Honey Sticks can be thought of as any lost Mobile Storage Device that is unknown to you. You should not try to insert or use them in your computer without taking proper precautions from becoming infected with computer viruses or spyware. Mobile Storage Devices are also known as:

- USB Drives
- USB Keys
- USB Sticks
- USB Memory Devices
- Thumb Drives

It's hard to know where to go when you lose a mobile device, or if you find one and want to help the owner out somehow.

These things go by many names, and this thread is not limited to just USB memory sticks. Digital cameras, PDAs, and MP3 players - to name just a few - can contain data that's worth much more than the cost of the device themselves. If you find such a device, you are probably not going to go out of your way to mail it back to the owner, even if you could figure out whose it was.

On the other hand, if there's an easy way to send them the most valuable part - the information - then you might not mind taking a minute to send it to them as an email attachment.

This thread is my attempt to create a catalyst for this activity. I can't take responsibility for misuse of this service, so you need to do what you can to avoid being scammed by people who say they've lost a device and can't prove to you that they know what's on it. We'll try to work through a set of guidelines, over time, on how to make this happen so that there is a balance of risk and productive resolutions.

Of course, it depends on people being aware that this service exists, so we'll have to work on that, too.

Here are the steps you should take if you find a Mobile Storage Device (or Honey Stick) that does not have enough external markings to determine how to return it to its owner, and you want to see if there is any owner contact information in its contents:

1. Ensure it is not a U3 device, which can contain dangerous software that could infect your computer as soon as you plug it in, without your knowledge
2. If you plan to insert the device to view its contents, it is best to do it on a computer that IS NOT CONNECTED TO ANY NETWORK, and has NO OTHER SENSITIVE INFORMATION ON IT that could become corrupted, deleted, encrypted or stolen
3. As you insert the device's USB connector into your computer, hold down the SHIFT KEY to prevent any "autorun" programs from starting as you plug it in, and keep holding it as you click on the drive letter to view the list of files. (Programs can be set to run based on clicking the drive letter, too)
4. Do not "double-click" on any files contained on the drive.
5. If a dialog box pops up to ask if you want to run a program, you should not allow any programs to run. You only want to EXPLORE the files and folders
6. Look for any file that has a filename such as "OWNER CONTACT INFO" that indicates that it contains contact information
7. Use a program such as NOTEPAD to open the file (instead of opening it in a browser or any other software application). NOTEPAD will let you see the text in the file without causing any other action to be performed by your computer.
8. Take note of the filenames contained on the disk so you can verify that anyone claiming to have lost the device is able to identify it by its contents.
9. Remove the device immediately, as soon as you have found the contact information.
   
10. Post on this thread what the external description of the device is, but leave out a few details that you can ask the alleged owner to provide in future.
11. If somebody contacts you, do whatever you can to verify that they are the owner, and arrange for how you can get them the contents of the device.
12. If you have any questions, please send me a private message (ScottWright)