CS406: Information Security

Tailgating attacks, also called piggybacking or physical access, consist of accessing an area or building by following someone who has the security clearance to that place. They allow attackers access unauthorized buildings. For example, attackers ask a victim to hold the door open because they forgot their company’ ID card or RFID (radio-frequency identification) card. They can also borrow a computer or cellphone to perform malicious activities such as installing malware software.

For instance, RFID cards attacks are one of the most used attacks to access forbidden spaces for malicious purposes. Due to their wide utilization and low cost, RFID systems are considered as the most emerging technology used by companies to control the access to their facilities. Despite their advantages, they have vulnerabilities that can be exploited to cause serious security issues to companies. RFID attacks can be performed over several layers of the interconnection system model (ISO). For instance, at the physical layer, the RFID devices and the physical interface are targeted to manipulate an RFID communication. These attacks can cause temporary or permanent damage of the RFID cards. At the network layer level, the attacker manipulates the RFID network such as the communication between the RFID entities and data exchange between these entities.