Introducing Physical Security 397
system and set the stage legally if any sort of action needs to be taken against a user, such
as termination of employment.
The following is an example of a warning banner:
WA R N I NGWA R N I NGWA R N I NG
This is a (Agency) computer system. (Agency) computer systems are
provided for the processing of Official U.S. Government information
only. All data contained on (Agency) computer systems is owned by
the (Agency) may be monitored, intercepted, recorded, read, copied, or
captured in any manner and disclosed in any manner, by authorized
personnel. THERE IS NO RIGHT OF PRIVACY IN THIS SYSTEM.
System personnel may give to law enforcement officials any potential
evidence of crime found on (Agency) computer systems. USE OF THIS
SYSTEM BY ANY USER, AUTHORIZED OR UNAUTHORIZED,
CONSTITUTES CONSENT TO THIS MONITORING,
INTERCEPTION, RECORDING, READING, COPYING, OR
CAPTURING and DISCLOSURE.WA R N I NGWA R N I NGWA R N I NG
Although different companies and organizations will use different warning banners, the
intent is generally the same: to inform users that they are being monitored.
Dealing with Mobile Device Issues
An additional issue that must be considered in today’s environment more than ever is the
physical theft of devices and equipment. With the proliferation of evermore powerful
and compact devices—including mobile devices, laptops, cell phones, and even hard
drives—providing some sort of protection has become essential. Due to the fact
that many devices today are easily portable, theft has become much easier. Gone are the
days when an attacker would have to carry a large device or piece of equipment out of a
building. Now they can quickly and easily steal it from a desktop or steal it from a user
outside the building.
Hard Drives
One of the problem areas to emerge over the past few years is the physically small but
large-storage-capacity hard drives. Specifically, the ones we are concerned about here
are the external hard drives that use USB or FireWire to interface with a system. The
proliferation of these devices is a result of their ability to move large amounts of data in an
easy-to-carry format. This is also the problem with the devices: they carry a tremendous
amount of information and can be easily transported. The average external drive is
typically no bigger than a pack of playing cards.