Why Physical Social Engineering Should Be Part of Your Security Strategy

In the digital age, when cybersecurity breaches make headlines, organizations often focus heavily on protecting against online threats. However, securing the physical aspects of your office or data center is just as crucial. If an attacker gains physical access to your computers or servers, they can often steal just as much data as they can in a cyberattack. This is why physical social engineering testing should be a key component of a comprehensive security program. Let’s dive into the details, examples of successful strategies, and tips to reduce your risk.

What is Physical Social Engineering?

While digital threats often grab attention, the reality is that an intruder with physical access to your equipment can wreak havoc. Once inside, they can steal data, install malware, or gain persistent access to your internal network, potentially leading to catastrophic breaches. Physical social engineering involves simulating real-world attacks where an ethical hacker attempts to enter your office, data center, or other facilities to assess your physical security defenses. The goal is to evaluate how easily an attacker could gain access to your facilities by exploiting human weaknesses in visitor sign-in protocols, entrance and exit processes, access control procedures, and more.

An Underutilized Security Test

Physical social engineering has been around for a long time, but it is an often underutilized security test. Our CEO, Sherri Davidoff, was employed to conduct her first physical social engineering test in the late 1990s at MIT (you can read more about Sherri’s adventures in the 2019 book Breaking and Entering: The Extraordinary Story of a Hacker Called “Alien”).

Sherri’s early experiences showed how easily she could access secured areas using social engineering techniques. “If I can connect a device to your server, access an unlocked laptop, or take pictures of documents on your desk, I can often gain access to a wealth of sensitive information,” Sherri stated. “it’s surprising how many organizations don’t realize that physical security is a crucial part of your overall breach prevention strategy that should be regularly tested.”

Real-Life Physical Social Engineering Examples: How Easy is it to Break In?

Just like today’s criminals, our physical social engineering team has a wealth of public information at their fingertips to prepare for these tests. Let’s take a look at two real-world examples of physical social engineering scenarios our team has used to access organizations.

1. Vendor Visit. In one engagement, we were contracted to see if we could access sensitive data at any branch offices of an organization. Posing as HVAC technicians, two of our consultants showed up at a branch location carrying ladders and tools. Prior to the engagement, they researched the HVAC company used exclusively by this organization and then proceeded to acquire replica badges and uniforms; both made to be an exact match to that HVAC company’s branding.

Upon arrival at one branch location, the consultants were greeted by the receptionist, who, upon recognizing the HVAC uniforms, immediately pulled out the visitor logbook. Using their fake HVAC IDs, she signed them in directly, without ever asking for a work order or any additional verification. She then escorted them to the server and networking closet, opened the locked door for them, and then returned to her post. Our consultants plugged in their device and gained immediate access to their internal network. Once completed, they left the facility, and messaged their colleague to start infiltrating the organization.

Bryan Bijonowski Jr., one of our senior security consultants, shared this advice: “There are always an innumerable number of times where opportunities for employees to challenge us are created. It is rare that they do. In this case in particular, even though they saw I was a branded HVAC guy with a ladder, I was never asked for, nor had to provide, any additional verification or even produce a work order, to access sensitive areas of the organization. Ultimately, the majority of people don’t like confrontation, or even the possibility of it occurring, and regularly go out of their way to avoid it. Train your employees that if you see something, say something. It isn’t enough for them to be 98% certain in these situations, your employees need to be 100% certain, 100% of the time.”

2. Pretend to be a compliance inspector or new employee. In one of our tests, a tester posed as a compliance auditor. She researched the organization’s appropriate regional compliance office and created a fake badge to pose as an auditor. Our tester visited during popular lunch hours when people were away from their desks and told the front desk that due to a recent increase in breaches, she was there for a spot check. She showed her badge and was granted unescorted entry that enabled her to access restricted areas like teller counters, server rooms, and even vaults and ATM keys. She took pictures of screens, passwords on Post-It notes, and sensitive documents. Our tester, Delaney Moore, shared, “Many employees hesitate to question someone they perceive as an authority figure, such as an auditor.” Delaney continued, “It’s important to ‘trust but verify’—we’re trained to be nice, but you can question someone politely. Never feel bad about verifying a visitor’s identity.” Delaney’s advice: “Your organization should have clear protocols on how to verify visitors, who to contact for confirmation, and rules about escorting the person directly to their contact and confirming their presence.”

Tips to Reduce Your Risk of Losing Data From a Physical Breach  

To protect your organization from unauthorized access to your office computers or servers, consider implementing these security measures:

1. Train Employees to Recognize Suspicious Behavior
   Train your employees to challenge anyone who appears out of place or unescorted as part of your regular cybersecurity awareness training. “We have all been taught from childhood to be helpful,” shared Karen Sprenger, CIO of LMG Security. “The easiest way to enter a location is to walk up to a secured door with your hands full; people will automatically hold the door for you. So, when you train employees, you need to teach them an alternative response. For example, instead of holding the door, ask the person, ‘What can I hold for you so you can get your badge?’ Teaching them comfortable, secure prompts and practicing sample scenarios can make a big difference for your security.”
2. Implement Multi-Layered Physical Security
   Use a combination of security measures, such as access control systems, keycards, surveillance systems, and locked server rooms. The more layers an attacker must bypass, the more difficult it becomes for them to succeed.
3. Test Your Cyber and Physical Security Regularly
   Conduct regular cyber pentests and physical social engineering tests to identify vulnerabilities. A proactive approach helps ensure your defenses are strong enough to keep intruders out.
4. Enforce Strict Visitor Policies
   All visitors should be required to sign in, show identification, and be escorted by a staff member who stays with them and observes them at all times. Don’t allow visitors to take photographs.
5. Limit Access to Critical Areas
   Server rooms, network closets, and other sensitive areas should always be locked. Only authorized personnel should have access, and the number of people with keys or access codes should be minimized.
6. Lock Computers and Secure Files
   Ensure that employees lock their computers when stepping away from their desks, even for short periods. Sensitive documents should be stored in locked cabinets or rooms, and digital files should be encrypted.

We hope you found this information on physical social engineering helpful! It is a crucial test to assess the real-world effectiveness of your physical security measures so you can identify any gaps before an actual breach occurs. Please contact us if you need assistance with pentesting, social engineering testing, advisory services, or training. Our expert team is ready to help!