As a security manager, you protect your systems and processes every day and invest in awareness training. However, experience shows that physical attacks are an often underestimated attack vector. Attackers combine digital and physical methods. This is where Red Teaming comes in: security is not viewed in isolation but analyzed from the perspective of a real attacker.
Physical pentests are a key element in this process because they demonstrate how physical vulnerabilities can bypass digital security measures. After all, sometimes just a few seconds of inattention at a building entrance are enough to circumvent critical security mechanisms. Our colleague Tim Wörner, Managing Security Consultant and Red Team Lead, explains how physical pentests, as part of Red Teaming, reveal real risks and identify areas where you can specifically enhance your security measures.
What Is a Physical Pentest?
A physical pentest is a realistic security assessment of your physical infrastructure. During this process, our security analysts attempt, under clearly defined conditions, to gain access to areas requiring special protection, such as server rooms, research laboratories, or offices housing critical infrastructure. In the context of Red Teaming, the physical penetration test is not an isolated test but part of a comprehensive attack simulation. The goal is to identify real attack paths from physical entry points all the way into digital systems and sensitive processes.
While traditional pentests assess individual systems or components, Red Teaming examines the interplay of all security dimensions. Physical pentests provide a crucial perspective on real entry points that often go undetected in technical tests.
What Common Vulnerabilities Do Physical Pentests Uncover?
Many companies rely on processes, access controls, and established routines. However, our experience regularly shows that physical vulnerabilities are easy to overlook, quick to exploit, and particularly effective. The most common vulnerabilities we encounter in our physical pentests:
Reception and entrance areas
- Tailgating, i.e., following closely behind employees
- Courtesy that backfires (“I’m just holding the door open for you”)
- Unclear responsibilities in the visitor process
Server and equipment rooms
- Outdated or inadequate locks
- Shared or improperly documented key management
- Doors left open during maintenance work
Identity and ID checks
- Replicable RFID Badges
- “Visitor badges” that are handed out without proper scrutiny
Human factors
- Stress, routine, burnout
- Lack of physical awareness
- Trust in familiar faces or credible role models
Red Teaming consistently reveals that it is rarely individual vulnerabilities, but rather the combination of technology, processes, and human behavior that enables successful attacks. It is precisely these interactions that a physical pentest exposes.
What Does a Physical Pentest Involve?
A physical pentest follows a structured, transparent, and risk-based approach that includes clearly defined steps. The process begins with a kick-off meeting, during which the threat perspective, the attacker model, and the exact scope are established. This is followed by the reconnaissance and information-gathering phase, in which the environment, processes, and potential vulnerabilities are systematically analyzed. Based on this, potential attack vectors are modeled to realistically simulate how a real attacker would proceed. This approach follows the logic of Red Teaming: we do not focus on individual vulnerabilities but rather on realistic attack vectors and assess how far an attacker could actually get.
Next, the operational phase begins: pentests that involve methods such as social engineering, physical access attempts, or bypassing access controls. The goal is not merely to identify theoretical vulnerabilities but to test the actual feasibility of realistic attack scenarios. We then document all observations and results in a precise and traceable manner. We record all actions in such a way that they can be traced back to the minute in retrospect. In a joint debriefing workshop, we evaluate the findings in a structured manner and derive concrete measures that you can use to further develop your security measures in a targeted way.
How Does a Physical Pentest Strengthen Your Security Strategy?
As part of Red Teaming, a physical pentest goes far beyond testing a single door or lock. It provides a holistic view of your security architecture and shows how technology, processes, and people interact under real-world conditions. The outcome is not a theoretical report but a solid basis for decision-making that helps you deliberately strengthen your security posture. A physical pentest uncovers real weaknesses where they emerge in day-to-day operations and enables you to set clear priorities.
Key benefits at a glance:
- Realistic insights: See how your security measures perform under real conditions, not just on paper.
- Clear basis for decisions: Identify which controls are effective and where small gaps can create significant risk.
- Stronger security culture: Realistic scenarios make risks tangible and increase the impact of awareness training across the organization.
- Better alignment of physical and digital security: Physical weaknesses are often the entry point for more advanced cyberattacks. A physical pentest closes this critical gap.
- Holistic attacker perspective: Gain more than isolated findings. You get a realistic view of how attackers exploit physical weaknesses to achieve broader objectives.
When Is a Physical Pentest Particularly Advisable?
We recommend a physical pentest whenever your security environment changes or when you want to validate how effective existing controls really are in day-to-day operations. It is especially valuable for new locations or major changes to access control and security concepts.
Physical pentests also deliver strong insights around awareness initiatives by showing how well training content translates into everyday behavior. If you suspect social engineering activity or conduct regular security assessments as part of your governance program, a physical pentest provides a reliable foundation to identify risks early and take targeted action.
Conclusion
As part of a Red Team assessment, a physical pentest demonstrates how resilient your organization truly is under real-world conditions. It provides clear orientation, prioritizes risks along realistic attack paths, and supports the sustainable evolution of your entire security architecture.
Interested in integrating physical pentests effectively into your Red Teaming activities or just getting started? Get in touch with us. Together, we’ll develop an approach that fits your organization.
