While Majority Report Tailgating Vulnerability, Only 15 Percent Report Tracking Incidents

By Christine Kern, contributing writer

According to a survey conducted by Boon Edam, while more than 70 percent of respondents report they believe their organizations are vulnerable to security breaches as a result of “tailgating,” only 15 percent report that they are currently tracking these incidents — tailgating occurs when an authorized person holds a door open for another person who enters without successfully passing through access controls.  

The survey, conducted in late 2014, queried more than 3,000 end users, security consultants, and integrators regarding their perceptions about the risk of tailgating into their facilities. The results reveal that, while greater attention is being paid to tailgating, it still represents a serious threat for many enterprises.

One security integrator survey respondent states, “This has been a huge problem that has been talked about and talked about. The problem is getting better but it only takes one person to do massive damage.”

The survey also concludes:

• Using media coverage over the past 10 years as a guide, a majority of respondents perceive security breaches from tailgating are at the same number or are increasing. 
• More than half believe the cost of a breach caused by tailgating would fall into the range of from $150,000 up to “too high to measure.”
• More than 70 percent believe a barrier of some type is the most effective way to curtail tailgating, while more than 60 percent report they use a physical security barrier as well as employee education.

Insights For IT Solutions Providers

While the survey reveals that a majority of respondents see tailgating as a serious threat and are actually taking concrete steps to combat it, most also still admit that their organizations remain vulnerable to attacks.

“Our survey strongly suggests that the current level of security at the majority of facilities is perceived to be inadequate for stopping tailgating altogether,” commented Mark Borto, CEO for Boon Edam. “Since the majority of respondents believe the tailgating threat is real and potentially very expensive, this demonstrates a need clearly not being met. Such a situation means we’ll see investments in tailgating prevention, and/or increasing the overall level of physical security, likely figuring into future budget considerations.”