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410 Chapter 6 • Infrastructure Security: Devices and Media

While the Security+ objectives do not specifically address digital versatile disks
(DVDs), you should be aware that they carry the same vulnerabilities as CDRs, but
have significantly more storage capacity.Whereas a CDR typically holds 700MB, a
DVD can hold up to 4.7GB on a single-layer single-sided disk or 8.5GB on a dual-
layer single-sided disk.This capacity continues to increase with the introduction of
HD DVDs, HVD, EVD, and Blu-ray disks.

Hard Drives

Hard drives are basically a form of magnetic media that consist of platters within a
metal casing containing a built-in read/write mechanism.The platters contain the
data and are written to and read from using the read/write mechanism.They typi-
cally store much more data than tapes and CDRs.While they are not usually con-
sidered removable media, many newer server systems sport a hot-swap chassis that
allows for drives to be quickly and easily removed when they need to be replaced.
It is in this sense, that the Security+ exam considers hard drives to be removable
media.
The security of hard drives in the context of removable media involves two
main aspects: encryption and physical security. Encrypting the contents of a hard
drive ensures that anyone who manages to get a drive off of the premises will have
a very hard time accessing the data on the drive. Remember that with enough time
and resources, any encryption algorithm can be broken, but most intruders will not
put that level of effort into obtaining data frivolously.

File Systems
Head of the Class… more securely than others. Numerous types of file systems are available
File systems are methods that dictate how a computer stores and
retrieves files, how files are named, and whether some files can be stored

for different OSes, including DOS, Windows, Macintosh, OS/2, and UNIX.
You decide on the type of file system your computer will use when you
format the hard disk.
The most secure file system for computers running Microsoft
Windows is NTFS, which supports long filenames and compression, and
allows you to determine who has access to a particular file.

Physical security is covered extensively in Chapter 12.As it relates to hard
drives, the servers containing the drives should always be in a secure location. Many
servers with hot-swap chassis have locks on the chassis to secure the drives, which,

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