Inside the Security Mind: Making the Tough Decisions

Physical Defenses

Physical defenses are often overlooked in information security practices. Since a physical room is surrounded by four walls, somehow the security of it is not at the forefront of our minds. No one can walk out of the Internet and physically unplug a system, so organizations that are perimeter-focused often never address their physical security vulnerabilities. Physical threats, however, can have the most drastic effect on an organization. Let's take a look at some physical threats and how the rules apply to them:

Casual Damage

One place where I commonly see physical defenses failing is in the causal, everyday damage that occurs in an unsecured physical environment. Tripping over power plugs, dropping devices, overheating components, ...