Physical Security
Cloned badges, held doors: what a physical intrusion test reveals
A physical intrusion test is not about catching your staff out. It shows whether your controls and reporting reflexes hold up against a motivated intruder.
Organizations invest heavily in network security, then leave a service door ajar for deliveries. A physical intrusion test checks, in the field, whether someone can walk into your premises and reach what matters: a server room, a live network port, an unlocked workstation.
What we test
Each engagement is tailored to the site and the agreed objectives. It often includes:
- tailgating: following an employee through a badge-controlled door;
- pretexting: posing as a technician, a courier or a new hire;
- badges: checking whether the cards in use can be read and copied at a distance;
- locks and exits: emergency doors, technical access points, loading docks;
- dropping a device on a network port, to measure the link between physical security and cybersecurity.
What we observe
The intrusion itself is only part of the result. What matters most to our clients is how the organization reacts:
- Did anyone notice an unknown person without a visible badge?
- Were they challenged, or reported?
- Did the report reach the right person, and how quickly?
An employee who politely challenges a "technician" and calls security is a positive finding, and we document it as such.
A strict framework
These tests run under a detailed written authorization: sites, hours, permitted and forbidden actions, people informed. Our testers carry the authorization letter and an emergency contact reachable at all times. They stop immediately on request.
Findings never single out individuals. The goal is to improve processes, not to sanction someone who held the door out of politeness.
What comes next
The report presents physical attack paths with the evidence gathered, followed by a prioritized remediation program: badge reader adjustments, visitor reception procedures, targeted awareness, control of network ports in open areas.
Combined with a social engineering campaign or a red team exercise, a physical test gives a complete picture of how a determined attacker could reach your critical assets.