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Wiring Closets

Lack of sufficient security for wiring closets can introduce significant physical access issues. If an adversary gained access to wiring closets, they could potentially: connect rogue systems or access points to the network, deny service to critical systems by disconnecting network cables, degrade performance by introducing layer 2 loops, disrupt the ability to manage network devices, intercept network traffic, or even physically destroy network cabling. The above is by no means an exhaustive list, and does not present scenarios that would necessarily be viable. Technical or logical defenses could mitigate some of the challenges above. However, with physical access to networking devices, the expectation is that an adversary could cause harm, despite significant logical security.

Shared Demarc

A crucial issue to consider in a building with shared tenancy is a shared demarc (the demarcation point, where the ISP’s (Internet Service Provider) responsibility ends and the customer’s begins). Most buildings have one demarc area, where all external circuits enter the building. Access to the demarc allows attacks on the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of all circuits and the data flowing over them.

Shared demarcs should employ strong physical access control, including identifying, authenticating, and authorizing all access. Accountability controls should be in place to reconstruct any events. For very secure sites, construction of multiple segregated demarcs is recommended.

Server Rooms

Obviously controlling and auditing physical access to server rooms is necessary to maintain physical security. However, more than simple access control is required to ensure proper security is maintained. Organizations are typically cognizant of the risks associated with poor door security, but consideration must also be given to the security of the walls, floors, and ceilings as points of potential access to the server rooms. These concerns are amplified in multi-tenant facilities. In addition to simply providing physical proximity to outsiders, multi-tenant facilities have often been designed with simple restructuring of floor and office space in mind. These flexible workspaces often lack the level of security needed for appropriately securing server rooms.

Beyond physical access control, environmental controls must also be adequate to provide expected levels of uptime and availability. Power and HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning) are crucial environmental factors that can negatively impact security for server rooms if not carefully designed and maintained.

Media Storage Facilities

Offline storage of media for disaster recovery, potential legal proceedings, or other legal or regulatory purposes is commonplace. An offsite media storage facility should be employed to ensure that the data is accessible even after a physical disaster at the primary facility. The purpose of the media being stored offsite is to ensure continued access, which means the facility should be far enough removed from the primary facility to avoid the likelihood of a physical disaster impacting both the primary facility and the offsite storage location. Licensed and bonded couriers should be used for the transfer of media to and from the offsite storage facility.

Due to the sensitive nature of the data contained within, media storage facilities must be adequately protected. Many of the same concerns that apply to server rooms are applicable here also. A difference is the approach to environmental controls. Given the offline nature of the media storage the same care is typically not required for power considerations due to the lack of uptime concerns. However, don’t neglect the environmental controls altogether. While the cost and design of the HVAC would likely be significantly lower in media storage facilities, the organization must still ensure that the media is stored in a manner that does not significantly diminish future access to the data.