The Need To Integrate Physical Security and Cybersecurity
Physical security and cybersecurity have historically been treated as separate entities, with little integration between the two. In a previous era, each form of security was typically handled by different departments, with facilities management and the CIO operating in silos.
Fast forward to today, and it is no longer practical to treat them as separate areas of focus; agencies need both physical security and cybersecurity to be unified for the most complete picture and the most proactive stance around security. For example, gone are the days where security cameras recorded images to videotape, which was secure because it was not connected to a network. Today’s cameras are smart devices that can integrate with the broader network ecosystem, making their security a shared responsibility between the physical and digital security teams.
There are countless cases similar to this, in which the two domains must be commingled, and agencies are increasingly encountering situations where physical events have a direct impact on cyber incidents that are not easily detected through online monitoring. The combined approach is especially important in cases of insider threats, where physical security can provide valuable context such as unauthorized access to a server room without an accompanying breach of the building’s external perimeter.
Infrastructure security is also enhanced in cases where malicious devices physically inserted into a network may not be detected immediately by network scans. Here, regular checks of physical infrastructure via video surveillance of loading docks or server rooms can help spot unauthorized devices as they are being installed.
DISCOVER: Increasingly complex federal IT environments call for multiple security tools.
Key Considerations for Physical and Cybersecurity Convergence
Combining physical and digital security enhances the effectiveness of a zero-trust security model by providing more data points to cross-reference against one another. The caveat is that while zero trust is already a well-established approach in digital security, physical and operational security is still catching up in terms of maturity.
To advance zero trust within physical security, organizations can take steps such as integrating advanced room or door cameras that scan faces, adding layers of verification and ensuring that physical access aligns with digital identities and actions.
Unified physical and digital security is increasingly a prerequisite for many advanced technologies to operate correctly, with edge and Internet of Things devices blurring the traditional lines between physical security and cybersecurity. The edge is a significant part of this cohesion because it represents the ultimate convergence of physical and digital security. Edge devices and computing often exist outside an organization’s traditional boundaries, extending the physical infrastructure to remote sensors in the fields.
This blurring of lines between the physical and virtual worlds makes it crucial to protect both the devices and the data they handle. Minimizing data transfer and communication helps mitigate risks, as does encryption and ensuring secure network protocols. These steps are especially crucial for overlapping sensor systems, which require secure boot processes; strong authentication; and encryption of data whether at rest, in transit or in use.
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Leveraging AI and ML for a Unified Security Posture
Physical security and cybersecurity are intrinsically linked, and fostering formal collaboration between the two enables better anticipation, identification, mitigation and response to threats. What’s more, unifying security policies across departments strengthens an organization’s ability to defend against exploits while more efficiently by reducing task duplication and creating a more proactive and comprehensive approach to compliance.
Artificial intelligence and machine learning can be a game changer in these efforts by automating security functions to improve coverage and response times. For example, an AI/ML system can be used to automatically lock the doors of an inner server room in response to a breach or anomalous behavior that the system detects elsewhere in the building. The same technology can also trigger cloud backups in response to a fire alarm.
By continuously monitoring for events that deviate from the norm and taking independent action, these examples show how AI can create a faster and more efficient response to threats and incidents.
AI-driven analytics and device monitoring also dramatically enhance the role of security personnel. Instead of constantly scanning multiple camera screens, security guards can receive and assess alerts that highlight significant changes or potential threats such as unusual movement in specific hallways. ML and AI can monitor far more camera feeds than could be rendered on a video wall, autonomously choosing only the most significant alerts and feeds to display. This helps security staffers cover far more territory and focus only on the most critical issues, rather than redundant or unimportant footage.
UP NEXT: Agencies are adopting artificial intelligence for threat detection.
As the landscape of security continues to evolve, the line between physical and digital security is slowly disappearing. Attempting to treat them separately is no longer practical, and any gap between the two creates opportunities for exploitation of critical systems and data.
Agencies can better anticipate, identify, mitigate and respond to security risks by fostering formal collaboration between physical and cybersecurity resources. Ultimately, this combined approach enables a more proactive, comprehensive and resilient security posture that leaves agencies better equipped to safeguard their constituents, data and infrastructure in today’s interconnected world.
