9 Physical Access Controls
This chapter covers
- Security perimeters
- Physical access controls
- Physical authentication systems
- Monitoring and logging of physical access
Physical security is the practice of protecting people, facilities, equipment, and other assets from unauthorized access, damage, theft, or disruption. While cybersecurity often focuses on protecting digital systems and information, these systems ultimately depend on physical infrastructure that must also be secured.
Physical assets such as servers, network devices, workstations, storage systems, and telecommunications equipment are vulnerable to unauthorized access, tampering, theft, vandalism, and environmental hazards. If an attacker gains physical access to a restricted area such as a server room or data center, they may be able to bypass technical security controls, install malicious devices or software, steal sensitive information, or disrupt critical services.
To mitigate these risks, organizations implement layers of physical security controls designed to prevent, detect, delay, and respond to unauthorized access. These controls may include security perimeters, fences, locks, access badges, biometric authentication systems, surveillance cameras, security personnel, and monitoring systems. Together, these measures help protect organizational assets and support the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of information systems.