PC Tab Alarm System- Security Review

If you travel to any of the computer clusters located around campus, you will notice on the back of the towers a small, black tab with two wires plugged in and the words “PC Tab” and “Security” written on them. I decided to investigate these devices and assess the value of them. The PC Tab Alarm System consists of sensing devices physically located on the PC and a central alarm panel comparable to one found in a home. The sensors are held to the tower with a powerful adhesive. The idea behind these devices is that if anyone (or anything) attempts to move the tower, remove the sensor or disconnect the wires leading into the sensor, an alarm will go off and alert a designated party (most likely a security department) of a potential theft. All of the wires are connected in series to the central alarm panel, which obviously needs to be located in a protected area, such as a locked network closet.

The University logically invested in this technology because they believe people will attempt to steal PCs. This system is not terribly cheap (around $50 per PC), but if you consider the potential loss if PCs were easier to steal, the cost most likely would be worth the investment. The system however does not appear to be flawless. For instance, if the central alarm is disabled, then thieves could disconnect the wires without alerting the designated party about a potential intrusion. That is why keeping the central alarm out of the reach of unauthorized personnel is so critical. Also, since the wires apparently form a connection inside the sensors, one would think it would be possible to simply connect the two wires prior to reaching the sensor and be able to take the sensor out of the circuit all together. Finally, while the tab itself cannot be removed without setting off an alarm, the area around the tab could be removed from the tower. This could be plausible if the tab is foolishly placed on say a removable part of the tower. The issue with most of these is if the security devices are located in an area with people around, it would be difficult to do any of these without attracting attention.

Overall, this seems to be an adequate technology for the goal of protecting PCs in clusters from physical theft. As long as the central alarm has proper access controls and there is some oversight over the PCs to make sure people do not disrupt the system, it seems like there is little an intruder can do to break the system.

http://www.computersecurity.com/pctab/index.html?id=1