Masters of Science in Computer Science Security

The assignment discusses the physical access control measures in place at a computer science department building on campus or at work. The building has multiple rooms, including server rooms and offices, which are secured by locks with electronic keys, RFID door locks, and automatic body scanners. Access is restricted to authorized individuals, who must use their ID cards or swipe their cards to gain entry. At night, the computer labs and classes remain locked until the next morning. The policies for visitors and contractors require them to check in and provide their details, receive a one-time access badge, and check out when leaving. This physical security setup limits and restricts access to the building and its resources, ensuring facilities and assets remain secure.

Running Head: MASTERS OF SCIENCE IN COMPUTER SCIENCE 1
Masters of Science in Computer Science
Name
Date

Running Head: MASTERS OF SCIENCE IN COMPUTER SCIENCE 2
Take a tour of your building on campus or at work. What is secured at night when
workers are absent?
The campus computer department is usually locked at night; all the windows are locked,
as are all the exits, including the main doors leading to the lobbies. The building has several
other rooms inside, including a server room and the various computer rooms and classes as well
as offices. All exits at every floor are locked and the main entrance to the building is also locked.
All the rooms are locked to manage/ limit access (Muchamore, 2014)
Record the location and type of physical access control devices. How do these access
controls change at night when workers are absent? How well trained do guards and other
employees appear to be?
At the main entrance, there is an automatic body scanner with a security officer sitting
behind a desk to monitor the automatic body scanner. The main entrances to the individual floors
have locks with electronic keys in which people entering the building must enter the requisite
keys to gain access. Students are required to show their IDs before accessing the building. Once
inside the floors, the door is equipped with RFID door locks where anyone accessing some
rooms must use their RFDI enabled card or swipe their cards to gain access. This is so for the
rooms holding resources such as the computer server rooms, administration and other offices.
However, the classes and computer labs have usual key locks that security personnel/ IT staff
open and remain unlocked until classes are over. Students and other users can access these
rooms without requiring special access controls (but must swipe student cards to sign-in for
classes). At night, the computer labs and classes remain locked until the next morning.
Administration/ management rooms and server rooms require two step authentications where
after using their cards, users must type in an access code. The guards are well trained on the
security systems and run the checks while ensuring access is controlled.
Do they allow “piggybacking” (somebody slipping into a facility behind an
authorized individual without being challenged)?
Piggy backing to the server rooms is not allowed; each person must be authenticated
before accessing the resources; although compliance is not 100%; but this is not officially

Running Head: MASTERS OF SCIENCE IN COMPUTER SCIENCE 3
sanctioned. Piggybacking poses huge risks as in increases the risk of internal threats, especially
to IT resources (Tipton & Nozaki 2014)
What are the policies for visitors and contractors?
Visitors and contractors must first ‘check in’ by completing the contractor/ visitor access
log and provide their details and state purpose of visit and who they are visiting. The visitor will
then be issued with a one-time access badge (electronic) that contains their details for the visit.
The visitor must then ‘check out’ when leaving and swipe their temporary badge on exit and sign
off. Contractors also must sign in and provide their details and get issued with a short term badge
for a given period (say six days). Contractors do not have to get badges every time they access
the building (every day or hour) until the badge period expires. To access secure IT rooms, they
must be accompanied by an administrator.
How does this all impact physical security?
It limits and restricts access to the building and the rooms and resources within the
building. They ensure the facilities in the room as well as other assets remain secure and are not
at risk of exploitation, theft, or misuse. However, because security people cannot access the
rooms and other resources at night, it means that in the event of a fire, firefighting will have to
wait until the respective administrators, for instance for server rooms, must be located to grant
access. This is an added risk to physical safety of the building (Kairab, 2005)

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References
Tipton, H. F., & Nozaki, M. K. (2014). Information security management handbook: Volume 7.
Boca Raton : CRC Press
Kairab, S. (2005). A practical guide to security assessments. Boca Raton, Fla: Auerbach
Publications.
Muchamore, R. (2014). Maximum security. Place of publication not identified: Simon Pulse.