Environmental IA Controls - Emergency Power Shut-Off (EPO)

Overview

Finding ID	Version	Rule ID	IA Controls	Severity
V-30983	EC-01.02.01	SV-41027r2_rule	PEMS-1	Medium

Description
A lack of an emergency shut-off switch or a master power switch for electricity to IT equipment could cause damage to the equipment or injury to personnel during an emergency.

STIG	Date
Traditional Security	2013-07-11

Details

Check Text ( C-39648r2_chk )
Check an emergency power cut-off (EPO) switch is located near the main IT area entrance. It must be clearly labeled and have a protective cover. This requirement is only for computer centers with large server rooms and/or supporting infrastructure rooms hosting large amounts of network equipment and/or equipment such as chillers, battery backup, transformers, etc. NOTES: In general such an area will be in raised floor space. The requirement should not be applied to purely administrative/office space. Also, this requirement should not be applied to a tactical environment, unless it is clearly an "established" fixed computer facility supporting missions in a Theater of Operations. The standards to be applied to determine applicability in a tactical environment are: 1) The facility containing the computer room has been in operation over 1-year. 2) The facility is "fixed facility" - a hard building made from normal construction materials - wood, steel, brick, stone, mortar, etc.

Check Text ( C-39648r2_chk )

Check an emergency power cut-off (EPO) switch is located near the main IT area entrance. It must be clearly labeled and have a protective cover. This requirement is only for computer centers with large server rooms and/or supporting infrastructure rooms hosting large amounts of network equipment and/or equipment such as chillers, battery backup, transformers, etc. NOTES: In general such an area will be in raised floor space. The requirement should not be applied to purely administrative/office space. Also, this requirement should not be applied to a tactical environment, unless it is clearly an "established" fixed computer facility supporting missions in a Theater of Operations. The standards to be applied to determine applicability in a tactical environment are: 1) The facility containing the computer room has been in operation over 1-year. 2) The facility is "fixed facility" - a hard building made from normal construction materials - wood, steel, brick, stone, mortar, etc.

Fix Text (F-34794r2_fix)
1. A master power switch or emergency cut-off switch for the IT equipment must be located near the main entrance of the IT area. 2. The emergency switch must be properly labeled. 3. The emergency switch must be protected by a cover to prevent accidental shut-off of the power.