PHYSICAL SECURITY FOR END USERS

As we've noted many times within this chapter, Internet security stretches beyond the purely technical. Most software today makes implicit and explicit assumptions about the physical environment in which it runs. If you violate these assumptions, you can be victimized just as easily as with many of the software vulnerabilities we've discussed in this chapter, and perhaps even more so.

For home PCs, physical security is probably not a big issue (unless your home lies in the middle of a heavily trafficked public area and has no locks on its doors). However, with the increasing popularity of laptop computers that do travel into potentially hostile environments, we recommend that you keep in close physical proximity to your system at all times. The importance of this principle was recently highlighted by the revelation that the cable locks that are typically used to prevent laptop theft are vulnerable to a simple attack using the barrel of a standard ink pen barrel (see http://www.messenger-inquirer.com/features/technology/7611499.htm and http://www.freep.com/money/tech/locks22e_20040922.htm). We've heard reports from colleagues that using this technique successfully bypassed a standard Kensington security cable lock using a pen barrel in under five minutes on the first attempt, and in under a minute on the second try. Quite soberingdon't let those devices stray too far!



Hacking Exposed
Hacking Exposed 5th Edition
ISBN: B0018SYWW0
EAN: N/A
Year: 2003
Pages: 127

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