Physical Access Controls

Physical access controls are items you can physically touch.

1. security guards

2. fences

3. motion detectors

4. locked doors/gates

5. sealed windows

6. lights

7. cable protection

8. laptop locks

9. badges

10. swipe cards

11. guard dogs

12. cameras

13. mantraps/turnstiles

14. alarms

When considering physical access controls, the security of the personnel always comes first, followed by securing other physical assets.

Access control system compares an individual’s badge against a verified database

Types of Physical Access Controls:

1. Badge Systems and Gate Entry

   1. turnstiles, mantraps and remotely or system-controlled door locks.

      • Bar code

        • Magnetic stripe

        • Proximity

        • Smart

        • Hybrid

2. Environmental Design

   1. CPTED

      1. Crime Prevention through Environmental Design

3. Biometrics

   1. Enrollment—during the enrollment process, the user’s registered biometric code is either stored in a system or on a smart card that is kept by the user.

   2. Verification—during the verification process, the user presents their biometric data to the system so that the biometric data can be compared with the stored biometric code.

   3. Biometrics takes two primary forms, physiological and behavioral.

      1. Physiological systems measure the characteristics of a person such as

         1. ingerprint

         2. iris scan (the colored portion around the outside of the pupil in the eye)

         3. retinal scan (the pattern of blood vessels in the back of the eye)

         4. palm scan

         5. venous scans that look for the flow of blood through the veins in the palm

         6. combine processes together

            1. checking for pulse and temperature on a fingerprint scanner—to detect counterfeiting.

      2. Behavioral systems measure how a person acts by measuring

         1. voiceprints

         2. signature dynamics

         3. keystroke dynamics

            1. measures behavior such as

               1. delay rate (how long a person holds down a key)

               2. transfer rate (how rapidly a person moves between keys)

The use of physical access controls and monitoring personnel and equipment entering and leaving as well as auditing/logging all physical events are primary elements in maintaining overall organizational security: