RE: Securing tape backup drive

The 3581s do have locking doors, but those locks are little better than
the old PC keylocks - a couple of hammer blows to the door will knock
them out. (Assuming the idea is to get the tapes, without regard to the
drive unit.)

Our tape drives are in a Dell lockable rack, inside a raised-floor
computer room with a locked door. The computer room is in the rear of
our IT office, also with a lockable door.

All of these things could prevent thieves from entering through the
front door.

However, a fire axe will tear through the reinforced drywall surrounding
the computer room. Fortunately, our location runs 24 hours with a roving
guard.

I guess the point is, you can secure the doors, but anything emergency
personnel can do, thieves could do also. Drop ceiling, breaking through
the wall, etc.

Also think about your off-site security; same rules apply.

Loyd Goodbar
Senior programmer/analyst
BorgWarner
TS Water Valley
662-473-5713
-----Original Message-----
From: midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Haase, Justin C.
Sent: Monday, March 19, 2007 09:40
To: Midrange Systems Technical Discussion
Subject: RE: Securing tape backup drive

Most of the LTO libraries and loaders have locks on them.  It's not
bulletproof by any means, but it is enough to cause frustration when in
a hurry to just leave it alone.

Justin C. Haase
Solution Manager - Technical Services
Kingland Systems Corporation

-----Original Message-----
From: midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Roger Vicker, CCP
Sent: Monday, March 19, 2007 9:37 AM
To: Midrange List
Subject: Securing tape backup drive

I have a customer that was broken in to Thursday night. The morons were
interrupted before they could get much of anything. However they were in
the process of trying to get a couple of rack mounted PCs and a model
800 (with the expansion) and had cut all but the power cables in two.
They must have believed the LTO tape drive was the video recorder
because they specifically ejected the cartridge and somehow managed to
get away with it even though the bag they were collecting cameras and
such in was left behind.

Now, my customer is having to notify all their customers that had given
their bank accounts for automatic bill payment about a possible data
breach. It is not very likely (but still possible) that the thieves will
actually be able to get the tape to someone with the right combination
of equipment to be able to actually use the account numbers. The
location is out in the boon docks and they would have to go hundreds of
miles to get to anyone that might be unethically technical enough or
without asking to be arrested. Even if the tape had been encrypted (as
others have rightly demanded IBM provide as an option) I believe that
the notice would still have had to been sent because their is a
_possiblity_ it could be still have been decrypted.

The question now, since they will have to replace the cable for the tape
drive anyway, is what are others doing to protect their un-attended tape
backup from break ins? Is it in some extra secured enclosure so that
even though they get into the IT room they can't get to the tape, and
how easy is it for the staff to change the tape each day? Do you have
extra long cables and conceal the drive somewhere else and how good is
that when the morons ransack the place to find any possible money or
VCR?

Roger Vicker, CCP