Technology convergence greatly expands the risk of physical security system design and deployment shortcomings. New thinking is required to get things right.
AI and the Nonstop Evolution of Computing and Networking
AI has pushed exponential technology advancement into hyperdrive, and AI-enabled physical security products are creating a fundamental break from the past 50 years of physical security thinking. Advanced AI-enabled computer vision requires a shift from the device-oriented thinking of yesteryear to a data-oriented mindset that facilitates real-time situational awareness and new levels of data interoperability that systems integrations now require. New technology is emerging to address this need.
AI-Enabled Physical Security Technology
The real-time security threat signatures of advanced computer vision systems coupled with automated cyber-physical threat response capabilities require a completely new security system design element: identifying, defining and establishing human-in-the-loop requirements – something that AI purists decry but critical life-safety considerations mandate.
Cyber-Physical Systems
Amplify Physical Risk When cyber-physical systems can be hacked (think land, sea or space vehicles, traffic control systems, robotic assisted surgeries, automated medication delivery, food manufacturing lines), then great physical harm can be accomplished by the click of a single key or icon. The consequences of failed cyber security controls can be physically catastrophic at a scale that could not be accomplished using purely physical means.
Multi-Dimensional Attack Surfaces
The widespread connectivity between cyber vulnerable systems presents a multi-dimensional attack surface with an exponentially growing insider risk component.
Finance Challenges
A concerning trend is the approval or disapproval of cybersecurity risk treatment measures out of context and based on budgets and faulty reasoning rather than on key risk factors – especially for physical security system infrastructure. The most effective remedies require collaboration between physical and cybersecurity high-level stakeholders.
Getting a Handle on Things
Fortunately, no security practitioners have to solve the entirety of this picture – just those that apply to your specific deployments. This session includes key convergence lessons learned in addressing both technical and organizationally challenges.