Penetration testing — or “pen testing,” for short — is central to many organizations’ cybersecurity operations. While the practice has gained popularity, it’s often incomplete. Digital methods usually take the spotlight, but physical penetration testing may be just as important and more frequently overlooked.

What Is Physical Penetration Testing?

All penetration testing aims to find security vulnerabilities by simulating a hacking attempt. Physical pen testing is different from conventional approaches in that it resembles an in-person attack. Instead of remotely hacking into a network, the pen tester will attempt to gain material access to company information or systems.

Cybersecurity is a largely digital field, but physical risks can still affect it. A criminal could steal sensitive data by finding it in the mail or deliver malware via a flash drive on an open computer when no one is looking. While attacks like this are often easy to miss, they affected over 127,000 victims in 2023 alone.

Physical Penetration Testing Methods and Strategies

Like conventional hacking simulations, physical penetration testing can employ several strategies to highlight common vulnerabilities. Here are five of the most common of these methods.

Social engineering is the most common data breach attack vector, and while it often takes digital forms — like phishing — it can rely on physical means, too. Pen testers may impersonate maintenance personnel, IT specialists or employees from other departments to gain workers’ trust. They can then walk into a building or room without raising suspicion.

Tailgating is a common form of physical social engineering strategy. Here, attackers follow someone with authorized access to get somewhere without their own authorization. They may do this by asking employees to hold the door while they have their hands full with documents or coffee cups — the sort of things one would expect at an office.

Lock Bypassing

Sometimes, pen testers are unable to tailgate an authorized worker into an area. High-security rooms like data centers, for example, typically have stricter policies around who can enter and how people get in. In such cases, the attacker may bypass the lock to get inside.

Lockpicking is the most familiar example, but it’s not the only option. One common alternative is to trigger the motion sensors that unlock exits from the inside. Many of these use infrared sensors — which technically detect changes in temperature, not strictly movement — so criminals can spray compressed air beneath a door to activate them and unlock an exit.

RFID Cloning

Radio frequency ID (RFID) is another common technology in physical security systems today. Many locks rely on RFID tags assigned to each employee, so only badge-bearing workers can unlock certain doors. While such systems are generally more secure than conventional locks, pen testers can sometimes get around them through RFID cloning.

RFID cloners are devices that analyze nearby RFID signals and then mimic the same frequency. Using this technology, attackers can gain easy access to prohibited areas, and the digital register will show the employee whose badge they scanned was the one who entered the area.

Shoulder Surfing

Not all physical penetration testing techniques are so sophisticated. One of the simplest yet still effective is to look at employees’ screens and desks — an attack known as “shoulder surfing.”

People often aren’t aware of who else is around them or where others are looking when they access or type in sensitive data. Consequently, it’s easy to see someone enter their PIN or pull up bank details. In some cases, the target does not even need to be present — 41% of American users write down their passwords, so simply scanning a document on a desk can give an attacker crucial information.

Dumpster Diving

Similarly, criminals can glean a surprising amount of data by going through the trash. Unshredded documents that end up in the garbage may include financial reports, utility bills and personal correspondence, all potentially containing sensitive info.

Pen testers finding such data in the trash could use it to craft more convincing spear-phishing attacks or commit credit card fraud. While the solution to this vulnerability is straightforward — businesses only need to shred old documents — it’s easy to overlook, making dumpster diving a common physical attack method.

Benefits of Physical Penetration Testing

Across all of these strategies, physical pen tests have several advantages. The most significant is that they reveal vulnerabilities organizations may otherwise miss. While the prospect of hiring someone to attack the company seems daunting, pen testers strengthen defenses against future threats in the long run by revealing where things must improve.

All cyber incident simulations enable such improvements, but physical ones include targets conventional approaches miss. As important as digital protections are, they cannot stop in-person breaches. Consequently, businesses need physical security checks, too, if they hope to achieve comprehensive coverage.

Considerations When Implementing Physical Pen Tests

As with traditional pen testing, physical penetration tests require a careful approach. Companies wanting to make the most of them should keep a few factors in mind.

When comparing top penetration testing services, organizations should look for accredited, well-reviewed security firms. Hiring an unknown team can be risky, considering the business is inviting them to breach their systems.

It’s also important to review different providers’ methods and past experiences. Ideally, they should use as wide a variety of techniques as possible and be familiar with the given industry so they can provide relevant, comprehensive results. Extensive customer support and fast turnaround times are other top qualities to look for.

Finally, organizations must consider the price. Expert services can get expensive, but a more thorough test may be worth the expense. It’s cheaper to hire a pen tester to find and fix a vulnerability than it is to deal with a breach once a criminal takes advantage of the weakness.

Penetration Testing Must Be Comprehensive

Pen testing needs to address as many potential weak points as possible to be an effective defense. Consequently, businesses that want confidence in their cybersecurity must include physical penetration testing in their vulnerability assessments. Looking for these risks will ensure organizations stay safe from all threats, not just the usual suspects.