What is Tailgating and Why Should You Care?
Imagine this scenario at a growing company: Employees view their workplace as generally safe and secure thanks to locking doors requiring badge access. Confidence in physical barriers means they hold doors for others and don’t scrutinize every person entering alongside them. To question a coworker trying to walk in seems insulting rather than prudent.
Meanwhile, an unauthorized outsider dressed like staff approaches the building while carrying a large box. She interjects just as an actual employee unlocks the entryway, saying she forgot her badge at home. The well-meaning worker lets both of them through in order to help out a “colleague” and avoid making her set down the unwieldy package.
But the person is an infiltrator who has now breached the premises via tailgating: exploiting busy or distracted staff to bypass entry protocols. This social engineering attack enables threats from corporate espionage to massive data theft once strangers access internal systems.
Tailgating By the Numbers
- 93% of security breaches involve a human element like tailgating according to ESET.
- 75% of companies fail to monitor or detect tailgating incidents per industry surveys.
- Upwards of $500k can be spent recovering from an infiltration and stolen assets.
Why Tailgating Works Too Often
In short, tailgating leverages both natural courtesy and fallible human perception to circumvent physical barriers. While cybersecurity measures like firewalls and encryption protect digital assets, someone literally walking through your front door can evade these systems.
The stakes go beyond stolen computers and trade secrets. Sabotage, vandalism, and violence also become possibilities when unauthorized are unchallenged on site. This article explores modern tailgating tactics in depth, quantifies resulting risks, and arms you with concrete defenses to implement.
Anatomy of a Tailgating Attack
Skilled infiltrators blend right in or appear innocuous rather than skulking around suspiciously. Combine this with busy staff juggling phones, coffee cups, and armfuls of documents too distracted to scrutinize every nearby person, and human nature does the work of defeating security routines.
Common Techniques They Use
Modern technology like biometric authentication thwarts simple workarounds. In response, clever social engineers implement more sophisticated ploys to trick their way inside such as:
- Cloning staff access cards: RFID cloning devices steal credentials off legitimate badges.
- Disguising as expected guests: Pose as caterers, maintenance workers, etc. with the gear.
- Exploiting emergencies: Manipulate Good Samaritan instincts if someone falls, needs help etc.
- Using convincing distraction props: Hide in plain sight with creative costumes and equipment.
Avoiding Suspicion is Key
Rather than nervously loitering near entryways, tailgaters exude the confidence of belonging rightfully. Hackers travel in packs alongside real employees. Those pretending staff roles research organization charts and dress the part. Only subtle scrutiny beats these infiltration efforts.
Now that we‘ve covered how infiltrators finesse their way inside, let‘s examine real-world cases exposing damaging consequences from physical intrusions.
Costly Real-World Examples of Tailgating
Both massive big box stores and ultra-secure government sites fall prey to sophisticated social engineers. Lapses in access protocols and staff awareness open the door for theft, vandalism, and espionage threatening stability and bottom lines.
White House Security Breach
Agents intercepted Yujing Zhang penetrating President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in 2019 carrying four cellphones, a laptop, external hard drive, and USB drive harboring malware. While not stealing data herself, her ability to enter underscores vulnerabilities.
Hospitals and Patient Privacy
Dismissed hospital worker Cheryl Wang accessed operating rooms at Brigham and Women’s Hospital by masquerading as a doctor. With staff less likely to confront a seemingly stressed physician, she roamed restricted areas freely gathering patient data.
Corporate Espionage at Clients
An infamous case comes from Colin Greenless, a cybersecurity consultant himself, who tested defenses at client sites by tailgating into offices. He penetrated the data center of a major British investment bank, demonstrating how masquerading as staff defies billions in security investments.
The 45 Million Card TJX Hack
The 2007 TJX breach began by hacking the wireless network after tailgating past physical barriers. Once connected, thieves deployed sniffers and siphoned 45 million credit cards from the clothing retailer during months of infiltration, surpassing all prior payment data thefts.
Four Damaging Risks of Successful Entry
While an unauthorized stranger strolling through workspaces raises alarms, genuine risks go overlooked. In reality, huge financial, operational, reputational and legal consequences manifest from physical intrusions.
Trade Secret & Data Theft
Confidential files, prototypes, client lists, and business plans often sit openly in cubicles. Breaches provide rivals sneak previews of deals and offerings losing companies competitive positioning.
Equipment & Asset Disappearance
Expensive proprietary machinery, servers, and devices built using years of R&D disappear quickly when thieves access facilities. Replacing these crucial assets delays operations and progress.
Malware & Ransomware Installation
If granted access to computers, infiltrators can infect systems by inserting compromised USB flash drives. Once inside, malware and ransomware cripple infrastructure demanding enormous payouts before restoring functionality.
Reputation Destruction & Customer Churn
Each incident amplified by lax security erodes consumer confidence in a company’s brand. Moreover, lawsuits over compromised customer data from stolen laptops result in massive fines from regulatory bodies.
Quantifying Tailgating Damages
- Average cost of a corporate data breach is $4.35 million according to IBM’s 2022 report.
- Hospital privacy violations average $7.3 million in settlements according to CynergisTek.
- 70% of compromised records come from physical breaches not cyberattacks per Verizon’s research.
Given immense chain reactions from initial piggybacking, solutions preventing unauthorized access provide incredible ROI.
How to Keep Tailgaters Out of Your Business
Since determined infiltrators constantly hone techniques bypassing yesterday’s defenses, a layered security model works best. Combining common sense protocols, savvy staff, and advanced technologies significantly reduces risk.
Start with Culture & Common Sense
Low-cost, high-impact policies like mandatory badge wearing, securing unattended workstations, and escorting guests establish a security-focused culture. Ensure receptionists avoid tailgating by checking IDs and confirming visitor invites.
Train Employees as a Frontline Safeguard
Teach staff how piggybacking impacts assets and operations while providing tools identifying imposters. Let personnel know leadership encourages questioning anyone without explicit authorization to enter or access company systems, including executives.
Control Access with Modern Authentication
Issue staff unique encrypted identity credentials denying access when lost or stolen. Layer visual verification through CCTV cameras, security guards, and reception desks against forged copies. Centrally deactivating separated worker’s credentials prevents disgruntled insider risks.
Detect Tailgaters with AI-Powered Systems
AI-enabled cameras, facial recognition, and behavior analysis solutions accurately detect suspicious activity and unauthorized access attempts. Integrated door controllers automatically lock out individuals not meeting system rules for entry.
Respond to Intrusions in Real-Time
Security operations centers monitoring networks of sensors within and surrounding facilities identify breaches as they occur. Centralized software presents guards convergence visualizations pinpointing locations needing investigation or response.
Inspect, Test and Enhance Defenses
Schedule regular audits inspecting premises for vulnerabilities while penetration testing by independent contractors uncovers overlooked gaps. Frontline staff surveys also highlight process breakdowns for improvement.
Don’t Be the Next Victim of Social Engineering
While businesses rightly invest heavily in cybersecurity tools, neglected physical access leaves many assets ripe for theft. Take building infiltration seriously by addressing these unguarded vectors endangering operations and bottom lines.
Implement comprehensive, intelligence-based protections going beyond yesterday‘s dated security routines outwitted by creative crooks. Embrace innovative systems harnessing biometrics, AI, sensors and real-time data rather than relying solely on fallible human eyes.
Steal a page from hackers by proactively probing your own defenses for soft spots. Test staff readiness to stop unfamiliar faces through unannounced penetration attempts. Keep improving policies, technologies and training until achieving robust, reliable oversight curtailing dependence on individual decisions.
Don‘t wait until catastrophe strikes to overhaul woeful controls mere glass doors provide. Reach out today to discuss an integrated plan balancing prudence and workplace culture нужные для вашего business‘s unique needs and obstacles.
Share your insights or questions on social:
