1. Reconnaissance

• Surveillance: Testers begin by conducting reconnaissance to gather information about the building's location, entry points, security measures, and vulnerabilities. This can include public information like facility layouts, employee routines, security guard logs, etc.

• Identifying Entry Points: Identifying the best places to test security, such as doors, windows, parking lots, entrances, or delivery docks.

2. Social Engineering

• Impersonation: Pen testers may try to impersonate employees, contractors, or visitors to gain access to restricted areas.

• Tailgating: This involves following authorized personnel into secure areas without their knowledge (e.g., walking in behind them when they swipe their access card).

• Phishing for Physical Access: Testers may use deceptive tactics, like calling an employee to request access or asking for help, to gather passwords or bypass security.

3. Bypassing Physical Barriers

• Lockpicking: If physical locks (e.g., door locks, file cabinets, or safes) are used, testers may try to pick or bypass these locks.

• Access Control Systems: Pen testers attempt to bypass security systems like keycards, biometric access systems, or security badges.

• Hacking Physical Systems: Exploiting weaknesses in physical security systems, such as security cameras or alarms, to gain access unnoticed.

4. Testing Alarms and Surveillance

• Alarm Systems: Testing how effective the alarm systems are, and whether they can be triggered or avoided.

• CCTV: Trying to avoid or disrupt surveillance cameras to remain undetected.

5. Escape and Evasion

• Escape Routes: Identifying how easy it is for an intruder to enter or leave the facility without detection, especially under emergency conditions.

• Infiltration and Exfiltration: Evaluating how well systems track and prevent an attacker from stealing data or physical assets once inside the facility.

6. Physical Asset Protection

• Hardware Attacks: Gaining physical access to computers, servers, and other devices to steal sensitive information or install malicious software.

• Data Recovery: Searching for discarded documents, hard drives, or other items that may contain sensitive or confidential information.

7. Reporting and Remediation

• Findings: After the test is complete, testers provide a detailed report that includes the vulnerabilities discovered, the methods used to exploit them, and the potential impact.

• Recommendations: The report typically includes recommendations for strengthening physical security, such as implementing better access controls, employee training, surveillance, or security guards.

Tools Used in Physical Penetration Testing:

• Lockpicks: Tools for bypassing mechanical locks.

• USB Rubber Ducky: A USB device that acts as a keyboard to perform automated commands on a computer when plugged in.

• Hidden Cameras: To observe and record surveillance systems and security measures.

• Keycard Cloners: Devices to clone access cards used in security systems.

• Drills or Tools for Safe Cracking: In some cases, physical testers might use advanced tools to bypass safes or vaults.

Importance of Physical Penetration Testing

• Identifying Physical Weaknesses: Even if a company has strong digital security, weak physical security could still leave systems vulnerable to attacks.

• Preventing Insider Threats: It's not just about protecting from external attackers, but also ensuring that employees or contractors cannot bypass physical controls.

• Comprehensive Security: Physical penetration testing helps provide a comprehensive view of an organization's security posture, combining both digital and physical defenses.