Cyber Security and Physical Security: There should only be one!

In?today’s?hyperconnected?world,?the?convergence?of?cyber?and?physical?systems?has?created?a?new?landscape?of?risk,?one?that?many?organizations?are?still?grappling?to?secure.?

Cyberphysical?attacks,?where?malicious?actors?exploit?vulnerabilities?in?both?the?digital?and? physical?realms,?are?becoming?more?frequent?and?sophisticated.?As?critical?infrastructure,? corporate?environments,?and?even?smart?cities?integrate?digital?technologies,?the?potential?for?damaging?attacks?increases?dramatically.?Unfortunately,?security?often?continues?to?be?an?afterthought?in?the?deployment?of?the?latest?technologies.?

For?security?leaders,?understanding?the?evolving?nature?of?these?threats?is?essential?to? protecting?both?assets?and?reputation.

What?are?CyberPhysical?Attacks?

Cyberphysical?attacks?are?a?hybrid?of?cyber?and?physical?threats.?These?attacks?target?systems? that?rely?on?both?digital?and?physical?components?to?function,?such?as?power?grids,? transportation?systems,?and?industrial?control?systems.?For?example,?a?hacker?might?exploit?a? vulnerability?in?a?company’s?network?to?gain?control?over?physical?machinery?or?disable?critical infrastructure?remotely.

One?of?the?most?infamous?examples?of?this?type?of?attack?is?the?2015?power?grid?hack?in Ukraine,?where?attackers?took?control?of?critical?infrastructure,?leaving?over?200,000?people?without?electricity.?This?event?underscored?the?immense?potential?for?cyberphysical?attacks?to? disrupt?entire?nations,?economies,?and?industries.

Why?Cyber-Physical?Security?Must?Be?a?Priority

As?more?industries?embrace?Internet?of?Things?(IoT)?devices,?smart?infrastructure,?and?automated?systems,?the?attack?surface?for?cyberphysical?threats?grows.?Here’s?why?organizations?need?toprioritize?the?convergence?of?cybersecurity?and?physical?security:

Expanding?Attack?Surfaces:?IoT?devices?and?interconnected?systems?increase?the?number?of? entry?points?for?attackers.?A?vulnerable?smart?camera?or?HVAC?system?can?serve?as?a?gateway into?a?larger?corporate?network.?Cue?the?infamous?2007?TJX?systems?breach,?which? compromised?some?70?million?accounts?when?hackers?accessed?the?corporate?system?through?a?third-party?HVAC?portal.

Critical?Infrastructure?Vulnerabilities:?Essential?services?like?energy,?healthcare,?and? transportation?are?heavily?reliant?on?both?digital?and?physical?systems.?Any?disruption?in?these? systems?can?cause?widespread?societal?harm,?as?seen?in?ransomware?attacks?targeting?hospitalsand?energy?companies.?It?isn't much of?a?leap to?suggest?that?these?critical?systems would be? among?the?first?to?be?targeted?during?an?attack?of?some?sort.

Regulatory?Pressures:?Governments?around?the?world?are?increasingly?recognizing?the?threat? of?cyberphysical?attacks.?Compliance?with?emerging?regulations?for?critical?infrastructure? security?is?becoming?a?must,?particularly?for?industries?such?as?energy,?utilities,?and? transportation?where?the?rush?to?be?first?to?market?often?supersedes?security?concerns.?

No shortage of examples here ...?Boeing's?737?debacle??Samsung's?exploding?phones?? And?speaking?of?explosions...?how?many?remember?the?Ford?Pinto?and?its?fiery?downfall?? In?each?case,?safety?and?security?were?pushed?aside?in?favor?of?beating?the?competition to the market.?Even?today,?in?our?supposed?enlightened?era,?this?reality?remains?a?business?truism.

The?Case?for?Integrating?Cybersecurity?with?Physical?Security

Historically,?organizations?have?treated?cybersecurity?and?physical?security?as?separate?entities,?often?managed?by?distinct?departments?or?teams.?

I?find?it?amusing?how?companies?will?hire?a?Chief?Information?Security?Officer?(CISO)?to?oversee?cybersecurity?with little opposition but?don't?place the same urgency or importance in?a?Chief Security?Officer?(CSO)?to oversee the?other security?risks?including insider?threats, brand protection,?employee?safety,?business?resiliency,?and?workplace?violence.?

As?cyberphysical?threats?continue?to?increase,?this?siloed?approach?is?proving?to?be?limited?at? best?and?becoming?a?significant?vulnerability.?Here’s?why?integrating?cybersecurity?with? physical?security?is?essential?for?modern?threat?management?and?defense:

1. Shared?Attack?Vectors:?The?interconnected?nature?of?modern?systems?means?that?physical? vulnerabilities?can?be?exploited?to?launch?cyberattacks,?and?vice?versa.?For?example,?an?attacker? could?gain?physical?access?to?a?server?room?to?install?malware?or?use?compromised?IoT?devices? (like?security?cameras)?to?infiltrate?a?corporate?network.?A?siloed?approach?leaves?gaps?in? defense,?allowing?attackers?to?exploit?these?weak?points.
2. Comprehensive?Threat?Response:?In?an?integrated?model,?both?cyber?and?physical?security? teams?work?together?to?provide?a?comprehensive?response?to?incidents.?For?example,?if?a? cyberattack?is?detected,?physical?security?teams?can?help?by?securing?sensitive?areas?of?a?facility.?Similarly,?if?there?is?a?physical?breach,?cybersecurity?teams?can?monitor?for?any?unusual?digital? activity.?This?holistic?response?ensures?that?all?aspects?of?an?attack?are?addressed,?reducing?the? potential?damage.
3. Streamlined?Risk?Management:?Risk?management?processes?benefit?from?a?unified?view?of? security?threats.?When?cybersecurity?and?physical?security?are?integrated,?organizations?can? assess?risks?across?all?domains,?ensuring?that?no?aspect?of?their?operations?is?left?unprotected.?A?joint?security?strategy?allows?for?a?more?efficient?allocation?of?resources?and?a?more?coherent? incident?response?plan.
4. Increased?Operational?Efficiency:?Siloed?security?functions?can?lead?to?inefficiencies,?with? duplicated?efforts?or?overlooked?vulnerabilities.?An?integrated?approach?streamlines?security? operations,?ensuring?that?both?physical?and?cyber?teams?are?aligned?in?protecting?critical?assets.?By?sharing?information?and?collaborating?on?risk?assessments,?security?teams?can?respond?more?swiftly?and?effectively?to?threats.
5. Adapting?to?Emerging?Technologies:?The?rapid?adoption?of?technologies?like?AI,?IoT,?and?5G?is?blurring?the?lines?between?the?physical?and?digital?worlds.?Many?security?devices?(such?as? surveillance?cameras?or?access?control?systems)?are?now?connected?to?networks,?creating?new? entry?points?for?cyberattacks.?Security?strategies?must?evolve?to?protect?these?hybrid?systems,? which?can?only?be?done?through?an?integrated?approach?that?considers?both?the?physical?and? digital?components.

What?Can?Security?Leaders?Do

To?address?the?rising?threat?of?cyberphysical?attacks,?security?leaders?must?rethink?their? traditional?approaches?to?security.?Here?are?a?few?actionable?strategies?to?help?bridge?the?gap?between?cybersecurity?and?physical?security:

• Establish?a?Unified?Security?Strategy:?Organizations?need?to?develop?integrated?security?policies?that?address?both?cyber?and?physical?threats.?This?means?aligning?both?teams?under?a?common?framework?and?fostering?collaboration?across?departments.?Security?leaders?should?create?cross-functional?teams?to?ensure?seamless?information?sharing?and?joint?threat?response.
• Leverage?Integrated?Technologies:?Invest?in?technologies?that?provide?a?unified?view?of?security?operations,?allowing?teams?to?monitor?both?cyber?and?physical?threats?from?a?single?platform.? Solutions?like?Security?Information?and?Event?Management?(SIEM)?systems,?which?combine?data?from?physical?security?devices?and?IT?networks,?offer?a?more?complete?picture?of?the? organization’s?security?posture.
• CrossTrain?Security?Teams:?Cybersecurity?teams?should?be?familiar?with?physical?security? protocols,?and?vice?versa.?Crosstraining?ensures?that?each?team?understands?the?broader?threat landscape?and?can?respond?effectively?in?the?event?of?an?attack.
• Conduct?Joint?Security?Audits:?Regular?vulnerability?assessments?of?both?physical?and?digital? systems?are?crucial.?By?conducting?joint?security?audits,?organizations?can?identify?and?address? weaknesses?that?may?exist?due?to?the?lack?of?integration?between?cyber?and?physical?security.

Conclusion

The?rising?threat?of?cyberphysical?attacks?demands?a?new?approach?to?security,?one?that? bridges?the?gap?between?the?digital?and?physical?worlds.?As?critical?infrastructure?and?corporateenvironments?become?increasingly?interconnected,?the?risk?of?hybrid?attacks?grows.?Security? leaders?must?break?down?the?silos?between?cybersecurity?and?physical?security,?adopting? integrated?strategies?that?address?the?full?spectrum?of?modern?threats.

By?integrating?cybersecurity?with?physical?security,?organizations?not?only?strengthen?their? defenses?but?also?position?themselves?to?respond?more?efficiently?and?effectively?to?the? everevolving?threat?landscape.?

In?doing?so,?they?can?better?safeguard?their?assets,?reputation,?and?operations?from?the?complex?challenges?of?the?cyberphysical?world.?Now?is?the?time?for?security?leaders?to?take?action, bringing?together?the?best?of both?worlds?to?create?a?comprehensive,?unified?defense strategy?that?can?withstand?the?threats?of?tomorrow.