PHYSICAL SECURITY IN THE BLIND SPOT

Security professional Duane Jones on the importance of ensuring that physical and cyber security complement each other. The proliferation of cyber threats against critical infrastructure, such as the ransomware attack against Colonial Pipeline in May 2021, will continue to require added attention, resources, and proactive strategies in lieu of reactive ones. While the cyber threats are quite real against virtually all type of industry, critical infrastructure is an obvious high-value target for numerous threat vectors. However, with the majority of attention now focused on cyber elements, companies must ensure they do not position their physical security programme in the blind spot of their integrated security posture.   THE PHYSICAL/CYBER NEXUS The days of purely manual efforts in the tank farms, pipelines, etc. have long since passed with a great reliance on automation. The reality remains that both cyber and physical elements will continue to experience threats given the potential vulnerabilities which exist in both arenas. Fortunately, most businesses recognise and implement the need to separate critical operational elements, such as Supervisory Control and Data...