Identity Credential Challenge and Verification

Subjects with authorized access to sensitive physical spaces—such as secure offices, executive areas, data centers, SCIFs (Sensitive Compartmented Information Facilities), R&D labs, or restricted zones in critical infrastructure—pose an increased insider threat due to their physical proximity to sensitive assets, systems, and information.

Such spaces often contain high-value materials or information, including printed sensitive documents, whiteboard plans, authentication devices (e.g., smartcards or tokens), and unattended workstations. A subject with physical presence in these locations may observe confidential conversations, access sensitive output, or physically interact with devices outside of typical security monitoring.

This type of access can be leveraged to:

• Obtain unattended or discarded sensitive information, such as printouts, notes, or credentials left on desks.
• Observe operational activity or decision-making, gaining insight into projects, personnel, or internal dynamics.
• Access unlocked devices or improperly secured terminals, allowing direct system interaction or credential harvesting.
• Bypass digital controls via physical means, such as tailgating into secure spaces or using misappropriated access cards.
• Covertly install or remove equipment, such as data exfiltration tools, recording devices, or physical implants.
• Eavesdrop on confidential conversations, either directly or through concealed recording equipment, enabling the collection of sensitive verbal disclosures, strategic discussions, or authentication procedures.

Subjects in roles that involve frequent presence in sensitive locations—such as cleaning staff, security personnel, on-site engineers, or facility contractors—may operate outside the scope of standard digital access control and may not be fully visible to security teams focused on network activity.

Importantly, individuals with this kind of access are also potential targets for recruitment or coercion by external threat actors seeking insider assistance. The ability to physically access secure environments and passively gather high-value information makes them attractive assets in coordinated attempts to obtain or compromise protected information.

The risk is magnified in organizations lacking comprehensive physical access policies, surveillance, or cross-referencing of physical and digital access activity. When unmonitored, physical access can provide a silent pathway to support insider operations without leaving traditional digital footprints.

Subjects with physical access to critical hardware—such as data center infrastructure, on-premises servers, network appliances, storage arrays, or specialized equipment like CCTV and alarm systems—represent a significant insider threat due to their ability to bypass logical controls and interact directly with systems. This level of access can facilitate a wide range of security compromises, many of which are difficult to detect through conventional digital monitoring.

Physical access may also include proximity to sensitive areas such as network closets, on-premises server racks, backup repositories, or control systems in operational technology (OT) environments. In high-security settings, even brief unsupervised access can be exploited to compromise system integrity or enable ongoing unauthorized access.

With this type of access, a subject can:

• Extract or clone drives and media for offline analysis or exfiltration of sensitive data, including proprietary documents, logs, authentication secrets, and configuration files.
• Introduce malicious hardware or firmware, such as USB-based keyloggers, hardware implants, or modified components that persist beyond reboots and may evade traditional endpoint protections.
• Bypass access controls by booting from external media, altering BIOS or UEFI settings, or resetting system passwords using direct hardware manipulation.
• Install or modify software directly on the system, enabling surveillance tools, remote access backdoors, or malicious code that blends in with legitimate system processes.
• Capture network traffic by tapping physical interfaces or inserting intermediary devices such as portable switches, protocol analyzers, or rogue wireless access points.
• Disable security mechanisms, such as disconnecting monitoring systems, tampering with surveillance equipment, or disabling redundant power and failover systems to induce outages.

In operational environments, subjects with access to physical control systems (e.g., ICS/SCADA components, industrial HMIs, or IoT gateways) may alter processes, cause service disruptions, or create safety hazards. Similarly, access to CCTV or badge systems may allow them to erase footage, monitor employee movements, or manipulate access control logs.

Subjects with this form of access represent an elevated risk, especially when combined with technical knowledge or administrative privileges. The risk is compounded in environments with limited physical security controls, inadequate logging of physical entry, or weak segmentation between physical and digital assets.

Physical security credentials, such as an ID card or physical keys, that were available to the subject during employment are not revoked and can still be used.

The subject obtains, clones, fabricates, or otherwise manipulates physical access credentials—such as RFID cards, NFC badges, magnetic stripes, or printed ID cards—to gain unauthorized access to secure areas. This behavior typically occurs during early-stage preparation for insider activity and enables covert physical entry without triggering standard identity-based access controls.

Badge cloning can be performed using low-cost, widely available tools that can read and emulate access credentials. Forged ID cards are often visually convincing and used to bypass casual visual verification by staff or security personnel.

Example Scenarios:

• A subject uses a Flipper Zero device to clone the 125kHz RFID signal of a coworker's legacy access badge and uses it after hours to enter the data center undetected.
• A forged ID badge created with a common card printer and online templates is worn by a co-conspirator to impersonate an IT contractor and access a locked communications room.
• The subject photographs a single-use QR visitor code from a printed pass and shares it with an external party, who uses it to enter the premises before expiration.
• A magnetic stripe card is skimmed using a USB swipe reader and rewritten onto a blank hotel-style access card.