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Installing and Configuring USBGuard

In this lab, we'll be setting up USBGuard to to control which USB devices are allowd to communicate with our hosts once they are plugged in. USB devices are an easy way for attackers to gain a foothold in our environments via USB Dropper attacks. USBGuard is a great security control that can help us avoid being infected by a malicious USB device. *This course is not approved or sponsored by Red Hat.*

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Lab Info
Level
Intermediate
Last updated
Aug 23, 2025
Duration
30m

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Table of Contents
  1. Challenge

    Install and Configure USBGuard with Basic Settings
    1. Install USBGuard
    [root@host]# yum install -y usbguard
    
    1. Start the USBGuard service
    [root@host]# systemctl start usbguard.service
    
    1. Generate a base policy for USBGuard
    [root@host]# usbguard generate-policy > /etc/usbguard/rules.conf
    
    1. Restart the USBGuard service after creating the base policy
    [root@host]# systemctl restart usbguard.service
    
    1. Enable the USBGuard service to start at boot
    [root@host]# systemctl enable usbguard.service
    
  2. Challenge

    Configure USBGuard Permissions
    1. Create a group named USBGuard-Users
    [root@host]# groupadd USBGuard-Users
    
    1. Add cloud_user to the USBGuard-Users group
    [root@host]# usermod -a -G USBGuard-Users cloud_user
    
    - Verify group membership:
    
      ```
      [root@host]# cat /etc/group | grep USBGuard-Users
      ```
    
    1. Update USBGuard to permit the USBGuard-Users group to make changes to USBGuard
    [root@host]# nano /etc/usbguard/usbguard-daemon.conf
    

    Change the IPCAllowedGroups line to read:

    IPCAllowedGroups=USBGuard-Users
    
    1. Restart the USBGuard service
    [root@host]# systemctl restart usbguard.service
    
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