The intruder within – why humans are the weakest link in your CNI security chain

Security technology has witnessed huge advancements in recent years, particularly for those protecting critical assets or information, such as defence and aviation settings. Facial and fingerprint recognition, ANPR and even ‘mac addresses’ or a person of interest’s gait, now all make up the technology toolbox of forward-thinking organisations’ security policy.

However, humans remain the weakest link in any security chain, and the only way to correct this is to eliminate the human burden, argues Richard Hilson, head of sales for security access management specialist, Parking Facilities. Here, he examines the pitfalls of relying upon human intervention in critical national infrastructure (CNI) settings and the future of biometrics to keep assets, information and personnel safe.

As with any workplace initiative, be it a simple recycling policy or a corporate password protection directive, technology is only as good as those who implement or operate it. Whilst technology can be fallible and gremlins do arise, it’s never as flawed as us mere humans with our unreliable ‘on/off’ switch.

Likewise, we carry the ability to reason, override procedures, or ignore policy, should we wish. Or, as it happens, just make mistakes. In fact, according to a recent Verizon report, two out of three insider attacks happen as a result of negligence, and 74 per cent of organisations are saying that insider threats are becoming more of a concern for them.

Security breaches aren’t limited to external threats either, whether intentio…