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Infrastructure Security: Devices and Media • Chapter 6 409

dered ineffective.This could allow an intruder to gain access to secure data with a
minimum of effort.
There are two major ways to secure this vulnerability:

■ First, most backup programs offer the ability to encrypt the data being
backed up.This increases the amount of time necessary to run the backup,
but from a security perspective, is a very good idea. In addition, an OS or
third-party software may offer the ability to encrypt the data while it is
still in use on the drive.This, too, is an excellent idea. Encrypting the data
makes it more difficult for an intruder to access it.
■ The second way of securing data is to protect it from being obtained by
an intruder. If an intruder cannot take the media out of the secure area,
they will not be able to restore it on a remote system. Some data centers
have large electromagnets around the doorway to prevent this. If a piece of
magnetic media such as a disk or a tape is brought through the electro-
magnet, it is rendered useless by the magnetic field.

Aside from securing backup tapes from intruders, they also need to be secured
from nature. Having the best backup system available will not help if the tapes are
in the building when a tornado rips through. Using off-site storage is a great solu-
tion for this problem. Storing the backup tapes in a separate location ensures that
even if the site is destroyed, the data will be safe.

CDRs

CDRs are becoming more commonly used within organizations.Their low cost
and relatively high capacity make them a perfect solution for physically moving
data from place to place.There are several different types of CDRs, which have
longer or shorter life spans or data capacity.Whatever the need, there is a CDR
media to support them.
CDRs are not vulnerable to magnets, which makes them more reliable than
magnetic tape when working in an industrial or manufacturing environment.Their
capacity is large enough that small systems can be backed up on them and data can
be saved to them for transfer to another location.
CDRs are, however, very vulnerable to being scratched. If the plastic disk that
makes up the media is scratched too much, the laser that is supposed to reflect
through the plastic will be unable to do so and the data will not be readable. In
addition, CDRs look just like commercially pressed CDs, and can therefore be
easily carried out of a building without arousing suspicion.

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