Sometimes, we fail to see the solution because our eyes are too far off from the obvious.  A case in point is the protection of our computer and its system from the physical threats that are present in the environment.  Before we even think of the the intricate digital barrier we should use to prevent malware and viruses that pervade the online world from entering our system, we should be considering the measures we can use to protect our devices which contain critical information, whether personal or business.

Good old-fashioned protection is not merely placing the computer and other devices under lock and key.  It is also about considering who has access to these locks.  A high-security risk environment will exactly be such in terms of possible theft  or intrusion.  It is likewise about protection from the natural elements like water and heat and occurences like power surges and fluctuations. 

Visitors are best received away from the regular work area.  This prevents potential information thieves from being able to read computer screens, install malware on network devices, or simply being within reach of portable devices that can be stolen without being noticed.  Desktop computers that come in individual cases can be locked to prevent tampering of  internal hardware. 

Physical protection would also entail other sensible and simple acts such as locking the personal account whenever the user needs to step away from the computer and installing security cameras in areas of specific security concern.  Not many people are aware that  the manner of placement of network cables and equipments can result to a tendency for accidental loss of information. Another important aspect of physical protection is securing the access point for those using wireless networks.  Threats can come in all forms but the simplest defense is usually the most important.

Tags: physical protection, Physical Security

Categories: Physical Security

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For most companies, the computer room where the company servers containing the delicate data originating from daily transactions is the most important place in the office. So while the people here are trying to figure out ways to safeguard these servers, it would be likewise important to consider external security measures such as placing locks and monitoring the activities with the use of spy cams.

Why is this important? The right question should be geared on how well do you trust you IT personnel. Evaluate their personality and see the extent to which they may betray the company and place operations in jeopardy. This not of course to discredit them but in reality, a lot of people use their knowledge and access as leverage towards being able to command salaries and money-related deals that many of us know as blackmail.

Also, physical intrusion is always a possibility. No matter how secure your area would be, it can be breached at anytime if you do not address the right measure to make it harder for them to gain access to the computer room. In short, the harder it is to get in to you computer room, the better it is. This only means you have prepared on the physical aspect of securing your IT area which is a good approach the sake of safeguarding hardware and data.

Tags: Physical Security, security, spycams

Categories: Physical Security, Real-World Issues

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Greg Schulz of Computerworld shared some guidelines of tape virtualization. Tape virtualization is one of the popular topics when it come to storage. Some of the said advantages of making virtual tape libraries would include improvement of the performance of the back up, archiving and other related processes and smooth transition (from tape-based to disk-based).

Here are the ten points he raised in his article:

1. Integration of VTL in your business continuity, conditions of your site/location.
2. Storage devices to be attached to the VTL.
3. Projected storage capacity needed in the future.
4. Backup, archiving, etc. software supported.
5. Support of differencing or single-instance repository capabilities.
6. Determine if you are looking for a turnkey solution.
7. Resiliency and redundancy needed.
8. Security level needed.
9. Tape device and library emulation for your environment.
10. Necessary changes to your current setup.

The questions he raised in his article really make you consider your needs and the conditions of your system. All these questions will help you evaluate if you would use virtualization. You cannot just decide right away if you will use VTL because it could affect your system in a major way.

It is always good to look at the possibilities before arriving at some decisions like this one. It is best to do a full study before you spend on it. One of the important things you also have to consider would be the people who would be in charge of this project in your company. Who will be the ones in charge of the study and the follow up in case you do push through with it. Your data will be at stake so it is better to be safe than sorry.

Tags: Backups, Physical Security, Storage, Tips

Categories: Backups, Physical Security, Storage, Tips

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Experiencing connection problems and slow transfer of data may occur at any given time for most networks. While most would immediately identify the network cards, computers, cabling or network configuration at first, the presence of unknown processes of the operating system or possible intrusions such as DOS or Ping attacks can also be considered as possible factors for the deteriorating speed issues for network administrators.

Such instances are only normal, especially for wide area networks, or networks exposed to the Internet. The mischief caused by such people can be expected, especially for people who love to try their talent in hacking and network intrusions. The prize of which is that of creating discomfort and headaches for companies that thrive on networks for business and profit.

While there are network monitors available, it would be best to get the best firewall software there is today. Some do not value the firewalls and their use until such issues arise, but just like the war on terrorism, it would be best to take on security measures before they occur to avoid bigger problems once their mischief succeeds.

Tags: IT Security Basics, Network Security, Operating Systems, Physical Security, Programming, Real-World Issues, Security Policies, Wireless Security

Categories: IT Security Basics, Network Security, Operating Systems, Physical Security, Programming, Real-World Issues, Security Policies, Wireless Security

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We are all aware the field of cybernetics has slowly been penetrating the market, especially from the side of Japan. Miniature androids or robots have been seen as the next generation of machines that will aid human in their daily work, both in personal and business aspects. They are programmed to carry out any task as required without complaints since machines are deemed to be objects that do not have feelings.

However, various insights have shared that the eventual robots may come to a point where they would be created to have feelings. Playing god is what people would tag the creators of such a race and should this become a reality, the movies that we are used to seeing such as I-Robot may eventually come true. Although this development may be exciting to most people who love to invest on technology, the question of up to what extent these inventions would be as far as playing god is concerned will still be big question mark that will be in the air of technological breakthroughs for future gains.

[tags]robotics, robots, cybernetics, technology, automation[/tags]

Tags: automation, cybernetics, General, News, Physical Security, Real-World Issues, robotics, robots, technology

Categories: General, News, Physical Security, Real-World Issues

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A lot of people have probably heard about now about the earthquake that hit Taiwan during the holiday break. While the natural disaster caused a lot of discomfort to the Taiwanese community, the world has suffered as well in terms of Internet connection speed.

Taiwan is among the chains or gateways to which the Internet also passes through. Similar to that of a hose that allows water to pass through from one point to another; one hole in it will lower the pressure of the amount of water that should be traveling. In the same way, the underground cables to which help transmit Internet connections from one point to another were damaged and thus today, many are experiencing lousy connection speeds. This has thoroughly disrupted the flow of operations, becoming a discomfort that has left surfers and professionals totally helpless.

Natural disasters are hard to predict. The best that technology personnel can do is come up with better cable durability, but this is no promise for disruptions as we are experiencing today. Among the millions that have been damaged by this untimely event, technology based companies and organizations are surely suffering the most for the gapping whole in the entire connection the web provides.

[tags]internet, gateway, connection, fiber optic, cabling[/tags]

Tags: cabling, connection, fiber-optic, gateway, internet, Network Security, News, Operating Systems, Physical Security, Real-World Issues, Wireless Security

Categories: Network Security, News, Operating Systems, Physical Security, Real-World Issues, Wireless Security

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Think of the impact that IT has on our society, let alone the workplace. There are so many things that we can do because of it and as a tool, things could go totally wrong sometimes. It is very tempting to get the company’s confidential documents and sell them to the competing company, client information could be tampered, and so on. Calum Macleod of Cyber-Ark has shared some tips in order to avoid this in your own company.

1. Do not expose your internal network
2. Make sure that intermediate storage is secure
3. Ensure that Data at Rest is protected
4. Protection from data deletion, data loss
5. Protection from data tampering
6. Auditing and monitoring
7. End-to-End network protection
8. Auditing is required to ensure that a detailed history of activities can be reviewed and validated.
9. Process Integrity

Think of the system you have in your company. Find out if your data is at the risk of being tampered. Ask yourself, are you auditing and monitoring? Maybe it could just be this one time of lapse wherein you let one person get out of your office with a lot of important documents. Now that is bad. You never know what this person will do with your data. Even if the person will not sell them to the competing company, the mere act of it being with that person. Are your computers safe from tampering or are they quite vulnerable? If they are quite vulnerable, it might be high time for you to change it.

You might end up having a very strict company policy when you find out that your company documents (among others) are at risk. You would want to keep your reputation when it comes to dealing with your clients. Another thing is that you would like to make sure that everything that you have is intact for your own sake (like filing away some papers). Once you have assessed the existing company policies, you could probably take a break and have a cup of coffee to help you relax a bit.

Tags: IT Security Basics, Network Security, Physical Security, Real-World Issues, Tips

Categories: IT Security Basics, Network Security, Physical Security, Real-World Issues, Tips

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How do you feel about the security policies being implemented by your company? Do you think you’re secure even from the visitors that drop by? Maybe the old adage about an ounce of prevention still serves us well in these days.

I once visited a company that had what I thought was a strange security precaution at the door. At first I wondered why they didn’t allow CDs, mp3 players, and other portable devices, but then it made perfect sense when I was ushered into a section with open computers and left to my own devices. Had I come in with any sort of malicious intent I could get files off the computer.

Though the term podslurping has gotten attention because of the i-pod’s popularity as the mp3 player of choice by employees, any form of removable media device can be used. Cameras, thumb drives, and mp3 players can be used to get the data without being caught. This is actually quite easy nowadays because of the plug and play feature of most operating systems. There are already programs designed to search a network and find critical data. Simply insert the device of choice to an empty USB drive, and from there anyone can download possibly highly-sensitive data. That’s why some companies limit the use of those items at work, but it’s not the best solution. There are policies that don’t have to limit the employees’ and visitors’ use of mp3 players and cameras. One is to not allow storage devices to be mounted on any computers in the system. Another would be to use encryption on files and restrict access to confidential data.
[tags]podslurping,security policies[/tags]

Tags: Physical Security, podslurping, Security Policies

Categories: Physical Security, Security Policies

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What happens to your old units when you buy the newest mobile phone units coming out every few months? Are you generous and give it away to a friend or relative? Or do you delete your data according to the manual and try to sell it online, earning some cash in the process? Maybe the last option appeal to you, but be warned that your erased data might not be as gone as you think.

Last month a company named Trust Digital bought ten phones from E-bay and managed to recover data from all of them. The data ranged from personal information and bank account details to company communications. They recovered all this data because smart phones today use flash memory to store information, and it’s slow to erase information from them. Such flash memory are also used in music players and digital cameras. Only a zero out reset of the device can ensure the total obliteration of data. The same issues can arise with people selling their laptops online. Software easily obtainable online can recover records of your online transactions, which can then lead to sensitive personal data.

It may seem difficult to make a profit from getting information from an old mobile phone or laptop, but seeing the rise in corporate data breaches from stolen mobile gadgets, it’s not improbable that someone would attempt to do so. The best tip in this situation is to contact your gadget manufacturer for detailed instructions on a complete data erasure. If your device has password protection, you can try to type your password incorrectly until you are notified that the action will erase all of your data.

Tags: News, Physical Security, Real-World Issues, Tips

Categories: News, Physical Security, Real-World Issues, Tips

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Whether you are a home computer user, a blogger, a freelancer, an office employee, making backups is an important task that you ought to schedule. After all, you never know what will happen. That is the dilemma that we all have. The moment a computer virus hits our systems or maybe some natural disaster or maybe even theft of our hardware, we could lose every bit of data.

There are different needs for each case. Take freelancers, for example. If you think about it, they have different clients, peak season for projects, etc. If you are a freelancer, how do you make backups? I know someone who makes backups every month, just to make sure that the articles are all together. There are even checklists to make sure they are intact.

For some companies that are involved mainly with graphics, they make weekly backups. It is to make sure that when their clients look for the materials, they have them immediately. They burn the files on discs so that they are handy. Aside from that, there are also some companies that have dedicated file servers. In case you have a setup wherein people could save their files on to the servers, make sure that those are the important files which are critical for your operation. It might be difficult to create a policy for such but it’s the best way to go about it.

Backups are practical. There are also news about developments in terms of optical storage media so stay tuned. These new kinds of optical storage media would impact not only those who are heavily into downloading but more importantly, the ones who are making sure that the data could be recovered in case of a security breach.

[tags]security,storage[/tags]

Tags: Backups, IT Security Basics, Physical Security, security, Storage

Categories: Backups, IT Security Basics, Physical Security, Storage

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