Principles of Information Security, Fourth Edition

Chapter 9 Physical Security

Learning Objectives
Upon completion of this material, you should be able to:
Discuss the relationship between information security and physical security Describe key physical security considerations, including fire control and surveillance systems Identify critical physical environment considerations for computing facilities, including uninterruptible power supplies

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Introduction
Physical security addresses design, implementation, and maintenance of countermeasures that protect physical resources of an organization Most controls can be circumvented if an attacker gains physical access Physical security is as important as logical security

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Introduction (contd.)
Seven major sources of physical loss:
Extreme temperature Gases Liquids Living organisms Projectiles Movement Energy anomalies

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Introduction (contd.)
Community roles
General management: responsible for facility security IT management and professionals: responsible for environmental and access security Information security management and professionals: perform risk assessments and implementation reviews

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Physical Access Controls

Secure facility: physical location engineered with controls designed to minimize risk of attacks from physical threats Secure facility can take advantage of natural terrain, traffic flow, and degree of urban development; can complement these with protection mechanisms (fences, gates, walls, guards, alarms)

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Physical Security Controls

Walls, fencing, and gates Guards Dogs ID cards and badges Locks and keys Mantraps Electronic monitoring Alarms and alarm systems Computer rooms and wiring closets Interior walls and doors
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Physical Security Controls (contd.)

ID Cards and Badges
Ties physical security with information access control
ID card is typically concealed Name badge is visible

Serve as simple form of biometrics (facial recognition) Should not be only means of control as cards can be easily duplicated, stolen, and modified Tailgating occurs when unauthorized individual follows authorized user through the control
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Physical Security Controls (contd.)

Locks and keys
Two types of locks: mechanical and electromechanical Locks can also be divided into four categories: manual, programmable, electronic, biometric Locks fail and alternative procedures for controlling access must be put in place Locks fail in one of two ways:
Fail-safe lock Fail-secure lock
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Figure 9-1 Locks

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Physical Security Controls (contd.)

Mantrap
Small enclosure that has entry point and different exit point Individual enters mantrap, requests access, and if verified, is allowed to exit mantrap into facility Individual denied entry is not allowed to exit until security official overrides automatic locks of the enclosure

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Figure 9-2 Mantraps

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Physical Security Controls (contd.)

Electronic Monitoring
Records events where other types of physical controls are impractical or incomplete May use cameras with video recorders; includes closed-circuit television (CCT) systems Drawbacks
Reactive; does not prevent access or prohibited activity Recordings often are not monitored in real time; must be reviewed to have any value

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Physical Security Controls (contd.)

Alarms and alarm systems
Alarm systems notify when an event occurs Detect fire, intrusion, environmental disturbance, or an interruption in services Rely on sensors that detect event; e.g., motion detectors, smoke detectors, thermal detectors, glass breakage detectors, weight sensors, contact sensors, vibration sensors

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Physical Security Controls (contd.)

Computer rooms and wiring closets
Require special attention to ensure confidentiality, integrity, and availability of information Logical controls easily defeated if attacker gains physical access to computing equipment Custodial staff often the least scrutinized persons who have access to offices; are given greatest degree of unsupervised access

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Physical Security Controls (contd.)

Interior walls and doors
Information asset security sometimes compromised by construction of facility walls and doors Facility walls typically either standard interior or firewall High-security areas must have firewall-grade walls to provide physical security from potential intruders and improve resistance to fires Doors allowing access to high security rooms should be evaluated Recommended that push or crash bars be installed on computer rooms and closets
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Fire Security and Safety

Most serious threat to safety of people who work in an organization is possibility of fire Fires account for more property damage, personal injury, and death than any other threat Imperative that physical security plans examine and implement strong measures to detect and respond to fires

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Fire Detection and Response

Fire suppression systems: devices installed and maintained to detect and respond to a fire Flame point: temperature of ignition Deny an environment of heat, fuel, or oxygen
Water and water mist systems Carbon dioxide systems Soda acid systems Gas-based systems

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Fire Detection and Response (contd.)

Fire detection
Fire detection systems fall into two general categories: manual and automatic Part of a complete fire safety program includes individuals that monitor chaos of fire evacuation to prevent an attacker accessing offices There are three basic types of fire detection systems: thermal detection, smoke detection, flame detection

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Fire Detection and Response (contd.)

Fire suppression
Systems consist of portable, manual, or automatic apparatus Portable extinguishers are rated by the type of fire: Class A, Class B, Class C, Class D Installed systems apply suppressive agents; usually either sprinkler or gaseous systems

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Figure 9-3 Water sprinkler system

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Fire Detection and Response (contd.)

Gaseous emission systems
Until recently, two types of systems: carbon dioxide and Halon Carbon dioxide robs a fire of oxygen supply Halon is clean but has been classified as an ozonedepleting substance; new installations are prohibited Alternative clean agents include FM-200, Inergen, carbon dioxide, FE-13 (trifluromethane)

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Figure 9-4 Gaseous fire suppression system

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Failure of Supporting Utilities and Structural Collapse

Supporting utilities (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning; power; water; and others) have significant impact on continued safe operation of a facility Each utility must be properly managed to prevent potential damage to information and information systems

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Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning

Areas within heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems that can cause damage to information systems include:
Temperature Filtration Humidity Static electricity

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Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (contd.)

Ventilation shafts
While ductwork is small in residential buildings, in large commercial buildings it can be large enough for an individual to climb though If vents are large, security can install wire mesh grids at various points to compartmentalize the runs

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Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (contd.)

Power management and conditioning
Electrical quantity (voltage level, amperage rating) and quality of power (cleanliness, proper installation) are concerns Noise that interferes with the normal 60 Hertz cycle can result in inaccurate time clocks or unreliable internal clocks inside CPU

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Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (contd.)

Grounding and amperage
Grounding ensures that returning flow of current is properly discharged to ground Overloading a circuit causes problems with circuit tripping and can overload electrical cable, increasing risk of fire GFCI: capable of quickly identifying and interrupting a ground fault

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Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (contd.)

Uninterruptible power supply (UPS)
In case of power outage, UPS is backup power source for major computer systems Four basic UPS configurations:
Standby Ferroresonant standby Line-interactive True online (double conversion online)

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Figure 9-5 Types of uninterruptible power supplies9 Source: Courtesy of American Power Conversion Corporation
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Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (contd.)

Emergency shutoff
Important aspect of power management is the need to be able to stop power immediately should a current represent a risk to human or machine safety Most computer rooms and wiring closets are equipped with an emergency power shutoff

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Water Problems
Lack of water poses problem to systems, including functionality of fire suppression systems and ability of water chillers to provide air-conditioning Surplus of water, or water pressure, poses a real threat (flooding, leaks) Very important to integrate water detection systems into alarm systems that regulate overall facilities operations

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Structural Collapse
Unavoidable forces can cause failures of structures that house organization Structures designed and constructed with specific load limits; overloading these limits results in structural failure and potential injury or loss of life Periodic inspections by qualified civil engineers assist in identifying potentially dangerous structural conditions

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Maintenance of Facility Systems

Physical security must be constantly documented, evaluated, and tested Documentation of facilitys configuration, operation, and function should be integrated into disaster recovery plans and operating procedures Testing helps improve the facilitys physical security and identify weak points

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Interception of Data
Three methods of data interception:
Direct observation Interception of data transmission Electromagnetic interception

U.S. government developed TEMPEST program to reduce risk of electromagnetic radiation (EMR) monitoring

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Mobile and Portable Systems

With the increased threat to information security for laptops, handhelds, and PDAs, mobile computing requires more security than average in-house system Many mobile computing systems
Have corporate information stored within them Some are configured to facilitate users access into organizations secure computing facilities

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Mobile and Portable Systems (continued)

Controls support security and retrieval of lost or stolen laptops
CompuTrace software, stored on laptop; reports to a central monitoring center Burglar alarms made up of a PC card that contains a motion detector

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Figure 9-6 Laptop theft deterrence

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Remote Computing Security

Remote site computing: away from organizational facility Telecommuting: computing using telecommunications including Internet, dial-up, or leased point-to-point links Employees may need to access networks on business trips; telecommuters need access from home systems or satellite offices To provide secure extension of organizations internal networks, all external connections and systems must be secured
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Special Considerations for Physical Security Threats

Develop physical security in-house or outsource?
Many qualified and professional agencies Benefit of outsourcing includes gaining experience and knowledge of agencies Downside includes high expense, loss of control over individual components, and level of trust that must be placed in another company

Social engineering: use of people skills to obtain information from employees that should not be released
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Inventory Management
Computing equipment should be inventoried and inspected on a regular basis Classified information should also be inventoried and managed Physical security of computing equipment, data storage media, and classified documents varies for each organization

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Summary
Threats to information security that are unique to physical security Key physical security considerations in a facility site Physical security monitoring components Essential elements of access control Fire safety, fire detection, and response Importance of supporting utilities, especially use of uninterruptible power supplies Countermeasures to physical theft of computing devices
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