Physical Security

Cybersecurity Forensics Lesson 1.2.3


Physical Security Controls

  • Bollards
  • Access Control Vestibule
  • Fences and Signs
  • Video Surveillance
  • Security Guard
  • Access Badge
  • Lighting
  • Sensors

Bollards

  • Restricts access to a particular area
  • Channels people through a specific point but prohibits cars or trucks.
  • Other examples include moats, concrete barriers, and gravel pits.

Access Control Vestibule

  • Helps to enforce a “one scan, one entry guideline” for access to a restricted area.
  • Small space with two sets of interlocking doors installed in a way that the one set of doors must be closed before the other set can open.
  • Also known as sally port, air lock, or mantrap

Fences and Signs

  • A fence is a barrier, railing, or other upright structure that clearly defines the perimeter of the area.
  • Signs can deter some people, but for other malicious users, they can be a case of “x marks the spot”.

Video Surveillance

  • Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) is video surveillance you can use to see what is happening within your facility.
  • Ensure to use camera with the right properties including focal length, field depth, and lighting requirements.

Security Guard

  • Allow or disallow people through a security checkpoint.
  • Robot sentries
  • Receptionists
  • Two-person integrity

Access Badge

  • Logs movement through a central security system.
  • Correlates logs between the physical world and digital world

Lighting

  • Proper internal and external lighting are critical elements of physical security.
  • Dimly lit areas make it easier for intruders to easily execute illicit operations.

Sensors

  • Infrared
    • Motion detection and night vision camera and can alert for possible movement within a given area.
  • Pressure
    • Can detect pressure near a door or atmospheric pressure in a room.
  • Microwave
    • Can automatically turn on lights in a room due to motion but also set off alarms from motion.
  • Ultrasonic
    • Can be used for proximity and distance.