Physical Security Threats and Solutions

  1. Threat: Piggybacking or Tailgating (= when an intruder illegally enters a building/office right after an employee, while the door is still open.)
    Control: If there is no security guard, install a mantrap, which is an entrance consisting of two doors: Door B won't open until the outer Door A fully closes. Next is a video showing how a mantrap works!
  2. Threat: Magnetic fields that can interfere with hard disks and magnetic tapes.
    Control: Disable entrance into a computer room with devices using big, powerful magnets, and use tiled floors or anti-static carpets to prevent static electricity.
  3. Threat: When many employees work on the same device, tracking who did which change is a problem.
    Control 1: Assign each user's account a password so that, each time a user accesses their account, they are asked to enter their password.
    Control 2: In case of fast working environments, e.g., in an emergency room (where medical personnel must access a computer near a patient as fast as possible,) give each employee an electronic ID card that they can swipe at or tap on the computer to instantly sign into their account.