Preventing Cybersecurity Threats with Physical Security Entrances

Cyber security and physical security convergence is a hot topic amongst today’s security professionals and rightfully so. One cannot exist without the other, as the Colonial Pipeline and Florida Water Authority incidents have exemplified. However, while these examples highlight how poor cyber-hygiene has an impact on our physical spaces, it is important to recognize the same is true of the inverse.

Poor physical security has a direct impact on cybersecurity, perhaps more than today’s organizations realize.

Most organizations are keenly aware of modern cybersecurity threats and invest heavily in their prevention via firewalls, virtual networks, encrypted communications and 2-factor logins. Yet these protections alone are not enough to keep data safe from hackers.

Dollars and Cyber Sense
As attention and budgets shift toward cybersecurity, it becomes easier for hackers to bypass cybersecurity protections all together and target the path of least resistance – right through the organization’s front door.

Once inside, hackers and cyber criminals have a plethora of attack surfaces at their disposal. An unattended computer could be the target of a “warshipping,” a Trojan horse strategy that involves using a physical device to upload malware or access sensitive data. Or an unassuming IoT-connected device used by hackers as an entry point to the network. It could even be as simple as an unauthorized individual walking out with a laptop or storage device in hand.

The fact is, even the slightest possibility of unauthorized physical entry opens the door, literally and metaphorically, to a cybersecurity breach. To keep data safe, organizations must therefore implement a physical security strategy that deters, detects and prevents unauthorized entry. A strategy only secured entry solutions provide.

Security entrances offer a unique level of protection that go beyond what conventional security solutions provide. Take access control devices, security guards, and surveillance systems for example. It is reasonable to believe that by deploying such systems facilities are protected from unauthorized entry.

However, these systems are reactionary in nature, and each come with their own security vulnerabilities. Access control systems can detect tailgating and piggybacking events but are only able to alert to such events after the fact. Given that a cyber-physical attack can occur within seconds, a simple detection strategy is not enough.

Deter and Detect
Surveillance systems similarly provide deter and detect functions but cannot actively prevent unauthorized entry. Other common approaches for data thieves include talking their way past security guards, coercing innocent employees into granting unauthorized entry and using stolen credentials to gain access.

Secured entry solutions are perhaps the only physical security solution inherently immune to such tactics. They cannot be compromised in the way that a security guard can through social engineering and cannot be forced or tricked into granting access. When integrated with biometric access control systems, they can also verify the identity of every individual entering a facility without the use of physical credentials.

Perhaps most importantly, specialized security entrances embedded with anti-tailgating systems are able to actively prevent unauthorized entry without the need for oversight.

Sophisticated Technologies
Using sophisticated sensor technologies, interlocking mantrap portals and security revolving doors prevent tailgating and piggybacking by confirming single entry. A combination of optical and near-infrared sensors measures the time it takes light to travel from the overhead system to an object in the compartment and back. In doing so, these sensors can accurately tell the difference between two people entering at the same time vs. one person entering alone, thus preventing unauthorized entry before it occurs.

These preventative solutions represent the highest level of security offered by security entrances and are ideal for controlling access to highly secured areas such as server rooms.

Beyond server rooms and telecom closets, organizations can dramatically reduce or eliminate additional cyber-physical threats by layering security entrances at entry and exit points at the perimeter of a facility and at other critical internal access points.

For example, full height turnstiles installed at a building’s perimeter serve as a deterrent against casual attempts to gain unauthorized access. Optical turnstiles are also ideal for corporate lobbies where it is essential to balance security while making visitors feel welcome. While these solutions do not actively prevent unauthorized entry, when an attempted intrusion is detected, they raise an immediate alarm that can be managed by nearby security staff.

As cyber-physical threats become more prevalent and materially impactful, it is important to have a clear view of the integrated risk environment, combined with a coordinated process for deterring, detecting and preventing threats. Layering various security entrances provides organizations with a high-tech security gauntlet that is difficult for any cyber-physical security offender to overcome. They are the manifestation of true convergence existing in the physical world.

Featured

  • 12 Commercial Crime Sites to Do Your Research

    12 Commercial Crime Sites to Do Your Research

    Understanding crime statistics in your industry and area is crucial for making important decisions about your security budget. With so much information out there, how can you know which statistics to trust? Read Now

  • Boosting Safety and Efficiency

    Boosting Safety and Efficiency

    In alignment with the state of Mississippi’s mission of “Empowering Mississippi citizens to stay connected and engaged with their government,” Salient's CompleteView VMS is being installed throughout more than 150 state boards, commissions and agencies in order to ensure safety for thousands of constituents who access state services daily. Read Now

  • Live From GSX: Post-Show Review

    Live From GSX: Post-Show Review

    This year’s Live From GSX program was a rousing success! Again, we’d like to thank our partners, and IPVideo, for working with us and letting us broadcast their solutions to the industry. You can follow our Live From GSX 2023 page to keep up with post-show developments and announcements. And if you’re interested in working with us in 2024, please don’t hesitate to ask about our Live From programs for ISC West in March or next year’s GSX. Read Now

    • Industry Events
    • GSX
  • People Say the Funniest Things

    People Say the Funniest Things

    By all accounts, GSX version 2023 was completely successful. Apparently, there were plenty of mix-ups with the airlines and getting aircraft from the East Coast into Big D. I am all ears when I am in a gathering of people. You never know when a nugget of information might flip out. Read Now

    • Industry Events
    • GSX

Featured Cybersecurity

Webinars

New Products

  • Camden CV-7600 High Security Card Readers

    Camden CV-7600 High Security Card Readers

    Camden Door Controls has relaunched its CV-7600 card readers in response to growing market demand for a more secure alternative to standard proximity credentials that can be easily cloned. CV-7600 readers support MIFARE DESFire EV1 & EV2 encryption technology credentials, making them virtually clone-proof and highly secure. 3

  • PE80 Series

    PE80 Series by SARGENT / ED4000/PED5000 Series by Corbin Russwin

    ASSA ABLOY, a global leader in access solutions, has announced the launch of two next generation exit devices from long-standing leaders in the premium exit device market: the PE80 Series by SARGENT and the PED4000/PED5000 Series by Corbin Russwin. These new exit devices boast industry-first features that are specifically designed to provide enhanced safety, security and convenience, setting new standards for exit solutions. The SARGENT PE80 and Corbin Russwin PED4000/PED5000 Series exit devices are engineered to meet the ever-evolving needs of modern buildings. Featuring the high strength, security and durability that ASSA ABLOY is known for, the new exit devices deliver several innovative, industry-first features in addition to elegant design finishes for every opening. 3

  • AC Nio

    AC Nio

    Aiphone, a leading international manufacturer of intercom, access control, and emergency communication products, has introduced the AC Nio, its access control management software, an important addition to its new line of access control solutions. 3