BOOK SIX · CHAPTER 4
Six Doors Into the Facility
Attackers look for the device someone forgot to own.
| Door | What it looks like | How you close it |
|---|---|---|
| 1. The factory password | Factory or fleet-wide passwords remain in use. | Use unique credentials; verify service. |
| 2. The open control screen | Management pages are reachable from unapproved networks. | Allow only approved access paths. |
| 3. The flat network | Cameras, doors, controls and office systems can reach each other. | Separate systems; permit required traffic. |
| 4. The vendor who never left | An installer’s old remote login remains active. | Name an owner; approve and expire access. |
| 5. The radio nobody watches | RFID, wireless and cellular links sit outside wired visibility. | Define supported radio coverage and its limits. |
| 6. The fix nobody checked | Containment silently breaks entry, recording or a building service. | Require a security check and a service check. |
See. Prove. Control.
The first five doors are about how attackers get in. The sixth is about how defenders hurt themselves on the way out. It's the one most teams never measure. Both belong in the same plan.
See starts with the devices and connections in the agreed scope. Map what is observed, who owns it and what the assessment cannot see. An invisible segment is still an unanswered question.
Prove connects each finding to evidence. Establish what the device can reach, which service depends on it and who can approve a change. A severity score alone cannot tell you whether a public entrance will stop working.
Control means choosing a supported action, applying the approval policy and checking the result. Close the risky path, then separately check the service. Keep the decision and both checks in the record.
Which of these six doors would you be least comfortable swearing is shut in every building? Start the conversation there.
For a closer look at the radio nobody watches, read Book Five: Five Ways In Through the Air.