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610 Chapter 11 • Operational and Organizational Security: Incident Response

Access logs require anyone entering a secure area to sign in before entering.
When visitors require entry, such as when consultants or vendor support staff need
to perform work in a secure room, an employee of the firm must sign the person
in. In doing so, the employee vouches for the credibility of the visitor, and takes
responsibility for this person’s actions.The access log also serves as a record of who
entered certain areas of a building. Entries in the log can show the name of a vis-
itor, the time this person entered and left a location, who signed them in, and the
stated purpose of the visit.
Even after a visitor has been given access to an area, a member of the organiza-
tion should accompany them whenever possible. Doing so ensures that the visitor
stays in the areas where they are permitted. It also provides a measure of control to
ensure that the visitor does not tamper with systems or data while they are there.
Chaperoning someone who has been given clearance to an area is not always
possible or desirable. For example, if you have hired an outside party to install
equipment that is needed for Internet access, you may not want to stand beside the
installer for an extended period of time. However, workers can be monitored in
high security locations using video cameras to provide electronic surveillance.This
provides a constant eye, and allows for review of their actions if an incident occurs.
Alarms are another method of notifying people of unauthorized access.Alarms
can be put on doorways, windows, and other entrances, and set to go off if
someone enters an area and fails to follow proper procedures. If someone enters an
incorrect PIN number to unlock a door, or opens a door without deactivating the
alarm properly, a noise will sound or a signal will be sent to a person or company
that monitors alarms.Additionally, any number of added defenses can be used to
sense entry into a secured location. Motion detectors can be used to sense any
movement in a room, heat sensors can be used to detect body heat, and weight
sensors can be used to detect the added weight of a person on the floor.While
such elaborate methods may not be needed everywhere within a building, they are
viable solutions to detecting unauthorized entries.
Computers can also be configured to prevent unauthorized access by locking
them with passwords. Computers can provide screensavers with password protec-
tion, so that anyone without the password is unable to access the system. For
example, Novell NetWare servers provide a password-protected screensaver that can
be activated by entering the command SCRSAVER ACTIVATE from the server
prompt.
To deactivate the password, the user needs to enter a username and password
with sufficient privileges.Windows computers also provide password protection on
screensavers, which prevents access to the machines while the owner or designated

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