Today, most organizations rely on digital access cards to control access to their buildings and different areas. An appropriate system can ensure that only certain employees can enter the rooms intended for them. It is, of course, possible in principle to block lost or stolen cards. For example, most corporations are likely to deactivate employee access cards after they have resigned or been fired.
Infographic: Smart security technology is in greater demand
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has apparently failed to block ex-employees’ cards. The authority was informed 15 years ago that people who have been dismissed can still access the building and view sensitive information from internal networks. A new test (via The Intercept) has now shown that the records of access card management are deficient. It is therefore not possible to determine how many former employees have kept their cards.
Control systems are not used or do not work
The report estimates that more than 36,000 access cards were not deactivated at all. This includes the cards of fired, transferred, and deceased employees. Additional cards could be used for months after the owner left the agency. Over half of all cards were not blocked within the 18-hour period. The access management mechanisms should often not be used at all. In other cases, the database system should run too slowly or crash.
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