Security On All Fronts

摘要

Much attention in the past few months has focused on how airports and airlines can use IT to improve security in terminals and on planes. Fingerprint-identification technology can be paired with a smart card to confirm a passenger's identity before issuing a boarding pass; radio-frequency identification tags can be affixed to suspicious checked luggage to pinpoint bags that must be searched before they're put on a plane; and digitally stored fingerprints of job candidates can be submitted to authorities before someone is hired for a position that requires access to secure areas. But businesses also say they see value in using IT to help protect physical property. For example, some companies are looking at using smart access cards that authenticate network users to also restrict access to data centers, executive suites, or other potential terrorist targets on campus. As part of these efforts, companies also want to foster closer communications between IT-and facilities-security experts, who operate independently in most companies. That connection will pay off as terrorists and other criminals plot new kinds of attacks. "We're going to see more sophisticated cyber and physical attacks," warns Harry De-Maio, director of enterprise risk services at Deloitte & Touche. "A group may launch a denial-of-service attack, or even a highly targeted virus, to attempt to disrupt communications the very moment it launches a physical attack." An acceleration of attempted attacks on a company's system that emanates from a particular geographic area may be the first clue a business has that it's targeted for worse things, and only quick communication between IT-and physical-security staff will help prevent damage to people and property.