Physical security breaches can be catastrophic for businesses. IBM’s new Report “Cost of a data breach 2022” lays bare the cost to organisations of both the immediate and prolonged responses to data breaches.
Compromised physical security accounts for 8-9% of data breaches, according to the Report, with a further 18% caused by lost or stolen credentials. So, how can you protect your business from these expensive and disruptive physical breaches?
S-Key’s biometric access card provides the solution: an easy-to-use, infrastructure-free, personalised card that can only be used by the authorised holder. Simple, safe and secure.
Counting the cost of physical security breaches
IBM’s Report puts the average cost of a security breach where the initial attack vector was ‘physical security compromise’ at $3.96 million. For ‘stolen or compromised credentials’ the figure is $4.50 million. Moreover, the time to identify and contain a data breach (the data breach lifecycle) can easily exceed 9 months.
Physical security breaches can have far-reaching consequences, including:
- Immediate operational impact on day-to-day business
- Reputational damage and diminished goodwill
- Revenue and efficiency losses during the data breach lifecycle
- Risks of contamination, for example in healthcare situations
- Loss of intellectual property
- Legal liability to third parties for security failure
What are the main risk factors for physical security breaches?
Many existing physical security systems rely on the possession of a security card, password or PIN, or on employees (including security staff) giving access to others. But all of these systems are vulnerable to abuse and human error.
Access by password or PIN may be observed and copied, and for ‘Tap & Go’ systems with no supporting authentication, lost or stolen cards will give full access to any holder. Thanks to changes in the workplace since the pandemic, and the advent of hybrid working, security staff and other employees may also no longer be able properly to identify authorised personnel.
How S-Key solves the problem of physical security
S-Key’s innovative solution closes these vulnerabilities by ensuring that the authorised card holder must actually be present before access is approved. By linking card access to biometric data, S-Key denies physical access unless a positive identification links the card to the person holding it.
S-Key cards are simple to set up with fingerprint identification – this key security layer adds only 30 seconds to the card issuance process. Access is then authorised using existing card-reading infrastructure, which can log access details but does not store any personal or sensitive information outside of the card. It’s a simple, secure solution to physical access control.
Trial the S-Key biometric access card at no extra cost
S-Key security cards work with your existing NFC access control system ‘out of the box’. With no additional infrastructure cost, you can trial our fingerprint-activated access control cards safely and cost-effectively.
S-Key’s secure, contactless technology is available in NXP MIFARE, HID or LEGIC versions to work with new or existing hardware. It can be used alongside other security systems too, so you can choose to use fingerprint activated biometric access for higher security areas whilst continuing with your current system elsewhere.
To request an S-Key card to trial please get in touch by clicking on the button below.
