The Intersection Between Physical And Digital Security
Cybersecurity is such a pressing concern for businesses that old-fashioned physical security can often become an afterthought. Unfortunately, new studies suggest that this oversight can be hugely problematic for businesses, with Forbes noting the results of one Verizon study that found 10 percent of all cyberattacks have a physical component.
As digital and physical become ever more integrated through the IoT and smart interactions with nearly every component of day-to-day life, the onus will be on business to show that they are ready for the evolving threat of the new world. Looking at the physical infrastructure of the business will form a key component of this approach.
The value of cabling
While much of business is underpinned through cloud services, there must exist at either end of the network physical servers. Many businesses will have their own, to provide secure backups for data in addition to the provisions created in cloud services. However, even cables are vulnerable.
A July 2019 analysis of global cabling security published by CNN noted the emerging threat of cyber attacks on the very fiber optic cables that power global communications. If it can happen to global powers, it can happen at a local level, too. Invest in structured cabling for your business that is constructed in a secure and full-proof manner. Being ahead of the curve and anticipating the potential for crime, even where the threat is not yet apparent, will effectively safeguard your business.
Preparing signal wavelengths
The threats that cybercrime poses in a physical sense is not limited to how physical interactions can impact on your digital work. The relationship works in two ways, and this was shown to astonishing effect in 2019 when Italian hackers took over construction cranes through a simple hijacking of radio frequencies.
As more frequencies are moved away from the strict realm of defense and business in order to cater for an increasing number of consumer products and enterprise, it will be wise for businesses to take steps to protect their frequencies and deploy high level encryption tools to keep their own communications safely guarded.
A legislative impetus
On a further, more esoteric level, it is entirely possible for devices to have an impact on physical security everywhere. Products placed in customer homes, or applications based on devices, can garner all of the physical impacts associated with the modern cyber-physical interface.
Failures can, therefore, cause reputational damage and potential liability suits to the door of technology firms. This liability is the focus of legislation in California that is seeking to make manufacturer responsibility for the quality and impact of their IoT products a statutory instrument as opposed to an ad hoc measure.
Digital work is tethered to a physical base and so it’s no surprise that the two aspects of modern tech are linked, inextricably. The focus on cyber defense has become so demanding of public and private investment attention that physical security has perhaps fallen by the wayside. However, as recent events have shown, both aspects need to be considered in equal stead to create a sustainable security solution.
