In Depth

The Problem with Employee Badges As a Security Mechanism

November 26, 2007 — CSO —

Read more in CSO’s interview with Johnny Long (LINK TK).

By Johnny Long

My phone company getup was convincing, but without the badge I doubt I would have made it inside. The badge identified me as a phone guy. However, the badge was nothing more than a laminated bit of printer paper. To use security jargon, that laminated paper was my authentication token. By letting someone visually inspect it, they could draw a conclusion about whether or not I was legitimate. This type of visual identification is a weak authentication mechanism because it is so easily duplicated. Unfortunately, many facilities rely on exactly this type of security, yet it amazes me how many badges I see worn out in public.

I spot at least ten different types of badges a day. If I had a nickel for every time I saw a new badge, I’d have a whole lot of nickels. Even though I’ve seen hundreds thousands of badges in my lifetime, I still get giddy when I see a new one because know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I could somehow use it to gain access to that company. Even if they employ some sort of electronic system to validate the card—we’ll talk more about those systems later in this section—I could probably use the badge to tailgate or social engineer my way inside. Getting giddy about site badges is admittedly strange, but I’ve long since given up on the doldrums of normality. These days I go all the way; I carry a camera wherever I go to capture badges I spot in the wild. I spotted the badge below in a local mall. (We’ve obscured faces and identify details.)

Badges sometimes appear in packs, as the photo below reveals.

I captured this next photo as I sat in a corporate lobby. The walls were lined with all sorts of plaques and awards that the company had earned through the years. Several flat-screen monitors droned through PowerPoint presentations extolling their corporate virtues. I amused myself with a game of “count the buzzwords” until I saw this particular slide and nearly flipped backwards out of the overstuffed leather armchair.

This slide was one of several that showed groups of employees—in various stages of corporate bonding—all wearing their badges. After spending a total of two minutes in the building’s open lobby, I had no less than ten badge photos. Fortunately for this company, I was “off duty” and never discovered if a laminated bit of printer paper would be enough to work my way inside.