Author Topic: Can a USB drive be set to read-only and still accept backups from LinkStation?  (Read 3367 times)

daoswald

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I have a LinkStation Pro LS-XHL, and it has a USB drive attached to it (XSF format).  Here's my question:  Is it possible to set the USB drive to read-only and still allow it to receive backups from the LS-XHL?

 

Why? .... I don't want anyone writing to the USB drive; it's only there to receive backups.


davo

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if you are sending backups to the USB drive then you are writing to it so the answer to your question is NO.

You have to set it to read/write.

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daoswald

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Can I set the USB drive with access control, restricted to a single user, and still perform backups from the LS Pro to the attached USB drive?

 

Here is why I ask:  A few years ago I was hit with some malicious code that dumped lots of garbage onto any of my drives it could find.  Luckily it didn't find my old LinkStation Live's backup USB drive, but it made me realize that a live backup is in danger of corruption by the same malicious code that could target the primary LS drive. 

 

By limiting access to the USB backup drive to some user that I simply never log in, I can block that potential threat.  But of course this only works if the LinkStation Pro LS-XHL is still able to back up to its attached USB drive when that drive has access restrictions set.

 

I guess I could just test the plan... ;)

 

 


daoswald

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Another followup to my own thread.....

 

Here is a method of protecting your LinkStation's backup USB drive from being corrupted by unauthorized users, malicious code, etc.

 

1) Setup a backup job on your LinkStation to back up to an attached USB drive.

2) Set up a user on your LinkStation.  Preferably make it a user that you don't intend to use for any other purpose. (DON'T FORGET YOUR NEW USER'S PASSWORD).

3) Set access restrictions on the USB drive to limit access ONLY to that one user.

 

Now the LinkStation will back itself up to the USB drive per your backup job schedule, and yet that drive will not be accessible through the LinkStation over the network except by this user id you created specifically for the USB drive.

 

This prevents:

    *  Accidental tampering with your backups.

    *  Malicious code that may try to corrupt any attached drive it can find on the network.

    *  Unauthorized read or write access to the attached USB drive.

 

The assertion:  The USB drive you have attached to your LinkStation is only there to receive backups.  As such, it practically unnecessary to ever access it through the network.  It just quietly accepts backups, and is otherwise undisturbed.  This will assure a higher level of confidence in the completeness and accuracy of the backup it contains.

 

Use the backup log on your backed-up share as a confirmation that backups are occurring as you wish.  No need to browse the USB drive's filesystem.