📖 What is Tailgating?
Tailgating, also known as piggybacking, occurs when an unauthorized person follows an authorized person into a secure area without presenting proper credentials. It exploits the social tendency to be polite by holding doors open for others to enter.
"A 'mantrap' or a physical security guard is the most effective way to stop tailgating. Look for these physical controls in the answers."
📚 Certification: CompTIA A+ Certification Exam Core 2 (220-1102)
🔑 What are the Key Concepts of Tailgating?
- ▸ Tailgating is a physical social engineering attack that leverages human politeness and social norms to bypass security controls and gain unauthorized entry.
- ▸ Effective countermeasures include mantraps, which are double-door security portals, and the presence of trained security personnel to verify credentials at entry points.
- ▸ The primary objective is to bypass physical access controls to reach sensitive areas like server rooms, network closets, or corporate executive offices.
- ▸ It exploits the 'social contract' where people feel rude closing a door on someone behind them, making it a human-centric security vulnerability.
🎯 How does Tailgating appear on the 220-1102 Exam?
A scenario might describe an employee holding a secure door open for a stranger carrying heavy boxes; you will be asked to identify this specific security threat as tailgating and suggest a physical control to prevent it.
You may be asked to recommend the most effective physical security control to prevent unauthorized individuals from following employees into a high-security data center, where a mantrap is the ideal answer.
Expect questions where you must distinguish between technical security controls and physical security controls to mitigate unauthorized physical entry, specifically focusing on the role of security guards and physical barriers.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between tailgating and piggybacking?
In tailgating, the intruder follows without the authorized person's knowledge or consent. In piggybacking, the authorized person knowingly lets the intruder in, often out of politeness or a desire to be helpful, though both result in unauthorized access.
Why is a mantrap more effective than a standard badge reader?
A badge reader only secures the door; a mantrap uses a double-door system where the first door must close and lock before the second opens, ensuring only one authenticated person enters at a time.