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628 Chapter 11 • Operational and Organizational Security: Incident Response

Coaxial cable is commonly used in cable TV installations, but can also be found
on networks.This type of cabling has a solid or stranded copper wire surrounded
by insulation.A wire mesh tube and a plastic sheath surround the wire and insula-
tion to protect it. Because the wire is so shielded from interference, it is more resis-
tant to EMI and RFI than twisted-pair cabling.
Network performance should always be considered when deciding what type
of cable to use. Different types of cable allow data to travel at different speeds and
to maximum lengths before devices must be used to lengthen transmission dis-
tances.The varying specifications for different types of coaxial, unshielded twisted-
pair (UTP), and STP cable are shown in Table 11.1.

Table 11.1 Specifications for Networks Using Different Cabling

Type of Network Cable Maximum Length Maximum Speed
10BaseT (STP/UTP) 100 meters 10 Mbps

10Base2 (Coaxial 185 meters 10 Mbps
(Thinnet))

10Base5 (Coaxial 500 meters 10 Mbps
(Thicknet))
100BaseTX (STP/UTP) 100 meters 100 Mbps

100BaseT4 (STP/UTP) 100 meters 100 Mbps

When installing cabling, it is important that the cable is not easily accessible to
unauthorized people. If an intruder or malicious user accesses the cable used on a
network, they can tap the wire to access data traveling along it, or the cabling can
be physically damaged or destroyed. Cable should not be run along the outside of
walls or open areas where people may come into contact with it. If this cannot be
avoided, then the cable should be contained within tubing or some other protec-
tive covering that will prevent accidental or malicious actions from occurring.

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