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What Are Your Airport Access Control's Weak Links?

By Scott C. Perry
Vertical Market Program Manager
Carmel, IN 46032
Ingersoll Rand Security Technologies
Carmel, Indiana

As the tragedy of our nation's greatest security breach was relived for the second time, most Americans feel no improvements have been made in securing our nation's infrastructure. Airports are the most visible example. Although airports are the top funding priority, relatively few of their access control systems deliver the highest level of security as mandated by Transportation Safety Administration (TSA) under Title 49CFR Part 1542.

Although an airport access control system may appear sophisticated and even exceed the base level specified by TSA, it can give a false sense of security. Airports are investing millions of dollars in these systems as a "silver bullet," but there are no silver bullets. A facility is only as secure as its weakest link.

The key factor contributing to this situation is complexity. The intention of this article is to break through the complexity with a clear security thought process that focuses on prevention first, then deterrence, detection, delay, and finally, response. Research shows that people who pose a security threat typically will follow the path of least resistance and choose the easier targets. By installing an access control system that can prevent and deter such occurrences up front, you will reduce your need to respond to security breaches, along with their associated costs and losses.

Card access systems, PIN numbers, keys or other credentials allow anyone who possesses them to gain entry. They can't be controlled because they are so easy to be lost, stolen, borrowed, copied or otherwise compromised. Some exits are equipped with alarmed devices that make a lot of noise but can do little to actually stop a perpetrator from entering a restricted area before a security guard can respond. Access control sensors are vulnerable and can easily be tampered with to make them send a false security signal.

If an airport has a single tragic security breach, the costs associated with lost business caused by eroding user confidence, combined with employment reductions, legal actions and the costs of mitigating future threats would be staggering. Yet of the $3.4 billion available in Airport Improvement Program (AIP) funds, more than 45% is being spent on concrete (aprons, taxiways and runways) and only 12% on security and safety improvements (See illustration #2). It would seem that security should be a higher priority, to build the confidence of the flying public as well as provide for its safety.

Sorting out the Security Levels

A clear security thought process can help reduce the complexity of security decisions by organizing the key elements into levels that, when stacked, form a Security Pyramid (See illustration #1).

The base of the pyramid, Level 1(Mechanical Access/Egress Control), is the fundamental mechanical barrier that prevents access or egress through an opening. This level tends to be overlooked by security, which most often hands it off to the facility's maintenance or carpentry function. Yet it is the basis on which the entire access control system depends.

At Level 2 (Electronic Access Control and Key Management), standalone, programmable, battery-powered locks are networked through software to provide audit trail capability and time-based scheduling for restricting access. Patent-restricted keyways provide the key control that is necessary for high security. This is particularly true for sophisticated electronic systems, which generally still have a mechanical key override. With a patented keyway, the security department controls the key blanks as well as the key cutting equipment. To minimize security breaches from key misuse, these keys should be tightly controlled, assigned to as few people as possible, and audited regularly.

Level 3 (Networked Access Control and Biometrics) incorporates biometric products that can verify hand geometry, fingerprints or face characteristics to ensure that only persons who actually are authorized can gain access to a particular door. In a network they may be combined with various sensing and monitoring products placed around the opening or integrated into the latching and locking mechanism to detect, deter and delay an intruder and also signal that a breach has occurred.

This is where redundancy can be important, since if a single element sends a signal that a door is not secure, it requires a security response. A second or third level of monitoring can either confirm the need for action or determine that only a maintenance call is needed. At one airport, the closer on a door leading to the control tower was not adjusted properly, preventing the magnetic lock from engaging. Instead of adjusting it, someone simply put a sign that read "Be Sure to Pull This Door Shut So the Alarm Doesn't Go Off." A door position monitor and an engagement monitor on the maglock would have helped to determine whether someone had compromised the opening or there was simply a malfunction. One added benefit of redundancy is that it raises the level of alarm awareness. If door position monitors are constantly going off, it becomes too easy to ignore them as false alarms. With confirmation from other monitors, it is easier to know when the problem is real.

Networked access controls make it easier to manage employee transitions by simply changing access codes electronically, unlike with mechanical pushbutton locks that have to be disassembled and reset to change codes. With time it takes to reset several hundred such locks in an airport, it is unlikely the code will be changed every time someone quits or is terminated.

Level 4 (Facility Integration) covers all the previous levels plus additional areas managed by software solutions, such as time-and-attendance systems, personnel scheduling systems, and data capture techniques. These can reduce the need for sentries, provide audit trails, speed response, minimize maintenance, and create a central command and control area.

Throughout the search for security, it is important to remember that the final choices must comply with local building codes, fire codes and Americans with Disabilities Act guidelines. These factors may add to the complexity but must be considered as part of the solution. A professional security consultant can be a big help in achieving the highest level of security while also ensuring that the facility is code-compliant and ADA-compliant.

In addition, the more educated an airport security organization becomes, the better able it is to position itself to get funds for its projects and programs. As people become more educated, they have the ability to choose a "best in class" solution, instead of settling for simply a "good" solution. This, in turn, leads to lower rework costs later on when something proves inadequate. Further, whether dealing with a security consultant or directly with suppliers and installers, greater knowledge of the overall access control spectrum makes it easier to hold them accountable for both the process and the outcome. The result is a system that is more effective and has greater longevity, which delivers a higher return on investment.

Getting Past the Weakest Link

Vulnerability to security breaches always occurs at the weakest link. While no system can be perfect, the better it is, the more it acts as a deterrent. Airport facilities need to present a less attractive alternative to a perpetrator who will follow the path of least resistance and choose the easiest target. As it is said, you don't have to outrun the bear. You just don't want to be the slowest person running from the bear.

No matter how sophisticated your access control system, it is no better than its weakest link. The higher the level of security, the more important it is to have the strong support of the levels beneath it. An apparently high-level security system can give a false sense of security that may cause the security administrator to overlook a weak link. For example, alarmed exit devices on doors leading to the air operations area (AOA) actually will do little to stop a perpetrator, who can probably breach the secured area before security can respond.

Even the highest access control system can be compromised by human error. In one case, the magnetic locks that controlled access to jet bridges were routinely turned off to allow people to board and then turned back on to secure the door. The TSA inspects every airport against its own security plan and the security level that the TSA mandates. During one such TSA inspection, a lock was turned off and then accidentally left unattended most of the time for 48 hours.

Better security can start with a security breach assessment by a qualified security consulting firm. This should be the first step in taking a proactive approach, rather than one that is reactive. This type of vulnerability assessment (VA) performed by a third party, focuses on the airport's door openings, key controls, credentials, links with time-and-attendance and personnel scheduling, and other risks inherent with the overall access control system.

Biometrics Ensure Identity

A truly effective system should include biometric readers to ensure that only authorized individuals themselves can enter. For greater control, a card reader, PIN or even secondary biometrics also may be incorporated. Add a delayed exit device that prevents immediate egress and a CCTV monitor with camera positioning control to identify and record the person attempting entry, and the opportunity for a security breach is reduced dramatically.

Incorporating biometric devices into the system is the only certain way of ensuring that the person being allowed entry is actually the authorized person and is permitted to have access during that time. Nothing else ties a person specifically to a credential. However, a biometric device is only as good as its reliability. Ideally, it should allow a person holding a credential to enter 100% of the time during authorized hours, and it should reject unauthorized requests with the same certainty. In practice, a false reject can be just as much of a problem as a false acceptance, and some biometric methods are more reliable than others.

According to Frost & Sullivan's World Biometric Report 2002, hand geometry continues to be the dominant biometric technology for access control and time-and-attendance applications. It is especially well-suited for handling large volumes of transactions where a high degree of reliability is required. (See illustration #6 from GAO report comparing biometric technology characteristics.)

Hand geometry systems use the size and shape of the hand and fingers to verify identity. Length, width, thickness and surface area of the fingers and hand are measured, analyzed, and the unique features are stored in a template, which is used for subsequent verification. Hand geometry has been in use for many years by groups with thousands of enrollees, either in conjunction with existing access control systems or in standalone systems.

Fingerprint readers use the unique pattern created by the ridges and valleys of the fingerprint characteristics for identification much as law enforcement agencies have for decades, but they automate the process and integrate fingerprint capture and associated algorithms for template creation into their terminals. Fingerprint recognition works best when applied to smaller populations.

If your budget does not accommodate the full access control system you need, do what you can today and build on it later, rather than having to start over again. A system with modular capabilities will make it easier to increase a facility's level of security and move it farther up the security pyramid. If the products available in a proposed system allow it to be upgraded without replacing the existing equipment, cost savings will accrue in hardware, installation, troubleshooting and possibly maintenance.

In the Field

Here are a few brief examples of how critical airport security needs were met in actual airport operations:
For more than a decade, RSI biometric handreaders have represented a key security component at San Francisco International Airport, where more than 18,000 airport employees use the handreaders daily to gain access to all critical air operations areas, including access to the AOA. The handreaders analyze more than 90 unique measurements of the size and shape of a person's hand, taking only a few seconds to complete, and then compares that information to a central database that tracks and monitors employee movements and access to sensitive areas.

The same biometric technology also is used at Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv, Israel, where it helps verify the identity of some 50,000 passengers per month. This "Trusted Traveler" program has been cited as a model for potential use here in the U.S. to speed airline passengers through tightened

The Portland, Maine International Jetport also has incorporated to protect and control access to various areas. "It's clear that incorporating new technologies, such as hand geometry, can play a vital role in helping the aviation industry meet the heightened security and safety challenges we now face," said Jeff Schultes, Airport Manager for Portland International Jetport.

CAPTION INFORMATION:

Security Pyramid shows the relationship of progressive levels of security.
Pie chart shows allocation of AIP funding of approved projects for 2003.
A pilot uses a biometric handreader to gain access to a controlled area at San Francisco International Airport (SFO), where the biometric technology has been in use for more than a decade.
A worker at San Francisco International Airport verifies his identity with a handreader to gain admittance.
Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport uses handreaders for positive identity verification for its Trusted Traveler program.
General Accounting Office (GAO) report compares characteristics of biometric technologies.