Securing Windows Server 2003

Chapter 3. Physical Security

You might think it strange for a book on Windows Server 2003 security to discuss physical security. After all, Windows Server 2003 itself doesn’t make any significant contribution to physical security. Yet without physical security, Windows Server 2003’s own powerful security mechanisms can be easily defeated. As you learned in Chapter 2, administrative security mechanisms—including physical security—are just as important as the technology-based security provided by Windows Server 2003.

In this chapter, I’m going to start by identifying physical security vulnerabilities. Try to get into a paranoid frame of mind for this discussion and think of every little thing that could represent a weak point in your company’s physical security. After we’ve gotten a plate full of potential vulnerabilities, I’ll show you some strategies for addressing these vulnerabilities. By the end of the chapter, you’ll automatically scrutinize the physical security of virtually every building you enter—a good behavior for a security administrator.

Identifying Physical Security Vulnerabilities

No matter how secure your server operating systems are, physical security vulnerabilities can allow intruders—or even misguided employees—to compromise your company’s information security. Learning to identify physical security vulnerabilities requires you to look at your entire network from a whole new point of view. It’s time to get paranoid and think about all the ways in which your network’s ...