Questions tagged [physical]
The use of physical measures (such as locks and tamper-proofing) or policies (such as Clean Desk) in order to protect sensitive information from unauthorized access.
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Physical protection of your servers?
Here is a scenario.
You are a small startup company that makes a video game. In your video game, you can exchange money for items. You are not dealing with the credit card/debit card directly but ...
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How could an hard-token be packaged such that the recipient could trust it?
I purchased a Yubikey NEO, which arrived in a small plastic thing, inside of a padded envelope. An attacker with access in transit would have had basically unlimited ability to manipulate it.
Which ...
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Is it possible to prevent unauthorized copying or recording of data by photographing screens?
I am thinking on a way which would prevent unauthorized copying or recording of data by photographing screens.
I also think, if the content of a screen is understable for an eye of a living human, it ...
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Securing physical access to your internet connection? (Apartment Utility Box)
I recently moved to a new apartment complex, had my DIY Time Warner box ready to go and hooked up my all my hardware. Everything booted fine but no connection to TW. I tested all the jacks in the ...
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Is encryption possible at the physical layer?
When we talk about encryption in relation to the OSI Model we usually hear about encryption at Application (Email - PGP), Transport (SSL), Network (IPSec) and even Data Link Layer (WPA). But I have ...
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Is it safe to use my personal password as my password in work related accounts?
For example I have this complex personal password cary1bondoc21cary2bondoc as my password and because I am forgetful I also want to used that in work related accounts like company email, etc. Is there ...
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Why isn't MSWindows product code kept secure? [closed]
Yesterday I have noticed MSWindows product code on KFC's machines is exposed to the public (photo below).
It might be a mistake but it made me think of something a friend of mine told me once, how he ...
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Preventing boot from external media in case of theft of laptop or physical security breach in case of desktops?
I wanted to protect my Laptop from common theft. What I did was that I installed an anti-theft software on my Ubuntu 14.04. The guest account is enabled so that the thief can use my laptop while I ...
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Defense in depth vs single security architecture
Traditionally, we have been that defense in depth is the best practice approach if we want to secure our premises from security breach. However, I recently read about DoD's Joint information ...
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A cctv system for a small shop [closed]
I am not sure if I should ask here but I really can't find any information anywhere else.
A family member of mine (let's say X) runs a small fashion shop in Hong Kong, China. The problem is that ...
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Do I need to secure a computer from physical attacks when attackers can already harm in many other ways?
Recently, I was working on a computer system for a model railroad club. This computer system is capable of monitoring and controlling the positions of all the (physical) trains which could be ...
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What are the security implications of a dead laptop?
My laptop recently died. I've got a replacement, and I've already pulled both hard drives out of the old one and ensured that there's no disc in the DVD drive. As far as I know, that should ...
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Is there a cryptographic function that generates a reconizable visual pattern?
I have to build a system that will ultimately print a pass allowing access to a building. The validation of this ticket will be done manually (it can also be automatic but that's not likely at this ...
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How do Travel Sentry locks work? (supposedly openable only by security agencies)
Apparently Travel Sentry locks can only be opened:
by their owner,
by the TSA, CATSA and "other security agencies".
How do they work technically?
Is there some electronics embedded with ...
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Security software to shutdown PC unless specific approach? [closed]
For future refence:
In light of answers and critique, my question should have been:
1. How does one make sure a physical attacker with access to a powered, but locked FDE PC fails his/hers attempt to ...
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How can someone sniff dial-up connection using phone line?
Let's assume we have a computer that sends packets to the internet using dial-up connection, and we have access to the analog data on the phone line(we have access to the phone line), how can we make ...
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Should I wipe a brand new Machine and HDD ?
So I am buying a brand new machine and a HDD separate, when I buy this new HDD should I wipe it before I install it ?
What necessary steps should I take to make sure it's pretty much clean of any ...
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Risk of spyware on seized devices
This question (Prevention measures against laptop seizure at US borders) addresses a number of techniques for securing data while crossing borders. Perhaps the most useful advice was to simply not ...
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Can I add a new user to an unencrypted Windows installation from a Windows installation disk?
I recall hearing this before, the ability to boot up a Windows PC with an unencrypted hard drive using an installation disk/usb, and use the command line utility on the Windows installation disk to ...
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In what cases can overly strict security policies be detrimental to organisations?
In a philosophical sense is heterogeneous security, a system where people are given more autonomy, better than security policies/procedures written in stone?
I've worked at some companies where ...
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Destroying sensitive partition
I've got multiple partitions on a computer, one for basic, day to day user stuff, and one for pentesting and security. The pentesting partition is encrypted. Could anyone give me, and everyone else, a ...
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How to handle decomissioned/donated/RMAed printers?
Printers, nowadays, almost always include some form of non-volatile storage that keep tracks of pretty much everything that went through the device.
In the case of larger, "departmental" system that ...
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Information Security classification [closed]
I've been interested in IT security for a bit (~1 year) and had a bit of experience with NSM as well as web security.
I want to have an overview of the entire industry, with all relevant niches and ...
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Disable USB keyboard pluggability on MacBook
I'm concerned about USB devices being physically attached to my MacBook laptop when I am about to unlock my computer or while my computer is unlocked.
My threat model involves an attacker who is ...
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Vetting new IT development staff [closed]
In the realm of software development what would be the best way to vet prospective employees?
We handle potentially sensitive information, and a code base which could be potentially lucrative to ...
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Ensuring security of a Disaster Recovery Plan
The Disaster Recovery Plan (DRP) is a document that outlines, in detail, the actions that should be taken to restore systems & files in the event of a catastrophe. The fact that these plans hold ...
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How do I protect security camera footage from an adversary?
I am interested in installing a security camera in my car, but I am worried about an adversary gaining physical access to the camera, and destroying the footage; leaving me with no evidence. ...
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Prevent hacking with known IP address and router information on Ubuntu 14.04 LTS [closed]
I’ve had it! It is the second time that a “hacker” (A hacker or should I say thief) has had access to my Ubuntu 14.04 LTS system.
The person that I suspect has had physical access to my pc because he ...
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High Level NSA Target, Help/Feasibility [closed]
I would like to know the feasibility of certain kinds of attacks. To be clear, assume the target is a high-level priority of the NSA.
Is an OS such as tails useless against root-kits/keyloggers, etc? ...
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Any way to prove that two devices are in the same physical space, for authentication?
I need to come up with digital proof that two physical devices are in the same (approximate) location whenever that transaction occurs.
This could be:
A digital ID and the authenticator
A consumer ...
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What Man-made Physical Threat Could Pose Severe Danger to a Server Farm?
I am writing a novel in which a researcher attempts to work against a study he is a part of by purposely sabotaging operations on the research compound. I am wondering if the following is plausible.
...
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How can I prevent someone from carrying out a file from a machine
Assume the following scenario:
You have to set up a machine in a way that a user is unable to bring out a certain set of files (or a single file only) from that machine while he has to be able to ...
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How do I start securing a virtual appliance to avoid manipulation? [closed]
We have created an amateur software product related with monitoring and management of specific services. It has been made in Python and runs a web service as frontend to show the data in a nice way ...
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Securing sesitive data from developers
I have an enterprise application running that uses both MySQL and Mongodb datastores. My development team all have ssh access to the machine in order to perform application releases, maintenance etc. ...
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Risk when attacker has only physical access to a computer's USB port
Attacker has only access to USB port and can either attach a device or pen-drive to a computer, that can be on or off. Imagine a scenario where non-reliable people have access to offices, either ...
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Can a lock picker slowly undermine the security of a deadbolt door?
I have a space for computers secured with a simple deadbolt. Someone keeps coming to pick the lock. While working there, I have scared them away three times.
There are cameras, but not in useful ...
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Can I ever hope to be secure using a cell phone or any mobile device? [closed]
I love my phone, it's small, I can bring it everywhere, I can access the wealth of human knowledge online, and do so much more. But with the recent light of the NSA and other world government agencies,...
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How would you set up a ‘cold’ netbook for master-key signing, large Bitcoin transactions, etc? [closed]
I've just ordered a cheap-o netbook on Amazon, with the intention of installing a Linux distro, and turning it into a permanently-offline high-security machine for sensitive tasks.
However, I'm no ...
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Does the US government protect its physical internet lines in the US?
It seems like there are lots of ways to prevent man in the middle attacks. I've read many on here and on the rest of the internet. According to wiki you need a secure channel as well to completely ...
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Could a hardware keylogger be detected through measuring USB micro voltage?
All in all, hardware keyloggers are harder to detect.
But if computers can measure the exact voltage consumption of their peripherals, could a hardware keylogger be detected by comparing the normal ...
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From how far away can passive RFID tags be read?
I have been told in the past that with specialized equipment, passive RFID tags could be read at 1100 feet. This seemed a bit far fetched to me, and sure enough, a quick Google search turned up ...
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Could Google Mail or Google Drive work as a path to a company's network?
I am a newbie to data security and would like to ask few questions related to Google Mail and Google Drive. What I want to know is how these two apps could be used to access a company's network AND ...
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Is it a security threat to have food or drink next to computers [closed]
I have never worked in big organization and I wonder if any of them considers food or drinks a security threat. More than one movie showed the scenario of an operator who accidentally spills tea on ...
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Protecting data on a remote device
Background
I have am developing a service which consists in a small headless client device (e.g. OLinuXino) which will contain sensitive data.
The device will be plugged to a remote network (maybe ...
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Is there is a reason for data-cables shredding?
Just to make sure, is there is a reason for shredding any type of data cables?
Is it OK to throw them away just as they are?
Thanks.
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Can Polygraphs be effectively 'beaten'? [closed]
This article suggests that polygraphs are rather rudimentary and thus very susceptible to being 'beaten'. In pop culture we see all the time movies where polygraphs are beaten -but with great ...
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Locating a stolen device
Yesterday my friends Samsung Galaxy S3 was stolen. We have found the perpetrator but cannot yet prove anything. He is uploading photos to social media via the phone. Is there any chance to download ...
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How to protect source code locally when traveling with it [duplicate]
I will be traveling abroad for several weeks on a business trip as a consultant.
I will carry a laptop with an IDE and all the necessary source code so I can make changes on site (which is the ...
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Authentication of temporary worker without a badge (physical security) [closed]
In our company we have a procedure to verify internal worker but we cannot use it for temporary worker. We cannot use badges and because of privacy reasons we cannot use any photos. Is there any other ...
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Are all OSes vulnerable to local password reset attacks
It's not that difficult to reset the password of the administrator account in MSWindows when you have local physical access to the machine
Same thing applies on any Linux distro, it's possible to ...
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