This includes the selection of a secure location and placement of all mission critical hardware, software and services along with the core communications and network infrastructure that provide them with support.

Physical Connectivity, Availability and Accessibility

Physical security encompasses physical connectivity, availability and accessibility. It is no good having the most physically secure mission critical components if they are inaccessible. The access types and capabilities will vary in accordance with the purpose of the access and the entity requesting that access.

Limiting user access in a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 environment involves domain controllers, the local machine, security descriptors, NTFS File and Folder permissions, Group Policy to name but a few.

The feature that I use most is to “hide” the resource from users. They will not try to access that which they cannot see.

Will all this said the main thing we need to do now is to define exactly what are your mission critical components, devices, infrastructure and services. We also need to examine possible scenarios and solutions that others have proven to work. There is no need to reinvent the wheel if you do not have to.

Mission Critical Components and Devices

Mission critical devices are those core mission critical components and services without which your organisation would not survive. Servers and communications and networking devices and infrastructure, including cabling all fall into the mission critical category.

Whenever it comes to mission critical devices, infrastructure and services if in doubt always take the most draconian restrictive measures. Now apply these measures with rigidity to your mission critical devices, infrastructure and services.

If necessary, you can always loosen security to better cater for special requirements and access rights and privileges. It is no good shutting the gate after the horse has bolted. So always, err on the side of higher security (the safe side).

Leveling The Playing Field

One of the more common reasons for adopting this strategy is that all devices and services for all users will start from a common set of conditions on a level playing field. Now you have a set of baseline metrics and quantified assets, attributes and services.

You can refer to your baseline values in the future. On top of this, these baseline values are useful when making head-to-head comparisons between different devices at different points in time. A reliable set of known “good” configuration parameters makes for a very handy troubleshooting strategy and tool.

Lock and Key - Ensure that all those devices classifiable as “mission critical” are permanently under lock and key at all times

Accessibility - Enforce strict physical access rights, permissions and policies

Assimilation and Unification - Consider incorporating your physical security initiatives into your overall security plans

Identifying Mission Critical Devices and Services

I will explain in another article how to determine precisely which components are your mission critical components. They will vary from one network or implementation to the next. For now just think of what would affect your job and your users most and make a list of them.

Now think of what outages would affect your boss the most and make another list. Do not forget to include those factors that would affect your boss's secretary as what affects the boss's secretary also affects the boss.

Crosscheck both lists and then compile a new list containing both sets of elements. Now begin prioritizing the items on your lists. Start with the things that would affect your boss, the boss's secretary and users alike.

You will be surprised as to how many factors will be common to both groups of people. Then list the remaining items from your boss list. Finally add in the user factorials.

Have a break and let the list for at least 30 minutes. Now review the list. This time make a note next to each item of the services that are required to deliver each item on your list.

Some of these services will be dependent upon more than one other service/machine. Other services will be common to quite a few of the items identified on your list.

Now make another list containing the prioritized services identified in the previous step. Identify which components are required to deliver these services.

Write them down alongside each of the services that you have just listed in your “must have” mission critical (job keeping) services list that you created in the last step.

Review and test the items on your list. Change priorities as and when required. You have now identified those elements that you deem to be “mission critical”. Once identified it is now time to test and rate those items on the list.

Implement changes that you deem appropriate for your current situation. These will include those changes that represent the greatest overall reduction in your vulnerability to the risks and threats already identified.

Review and test the changes that you just made. Continue watching and monitoring the changes and impacts resulting from your changes.

High Impact Threats and Vulnerabilities

Place all mission critical components into a secure controlled environment. Securely lock and monitor this facility at all times. Personal do not generally need physical access to your servers on an hourly basis.

Administrative functions performed in regards to an organisation's servers take place via “middle” machines such as the administrator's workstation. Enjoy next time enjoy!

Remember always, that physical security encompasses both physical connectivity and availability. It is no good having the most physically secure core components if they are inaccessible. The access types and capabilities will vary in accordance with the purpose of the access and the entity requesting that access.

The major desirable attributes of core components are maximizing up time, reliability, availability, stability, confidentiality and authorized accessibility with the appropriate privileges of course. Down time, particularly of the unplanned variety has no place here.

Achieving these objectives is no mean feat but we are now going to take our first steps in this area. Eliminating all public access to the core components of our communications and networking structure is a good place to start. Let us start by reviewing the first seven rules of location and placement.

The Rules of Location and Placement

Here again are the first seven rules of location and placement.

1. Restrict Access

The first rule of location and placement tells us to whenever and wherever possible locate core components, devices and infrastructure where the public cannot gain free access to them. Be aware that you also need to secure your core devices and infrastructure against subversion from within.

2. Camouflage and Concealment

The second rule of location and placement states that if infrastructure and core components must pass through a publicly accessible location then camouflage and conceal them to keep them out of sight. Use camouflage to your advantage. For more see Location and Placement.

3. Lock Up and Lock Down

Complement your secure location and placement of core components in a secure location with the appropriate lock up and lock down measures.

Incorporating locking devices of all types in your physical security strategies is imperative. These measures should compliment one another and any additional lock down technologies and procedures that you implement.

Monitoring and alarm systems have a big role to play in heightening the security of core components.

4. Eighty/Twenty

Location and placement rule four (the 80/20 rule) - 80% of the entire network's traffic should remain local while only 20% leaves the local network. The local traffic and the local network traffic are relative to the subnet(s), internal network(s), external network(s) and internetworks in question.

Only 20% of the total network traffic should travel over internal core links or the exterior (e.g. the Internet or another branch). Local traffic is between devices located on the same network segment (subnet).

Provision for organization-wide structures and subdivisions such as branches, facilities, buildings, departments, work groups, functionalities, services, logical associations, processes, traffic type, priorities etc. needs inclusion.

5. Proximity

Location and placement rule five is the proximity rule which tells us that wherever possible all devices including core components, that have a physical and logical relationship (linked or associated in some way e.g. subnets, work group membership) should be located as physically near to each other as possible.

This means that you would place all devices servicing B Block together. The distribution layer routers, switches and servers for B Block would be located in the same rack.

6. Reflection

The sixth rule of location and placement states that physical location, placement and naming should reflect both physical and logical associations as well as any other relevant relationships and dependencies. This holds true for communications and network core components.

7. Redundancy

Location and placement rule seven is the redundancy rule. Whenever possible ensure that you have included adequate and appropriate redundancy features into your network design. The production environment implementation should reflect this. Having redundant core components adds reliability and robustness to communications and networking environments.

The Location and Placement of Core Components

Once again that old saying about “location, location, it's all about the location” comes to mind as does “Out of sight, out of mind”.

Unrestricted Public Access

Unlike devices placed in areas permitting free and unrestricted public access, because you have no other practical or feasible alternative, core components and infrastructure beg strict adherence to the first three rules of location and placement.

This brings forth the question “What about rule two how and where do camouflage and concealment come into the picture?”

Concealment

Concealment is achieved simply be locating your core components in a location that has highly restrictive accessibility. One easy way of doing this is by ensuring that there are no less than five controlled access points en route from the most proximal publically accessible area to the core component facility.

Controlled Access Routes

Controlled access routes also help to regulate staff access to the facility housing your core components. Members of staff with no immediate and legitimate purpose for needing access to the core components facility will find that, just like the public they too cannot gain access unheralded.

No Justification

There is most definitely no justifiable reason that members of the public should or might need access to the core components facility. In fact, this applies to all persons other than the communications and networking teams.

Any necessary transient visitations (technicians etc.) are manageable by authorizing and regulating such events as and when required. Once concluded all access authorization and permissions are withdrawn.

Camouflage

Camouflage is achievable by not having a whole pile of signs saying things like “Core infrastructure this way.” In other words, do not advertise your core center's location. Those who need to go there will know where it is. Do not place your core center where outsiders can look in.

Public Free Zone

Selection of a “public free zone” for the location of your key communications and networks core components and infrastructure will go a long way to achieving as high a level of physical security possible.

There is absolutely no reason why any anonymous member of the public should ever need to access your communications and network core components. Permitting the public the freedom to access your core components at will is just crying out for a catastrophe to strike you down.

Security in Depth

Implementation of multiple additional layers of physical security along the access route to the secure location in which you have placed your core components is essential. This strategy goes by the name of security in depth.

Although, we are focusing on and dealing with the physical elements of this strategy here it would still be amiss of me not to mention that additional procedural and logical security measures also need implementing.

Subversion From Within

You should also take into consideration the sad reality of subversion from within. Whether the intentions are malicious or not, some people just cannot help themselves from putting a spanner in the works.

Lock Up and Lock Down

No prizes for guessing that the “lock up and lock down” rule location and placement involves locks and keys as well as biometrics and other security-oriented aspects such as authentication and identification procedures and processes.

The exact manner of the implementation of these initiatives I will not go into here now but stay tuned because I will elaborate further in another article.

Physically Secure Locations

Place as many; if not all, network core components into as secure an environment as you possibly can. This should include such core components as servers, routers, switches, administrative access workstations and major communications links and equipment. However, this does not mean that they will all be in the same room.

Physical Security Perspective

From a physical security perspective, a secure environment means a whole lot more than just locks and keys, video cameras and security guards. It also includes the actual physical “health” and functional availability of the devices concerned.

Core Component Facility Environment

Environmental control systems such as air-conditioning are an essential part of every communications and networking core components facility. Their management and delivery is also a matter for physical security and not just the maintenance staff.

Utilities

Utilities such as electricity and communications links (telephone lines, leased lines, cable etc.) are other key mission critical service components that need addressing from a physical security perspective.

Next time we will look into Mission Critical Components. Until then enjoy!

How the physical location and placement of your assets relates to their physical security and well-being is where we will take up the story now.

Physical Location and Placement

The first factor that we need to consider is the element known as the “general public”. It is here that we need to review the first two rules of location and placement.

1. The first rule of location and placement tells us to whenever and wherever possible locate devices and infrastructure where the public cannot gain free access to them
2. The second rule of location and placement states that if infrastructure and core components must pass through a publicly accessible location then keep them out of sight

Wireless Access Points (WAP) Location and Placement

The location and placement of Wireless Access Points (WAP) is a case where this rule needs heeding. Many a good WAP has mysteriously gone walk-about and never seen again.

If you have no other choice but to place a WAP in a publically accessible location there are a number of tricks that you can employ to help ensure that the WAP stays put. If the WAP is not readily visible then it is likely that the temptation to “borrow” it will not present itself to the majority of the public.

Physical Security, Location and Placement

One way of increasing the physical security of devices in insecure locations is through careful and cunning placement. Ways of doing this include the placement of the WAP inside a camouflaged container that is porous to radio frequency signals in the Wireless Access Point's (WAP) frequency range.

I have seen numerous “pot plant containers” used in this way. False speaker fronts also work very well. I have also seen numerous instances of fake security cameras used to camouflage the location and precise placement of wireless access points. Bit of a double-edged sword that one. A false camera to make the public think they are being video taped and a hiding place for the WAP.

The majority of materials used in the construction of suspended ceilings are also porous to the frequency ranges used by the average WAP. Place the WAP with a directional or bidirectional antennae in the ceiling, as the radio signals will pass through the ceiling materials unhindered. This definitely counts as a more secure location.

Using a WAP with a directional antenna ensures that only those signals transmitted and received from below are within the range of your WAP. This doubles as a good energy saving tactic that also reduces signal leakage and so helps reduce your wireless network's exposure and liability to “freeloaders” and hackers alike.

An additional benefit of locating a WAP in the ceiling is that if it is placed in the center of the ceiling then for rooms whose walls do not exceed the radius of the wireless access point's (WAP) primary (highest bandwidth) zone can all be covered by just the one WAP.

Physical Security, Location and Placement Documentation

Documenting the location and placement of all peripherals such as a Wireless Access Point (WAP) is essential. Do not forget to name them correctly. For example, you could name the WAP CR1CW1, which might stand for Coffee Room 1 Ceiling Wireless access point 1. For more about naming see the following article: Building Your Own Naming Convention

Location and Placement - Weighing the Fiscal Benefits

Another point to consider here is the overall benefit gained by hiding the WAP from view. This may cause you to need to install additional Wireless Access Points (WAP), if required in order to achieve the desired coverage and Quality of Service (QoS).

The other alternative is to end up replacing missing WAPs on a regular basis as and when they go missing.

The trick is to balance these two strategies from a fiscal point of view and adopt the option that achieves the majority of the goals that the deployment was implemented to provide. Never forget the reasons that you undertook the original expenditure.

If the implementation was justified and worthy then these goals will still hold true for quite some time after the implementation phase is complete. Factors such as Quality of Service (QoS) that were so important in the original planning, design and implementation stages still carry great weight now. If not then you must seriously reconsider why you even bothered.

Secure Fixing, Location and Placement

Once the location and placement of the Wireless Access Points (WAP) is under control it is time to ensure that their points of attachment are firm and secure. This is essential not just from the going AWOL perspective but from the preferred placement and antenna direction perspective to ensure the WAP delivers its services as planned and without undue signal leakage.

The location and placement of many other key network infrastructure components need viewing in this light as well. Cabling and workgroup access switches being two of the more prominent components in the category of easily removed or otherwise interfered with devices.

Secure fixing is often the only option for the workgroup switch but the cabling is easier to locate behind walls, in conduit and in wiring closets to protect it from untoward events. With that, we will conclude our discussion of the physical security aspects of devices and infrastructure that have a location and placement that is inherently insecure (public Places).

We can now begin to look at the location and placement of core networking and communications devices and core infrastructure and devices. This is where the story continues in the next article “Core Components”. Until then enjoy!