Physical ways of keeping your system secure.

Unit 7 – Assignment 2. (Task1)

By, Rachel Fiveash.

There are endless ways to protect your system using physical methods.

• Here are some I am going to explain and suggest.

• Locks• Visiting passes• sign in/out systems• Biometrics (retinal scans, fingerprint)• Voice recognition• Guards• Cable shielding.

Lock Doors.

• Simple but effective.

• Locking doors means any unauthorised persons cannot access the room containing your computer system. Keeping it safe from thieves.

Visiting passes.

• Visiting passes makes sure the company know who is accessing the building.

• Using coloured lanyards can identify who is a visitor and who is a employee.

• Keeping a track on who can enter the companies premises.

Signing In/Out systems.

• Signing in and out when entering and leaving the companies premises, means that security can keep track of who entered the premises and for what reasons, so if anything goes wrong or anything is stolen, it can be checked who was where when the theft took place.

Biometrics.

• Fingerprint scanners, are used to scan access to into a restricted area, the scanner recognises the users fingerprint from the database and unlocks the door.

Voice Recognition.

• Voice recognition, reconises the authorised persons voice and unlocks the door also.

Security Guards.

• Security guards keep an eye out on any unauthorised persons, security guards check identity/id cards and access permissions.

• Security guards are also used to control CCTV, using surveillance cameras around the building, checking for any suspicious behaviour.

Electric Fence.

• Electric fences are used to stop any unauthorised access to a building or site.

• Electric fences send out an electric charge through the fencing, whenever someone or something makes contact with the fence, an electric charge will be passed through them, causing them severe pain. Stopping them trying to enter the site. Keeping your system safe.

Barbed wired fence.

• Barbed wired fences are used similarly to electric fences, barbed wired fences are normal fences with a coil of sharp metal at the top, stopping anyone from climbing over into the building. Keeping any unwanted people entering the building.

Burglar Alarms.

• If a burglar or unwanted visitor managed to enter the building with force entry, this alarm will sound off a loud sound, to raise awareness.

• This could still leave the burglar to steal or damage your computer system, as action may not be taken immediately.

Pass Codes.

• Pass codes are used to access rooms or areas with special or certain access.

• Anyone without a pass code will not be able to enter the room and will not be able to gain access to the computer system.

Unit 7 – Assignment 2. (Task2)

How software and network security can keeps systems and

data secure.

Encryption techniques: public and private keys.

• Encryption is the conversion of data into a cipher text which makes it difficult to be understood by unauthorized people. Encryption is meant for information to be sent across the internet to another computer. On the receiving end the information will be decrypted.

• A public key is known to everyone, and anyone can acess the information, with no restrictions to who can access it.

Private Key.

• A private key is the encryption and decryption key only known to the sender and receiver of the information

Handshaking.

• Handshaking establishes what protocols and speeds will be used. Once this has been done, communications can take place. In a security environment, handshaking is used to set up security protocols.

Diskless Networks.

• Diskless networks stop users storing files and data on the computer systems. Meaning no one can take them off the system by copying onto a memory stick or portable hard drive.

• Users have to load and save files onto a server which can be accessed anywhere.

Use of backups.

• Backing up regularly by copying them onto a portable device, or separate computer system keeps your data, files and information safe from natural disasters, such as fire damage, flooding etc.

• Backups should be kept away from the computer systems site, as if such a disaster should occur everything would be lost.

Audit Logs.

• An Audit Log can be used to automatically track every action undertaken by users on a network

• It can show what time the user logged on, what files were edited/changed/deleted.

• This can be used to check up on users and make sure users are using the system for the correct reasons.

virus checking software.

• Is used to detect, prevent and remove any viruses and malware. software tools that scan for known viruses and take action to disarm and/or remove them.

Virtual private networks (VPN’s)

• is a computer network that is layered on top of an underlying computer network

• VPN means that the data travelling over the VPN is not generally visible in networking traffic.

Passwords.

• A password is a secret word or string of characters that is used for authentication, to prove identity or gain access to a resource such as a computer system. Only the authorised person should know they’re password.