Section 4: Physical Security

physical security

measures taken to protects tangible assets from harm or unauthorized access

ex. security cam

bollards

short, sturdy vertical posts designed to control/prevent access by vehichles to an area or structure

• prevents vehicular access/ collisions

fences

barriers that are made of posts, wire, or boards that are erected to enclose a space or separate areas

• prevents human access

access control vestibule

double-door system with two electronically controlled doors that esure only one door is open at any given moment

• prevents piggybacking and tailgating

piggybacking

involves 2 people, one with and one without access, entering a secure area

tailgating

occurs when an unauthorized person closely follows someone with acces without their knowledge or consent

brute force

attack where access to a system is gained by trying all of the possibilities until breaking through

forcible entry

act of gaining unauthorized access to a space by physically breaking or bypassing its barriers, such as windows, doors, or fences

4 main categories of surveillance systems

1. video surveillance

2. security gurards

3. lighting

4. sensors

wired vs wireless solution security camera

physically cabled from the device back to the central monitoring station vs wifi signaling to the central monitoring station

pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ)

can move the camera or its angle to get better perspectives

4 categories of sensors

1. infrared: radiation changes

2. pressure: weight detection

3. microwave: pulses and measuring their reflection off objects

4. unltrasonic: measure relection of waves off objects (ecolocation)

methods used to bypass surveillance systems

1. visual obstruction: block camera lense

2. blinding sensors and cameras: sudden burst of light

3. acoustic interference: noise to disrupt microphones

4. electromagnetic interference (EMI): jamming signals/frequencies

5. physical environment attack: manipulate environment to confuse system

what do access control electronic badges contain

• Radio Frequency Identification (RFID)

• Near field communication (NFC)

• Magnetic Strips

door locks

physical security control designed to secure entryways by restricting and regulating access to a particular space/property

• primary barrier against unauthorized intrustions

false acceptance rate (FAR)

the rate that the system authenticates a user as valid, even though that person should not have been granted access

false rejection rate (FRR)

the system denies a user who should have been allowed access to the system

equal error rate (EER)/crossover error rate (CER)

uses a measure of the effectiveness of a given biometrics system to achieve a balance

• where the FAR and FRR intersect

• the lower the rate the better

cipher lock

mechanical locking mechanism with push buttons that are numbered and require a correct combination in order to unlock

access badge cloning

copying the data from and RFID, NFC card, or badge onto another card or device

4 steps for access badge cloning

1. scanning: RFID/NFC reader

2. data extraction

3. writing to a new card

4. using a cloned access badge