Dec 2024
10 things to know about a physical penetration test
Physical security is often overlooked, but it’s a critical aspect of protecting your organisation. At Waterstons, we provide physical penetration tests to identify weaknesses, validate security measures, and assess how prepared your staff is for real-world incidents. Curious to know more, or never heard of penetration testing? In this post, we’ll explore 10 key things you need to know about physical penetration testing. Enjoy!
Technical Security Assessment Lead
1. Physical penetration testing identifies weaknesses and vulnerabilities
A physical penetration test can uncover gaps in your physical security posture, highlighting where improvements are needed to prevent unauthorised access.
2. Testing helps you respond to potential future breaches
By simulating a breach, the test evaluates how well your protocols respond to and manage intrusions, helping to create muscle memory should a real breach occur.
3. You can easily assess the impacts of incursion
The test measures the potential damage based on the assets accessed during a breach, giving insight into the risks posed by unauthorised access.
4. Validate existing security controls
It confirms if current security measures are working effectively, or need adjustments, to better protect your facility.
5. Identifies and evaluates staff security awareness
The test checks if staff security training is effective by observing how they react to incidents and report suspicious activity.
6. Provides you with opportunities for improvement
It identifies areas where your security posture can be enhanced, offering recommendations to strengthen defences
7. Validates new or known security issues
Physical penetration tests verify the effectiveness of newly implemented controls or bring attention to previously known vulnerabilities for leadership to address.
8. Makes sure you are complying with current regulations
Physical penetration testing can help meet legal, regulatory, and contractual obligations by providing assurance that security measures are in place and are effective.
9. Helps you prepare for opportunistic and prepared attacks
Most breaches are opportunistic, but physical penetration testers mimic determined attackers, uncovering weaknesses you might not expect.
10. We are not James Bond, but we do our research to help us gain entry.
Although not as dramatic as spy movies, physical penetration testers rely on detailed planning and research to outsmart security and gain entry.
Prevention is better than cure
Physical penetration testing is like giving your security a stress test—it spots the weak points, checks if your defences are up to scratch, and sees how your team handles potential breaches. By simulating real-world attacks, it highlights gaps, ensures you’re playing by the rules, and preps you for anything from casual attempts to targeted strikes. Think of it as a friendly wake-up call for your security, with plenty of tips to tighten things up.
You can find out more about our physical penetration testing services by contacting our cyber team at cyber@waterstons.com