye on USB device with tracking programs such as Lumension Security's Sanctuary Device Control and Centennial Software's DeviceWall.

Another approach is to use Group Policy settings to prevent any use of USB thumbdrives, or to make them available as read-only devices. You can also use Registry edits to restrict access.

To learn how to encrypt your USB flash drives, including a free cross-platform method, go to page 2.