Protecting Physical Spaces
Introduced| English | Meaning |
|---|---|
| clean desk policy/kliːn desk ˈpɒlɪsi/ | Rules requiring sensitive papers, devices or information to be secured when a workspace is unattended. |
| bollards/ˈbɒlɑːdz/ | Sturdy posts used to restrict vehicle access or protect a site from vehicle impact. |
| card readers/kɑːd ˈriːdəz/ | Devices that read information from a card, for example to check access credentials. |
| access control vestibule/ˈækses kənˈtrəʊl ˈvestɪbjuːl/ | An enclosed entry area with controlled doors used to regulate passage into a protected space. |
| uninterruptible power supply/ˌʌˌnɪntəˈrʌptɪbl ˈpaʊə səˈplaɪ/ | uninterruptible power supply |
Managerial controls first
- Security-awareness training teaches staff not to badge strangers in.
- A workstation security policy requires locking devices and a clean desk policy 清桌政策.
- Rules cost little and stop many attacks.
Physical controls harden the building
- Fences, gates, and bollards 防撞柱 deter access; locks protect doors.
- Card readers 读卡器 log and restrict entry.
- An access control vestibule 门禁前室 (a two-door airlock) stops piggybacking.
A dome security camera: physical controls and monitoring protect spaces as well as networks
Managerial control or physical control?
Managerial controls are rules and policies; physical controls are objects that guard the space.
A two-door airlock that lets one person pass at a time is a(n)...
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An access control vestibule stops piggybacking.
Which control keeps a device running during a power outage?
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A UPS provides backup power.
Disabling ____ ports blocks external drives from loading malware.
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Disabling USB ports blocks malware drives.
Which are physical controls? (Choose all)
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A password policy is managerial, not physical.
Keeping power on
- Disabling USB ports blocks malware drives.
- An uninterruptible power supply (UPS) 不间断电源 keeps devices running in an outage.
- Match a control's cost to the severity of the risk.
Locks and cameras are useless if staff prop doors open or badge strangers in. Technology only works alongside trained people — that is why security-awareness training comes first.
Security-awareness training is a technical control.
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False. Training is a rule or policy for people, so it is a managerial (administrative) control. Technical controls are things like firewalls and encryption.
An access control vestibule has two doors: the first must close and lock before the second opens. Only one person can pass at a time, so an attacker cannot slip in behind an employee — it defeats piggybacking by design.
Protect physical spaces with managerial controls (training, workstation and clean-desk policies) and physical controls (locks, fences, bollards, card readers, access control vestibules, disabled USB ports, a UPS). Prioritise by matching cost to risk severity.