There are a lot of physical controls that you're going to be seeing on the exam.
So let's take some time and talk about them now.
Even though there are quite a few different types of physical controls.
Let's take advantage of the fact that we are aware assuming you've been watching other episodes of control
functions and let's break it down that way.
So let's start off with deterrence controls.
A deterrent.
Physical Control is designed to prevent bad guys from trying to actually get in to your physical infrastructure.
So they are things that people can see from the outside that's going to prevent them from even trying.
So the three that I want to talk about.
First of all our lighting as everyone knows a well-lit exterior is going to prevent bad guys from trying
to get in.
Number two is signage.
If you put a good enough sign in it's scary enough.
Hopefully that will deter some of the bad actors as well.
Last and this is a big one and we're going to see this again our security guards.
Nobody wants to have to go into any type of physical perimeter where there's a guy sitting there staring
at you with a badge.
Now deterrent controls are fantastic but when we tend to talk about physical controls we tend to concentrate
on preventative controls.
Probably the most well known famous physical preventative control is a fence.
So things like gates and fences are incredibly important for stopping people.
Now if you really want to stop him you could be using things barricades or big bollards holding up so
that people can't crash through stuff.
Now speaking of crash through stev the United States Department of State came up with something called
K.A. ratings.
Now ratings are superstrong fences that are designed to stop vehicles.
So let me show you a little chart on K ratings.
There are basically four K ratings.
K4 is designed to stop vehicles.
These are all £15000 vehicles by the way.
So K4 stops vehicles traveling 30 miles an hour K-8 stops vehicles traveling up to 40 miles an hour
and k 12 stops vehicles at a whopping 50 miles an hour now.
Great fencing and bollards are important tools for the perimeter but physical preventative controls
don't end there.
For example things have to come in and out of these things so one of the other things we have is a mantrap
a mantrap is nothing more than some type of entry system which consists of two doors.
Somebody comes in they are checked or whatever we do they're actually locked in there for a moment and
then an inner door is opened and they can do whatever they need to do.
Now that's fantastic.
But we don't want to think just in terms of people.
Another big issue that is an important physical control is our cabling systems.
We don't want people to be able to get to our cabling systems.
So traditionally one of the big things we're going to do is an air gap.
We're going to separate important cabling network distribution systems from everybody else.
Now that's not always possible so there's some other options.
So for example VPN can come into play or a VPN.
Now sometimes our cabling distribution systems are so important that we have to physically protect those
so we can actually go through lockdown systems for our cabling systems to prevent bad people from accessing
them.
In fact in larger infrastructures We have complete protected distribution systems.
In this case these cabling systems can actually even go out into the public but we're shielding good
locks and controls.
We can protect those cabling systems in detail.
Now let's continue with our physical preventatives.
But now let's start talking about more.
Inside the system in this case we can do a lot of different things for example if we have important
documents a safe is an amazing preventative control even things like cabinets can be locked enclosures
can be locked.
And while we're talking about things like worried about people.
Also consider that sometimes we can have radio frequency or EMI come in in terms of problems.
So things like Thiaridae cajas can be used to protect sensitive electronic equipment.
Now once we get this far down in the system we start to talk in terms of individual people and what
they can do.
So the big word here is Lockes we use locks all the time and we could have retinal scanners or cards
or even physical good old style keys whatever you choose to use.
These are fine things but it's absolutely incredibly important that you have some form of key management
system to control this.
In large organizations you have security people whose only job is to keep track of where all the keys
were all the cards whatever it might be.
And literally having some type of inventory system that keeps track of where all the keys are at any
given moment or at least who is in possession of them is absolutely critical.
Now once you get down to your individual workstation there's only two big things to consider.
Number one are cable locks.
It's fairly easy for bad guys to physically grab cable.
Now granted you've got bollards and fencing and security guards and cameras and signage and safes and
all that.
But even in-house people can grab stuff.
So cable locks are something to consider.
Last are screen filters.
Keep in mind that just being able to see the type of data that's up on people's screens can be a serious
intrusion into your security.
So simply isn't a screen filter can often be a very very powerful tool.
Now that is a lot of preventative tools.
And those are probably most of the stuff you're going to be seeing on the exam.
But there is one more let's talk about Detective tools.
A good detective control is going to well detect that something naughty is taking place.
So probably the first one and the big one that comes to mind are alarms.
Now keep in mind we're talking about physical controls here so we're talking about real alarm systems.
Now what does a good alarm system going to have.
Well it could have things like cameras for example that are noticing that something's happening so we
might have motion detectors associated with those.
We could have infrared detectors so you could really get James Bondy about this if you want.
But the important thing is that they are detecting that something bad is happening in the physical world.
Now the other one that's important are log files.
We don't necessarily always have the ability to instantly recognize that things have taken place.
So long files can be incredibly important in terms of tracking and letting people at least be aware
of that certain types of attacks have taken place so very very important.
Now the last ones I want to cover I'm going to kind of knock these out real quick.
Are compensating and corrective controls so they're not really heavily an issue when it comes to physical
security controls.
They can be really important for technical and administrative controls but in the physical world you
almost have to fight to come up with a situation to fit underneath these like for example you could
argue that the bad guys have punched a hole in a fence and you can't fix that control right now because
you can't get the fence fixed so you get an extra security guard to give him a chair and a light and
you have him sit there right in front of the whole.
So that would be one example of a compensating control.
So really when we're talking about physical controls concentrate on the first three that we talked about.
Now the last thing I want to mention is that you've got to be careful with physical controls.
A lot of physical controls could meet different areas for example is a camera a preventative control
or is it a detective control.
Well you could argue both ways.
What I will tell you on the exam is that when you run into questions like this it will not make it hard
for you to figure out which direction they want to go.
Take your time read the questions you'll be just fine.