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Infrastructure Security: Devices and Media • Chapter 6 411

though inconvenient, is also a good security measure. In addition, any servers
mounted in a rack with a lockable door should be secured as well. Every precau-
tion you take that slows down or stops an intruder helps.
Since hard drives are magnetic media, the same security measure that applies to
tapes also applies here. If possible in the overall security design and budget, adding
electromagnets around the entrances and exits of a data center can help prevent
confidential data from leaving the premises.Applying appropriate encryption and
physical security can make it very difficult for intruders to obtain data from the
hard drives.

Diskettes

Diskettes (also called floppy disks) are another form of magnetic media developed
to transfer data. Prior to CDRs, diskettes were the most common method of physi-
cally transferring data between systems. Older diskettes hold anywhere from 256K
on old 8-inch floppy diskettes to 2GB on Iomega’s Jaz drive technology.They con-
sist of a magnet-sensitive disk or platter encased in some form of plastic housing.
The same security policies that apply to magnetic tape and CDRs should apply
to diskettes. If possible, users should be kept from removing floppy disks from the
premises. In addition, it is a good idea to keep users from bringing in diskettes, as
they could contain viruses or other malicious programs.
An additional security measure that can be applied to diskettes is simply
removing the floppy disk drive from users’ computers to prevent them from
bringing in or removing data.As most new systems support booting from a CD-
ROM or the network, a floppy drive is usually an unnecessary piece of hardware in
the corporate environment.

Flashcards

Flashcards are a chip-based solution to portable data storage.They range tremen-
dously in capacity, but offer certain advantages over magnetic-based technologies.
They are not susceptible to damage from magnetic fields, and they are less prone to
wear out over time.As they use integrated circuit technology to store the data, they
are more stable than their magnetic counterparts. Following is a list of some types
of flashcards:

■ CompactFlash

■ SmartMedia
■ Memory Stick

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