Re: [PEN-TEST] Datacenter Wiring

["Carskadden, Rush" <carskar () NETSOLVE NET>]

Fiber optics certainly can be tapped, though not as easily as copper at all.
I have spoken to Winn Schwartau about this, and I understand that a research
group called the Dead Protocol Society has been able to do it fairly quickly
and stealthily, however there is nothing on their site at all
(deadprotocol.org), and my attempts to contact them for another inquiry were
not successful. Maybe you will have better luck, or you can contact Winn
himself at infowar.com, though my experience has been that he almost never
actually knows this stuff himself, he is just sometimes able to find people
who do. I apologize for a partial answer, and I wish you luck.

Rush Carskadden
Security Engineer

-----Original Message-----
From: Lady Sharrow [mailto:ladysharrow () NDIRECT CO UK]
Sent: Sunday, October 22, 2000 12:18 PM
To: PEN-TEST () SECURITYFOCUS COM
Subject: Re: [PEN-TEST] Datacenter Wiring


A  few general questions on this subject. I am in the process of compleatly
rewiring and alarming two of our buildings. Effectivly the buildings are
connected and therefore I can 'hide' most of the wiring. However because of
the geography (not to mention cost and speed to install) the fiber optic
connection between the two server rooms is being run mostly on the outside
of the buildings. Question :- is it possible to physiclly tap into a fiber
optic with the same ease you can with a copper wire ?

A second more general question concerns the alarm system. Does anybody know
the effect on the machines of having a 'smoke bomb' type detterent system
being set off in a confined space like a server room ?. Because of the way
we work it would be safe to assume that if the smoke canister was let off
then it would be at least an hour before a member of staff would be able to
attend. As this portion of my system is not cast in stone does anybody have
a better suggestion for a detterent system ?

Again in a general note are there any good reference works for this type of
work ?. I don't mean for general wiring, more along the line of securing
wiring from interference.

Yours, truely deeply hating office moves,

Lady Sharrow

BTW - Legally we must work to English law so some suggestions may well not
be allowed especially with regard to alarm / deterrent systems.