Research paper on Cyber Security and Physical Security.

1. Cybersecurity and Physical Security
Physical security is a subject that is more intuitive to people than is cybersecurity.
People lock their doors when they leave the house, but far fewer lock their computers
against potential intruders. Nevertheless, cybersecurity is affected to a greater degree
by physical security, in terms of design. Therefore, staying up-to-date on physical
security controls transfers over to cybersecurity realm. Although, cyberattacks pose an
undeniable threat to virtually every organization, there is a serious concern about the
problematic gap between cyber and physical security. In other words, there should be
no gap between cyber and physical security, and too many organizations these two
areas as separate realms. In fact, cyber and physical security are inherently
interdependent of each other and a business that intends to increase its cybersecurity
posture will come to a realization that it involves the physical layer of protection as well
(Entrust Datacard, 2018). The most effective physical security controls include door
access controls, access lists, video surveillance, fencing and motion detection,
barricades, signs, and hardware locks.
Door access controls such as cipher locks, proximity, cards are the most
common physical security controls used to open a door. A proximity card is a credit
card-sized card that unlocks a door when in close proximity to a card reader. The
proximity card does not require a power source; instead, it contains a capacitor and a
coil. When you pass the card next to the card reader, the reader excites the coil and
stores a charge in the capacitor. Then the card transmits the card’s information to the
reader using a radio frequency. The biometrics-based door access control involves
fingerprint or retina scanners, and is the most securing door access control as it
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2. provides both identification and authorization. With all of the above door access control
types, one should be careful and not allow anyone to tailgate or piggyback behind you,
especially risky in high-traffic areas (Gibson, 2014). In 2019, among the new security-
enhancing developments in this area is anti-passback technology. In an effort to make
the current door access controls more secure, organizations are starting to integrate
setting up a reader on both sides of a door, which requires employees to provide their
credentials to enter the facility as well as to exit. The anti-passback system detects
when a user is already inside the facility and wont know the user left until he used the
exit reader. This system protects against copied proximity cards, or cards being passed
to other individuals after opening the door (Business.com, 2019).
One of the less advanced yet reliable methods to catch intruders and prevent
personnel to follow closely behind another without credentials is a mantrap, which is as
a buffer zone or a small room with two interlocking doors, such that the first door must
be closed before the next door opens. Per existing building code, in case of a fire, a
mantrap allows for exiting from the intermediate space while denying access to an IT
closet or data center.
Many organizations have security guards to control access to facilities and
secure spaces, especially in proximity of a mantrap. Even where proximity badges may
not be used, a security guard my still verify an employee’s identity physically or in the
system. A security guard may deter tailgating by observing employees when they
access the facility using their proximity card, or he may utilize a physical access list to
identify authorized personnel prior to letting them in. If the point of entry requires a
proximity card, the security guard may use an access log to verify exactly when
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3. someone enters and exits a facility (Gibson, 2014). Access logs are often used to
identify security vulnerabilities. For example, if a log shows that a user exited a facility,
but does not show that the user entered the facility, it indicates the user probably
tailgated when entering the facility. One way to verify this is through video surveillance,
which provides the most reliable proof of a person’s whereabouts at a given place.
Even though an access log is very useful, the most reliable proof of a person’s location
remains video surveillance.
Virtually al banks, stores, and secure work facilities use closed-circuit television
(CCTV) or video surveillance to monitor activity to enhance safety and deter threats.
Most surveillance systems have the ability to record, which in the course of an
investigation can verify if an employee is stealing the organization’s property. As of
2016, there are more than 350 million video surveillance cameras worldwide with
approximately 65 percent of them installed in Asia (Wikipedia, 2019). As the
surveillance industry continues to evolve at a rapid pace, cameras remain the core
imaging system component. The newer surveillance technologies seen at trade shows
very well demonstrates how upgrading to HD imaging over existing installed coax cable
can provide affordably and help an organization attain the High Definition Composite
Video Interface (HDCVI) technology. HDCVI cameras are engineered to capture
1080p, 4MP, and 4K resolution images with standard coax cabling connectivity. Given
the increasing sophistication and frequency of cyber attacks, HDCVI cameras prevent
possible hacking and other cyber-threats since they rely on conventional physical
connections between cameras, DVR, and other non-IP-based system components.
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4. The latest trending surveillance technology consists of the enhanced H.265 and
the PTZ cameras. Many organizations are introducing the H.265 compression
technology to their CCTV systems, as they reduce requirements for bandwidth and
storage by up to 80 percent. This reduction is achieved by limiting transmission of
unimportant data where possible. The result is high quality video without the excessive
strain on the recording device or network. This conservation of bandwidth allows
systems to be inexpensively upgraded to high resolution and additional cameras. PTZ
cameras are used for real-time tracking of vehicles and personnel, and have underwent
development in new smaller and faster form factors. Since these cameras have to
move continuously, they consume more bandwidth. The newer 2MP PTZ cameras with
the H.265 compression are a perfect combination of bandwidth efficiency and resolution
(Hackenburg, 2019).
Experts agree that we have reached the point where the human attention span
limitations do not allow for effective searches through enormous amount of surveillance
footage. Searching through volumes of video is a crucial yet a challenging task for
security personnel. Unusual Motion Detection (UMD) technology developed by Avigilon
uses artificial intelligence (AI) in video to alleviate the need of spending excessive
number of hours reviewing recorded video footage just down to minutes. The UMD
technology continuously learns how typical activities and scenes look like, and then
detects and earmarks unusual movements. This allows security personnel to more
quickly search through volumes of video and the UMD technology focuses on the
atypical activity that may need further investigation (Avigilon, 2018).
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5. Last but not the least effective are the more traditional physical security controls
that include fences, lighting, signs, hardware locks, which are more often used in
combination to enhance the physical security posture of a facility, a large server room,
or an IT closet. As an example, many organizations utilize fencing in conjunction with
motion detection, which may also include an alarm. To enhance physical security
measures, organizations may erect zigzagging barricades, which require vehicles to
reduce their speed in order to navigate through them. Since organizations prefer to
present a more inviting appearance, they do not employ such barricades. They do,
however, utilize short vertical posts, composed of reinforced steel, called bollards.
These are often placed in front of the entrance about three feet apart. Strategically
placed bollards can prevent criminals from trying drive right through the front of the
building and then steal everything.
In conclusion, as IP-enabled devices are evolving, physical security is becoming
more intertwined with cybersecurity. According to the IMS Research firm, about 22
billion electronic devices will be connected to the internet by 2020 (Ritchey, 2018).
Before organizations can benefit from the potential gain of cost-saving efficiencies that
interconnection provides, they must sort out their boundaries of control. Presently, the
modern IP networks involve critical systems alongside security video and other security
systems that facilitate physical access to facilities. While applying the above-mentioned
physical cyber security protection measures provides an organization a solid security
foundation on which to build its cyber security defenses, collaboration among cyber and
physical security in an organization needs to happen in order to keep up with the
rapidly-evolving technology. When cyber and physical security personnel cooperate to
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6. create a strategic partnership, enables organizations to thrive. Conversely, in absence
of a collaborative environment, an organization will be duplicating efforts that, in turn,
will create vulnerabilities and potentially lead to economic ruin. As an organization
allots attention to both the physical and the cybersecurity networks, the vulnerability of
one network precludes the vulnerability of the other. As such, the increase in
technological advancements in organizations drives the synergy of cybersecurity and
physical security.
References
Avigilon (5 September, 2018). How Artificial Intelligence Is Transforming Video
Surveillance. Retrieved March 2, 2019, from
http://avigilon.com/news/security/how-artificial-intelligence-is-transforming-video-
surveillance/
Business.com (2 January, 2019). The Best Access Control Systems Of 2019. Retrieved
March 2, 2019, from https://www.business.com/categories/best-access-control-
systems/
Department of the Army (1 July, 2008). U.S. Army Reserve Pamphlet 190-1. Military
Police: Physical Security Program.
Entrust Datacard (24 June, 2015). How Does Physical Security Lead To Better
Cybersecurity? Retrieved January 22, 2019, from
https://www.entrustdatacard.com/blog/2015/june/how-does-physical-security-
lead-to-better-cybersecurity
Gibson, Darril (2014). Comparing Physical Security Controls. CompTIA Security+ Get
Certified Get Ahead Sy0-401 Study Guide (pp. 103-111)
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7. Hackenburg, Jennifer (13 February, 2018). 5 Surveillance Tech Trends for 2018.
Retrieved 2 March, 2019, from https://www.securityinfowatch.com/video-
surveillance/article/12392539/5-surveillance-tech-trends
Ritchey, Diane (1 April, 2018). The Unstoppable Convergence Between Physical and
Cybersecurity. Retrieved 2 March, 2019, from
https://www.securitymagazine.com/articles/88847-the-unstoppable-convergence-
between-physical-and-cybersecurity
Wikipedia (26 February, 2019). Closed-Circuit Television. Retrieved 2 March, 2019,
from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Closed-circuit_television
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