Trusted Computing Group

We might all recall fondly the Pacman games of our youth. But today, PAC also means something else: physical access control. And physical access control, used in buildings and facilities worldwide to keep track of who is coming and going, is converging with network access control. In a nutshell, thanks to efforts by TCG and its members such as Hirsch Electronics and others, strangers tailgating into your building can't get into your network. How is TCG involved?

TCG's Trusted Network Connect interfaces enable: location, identity, endpoint health, and behavior- based access control decisions for users in an enterprise environment; detection and remediation of illicit activity, such as data leakage by an endpoint or unauthorized changes to network device configurations; and correlation of physical security with network access privileges. A demo at Interop 2009 showed how this works. For more details, see the Interop Las Vegas Press Kit. 

This effort continues and is gaining traction. Next week, Bob Beliles, participant, TNC Work Group and VP of Enterprise Business Development, Hirsch Electronics, will speak on "Extending Trust and Security to Networked Physical Security" on February 2, 2010, Track 101 at 11.30 a.m at the TechSec Solutions conference. He will talk about integrating physical security with network security and how TCG specs enable this.

For more on this topic, consider attending a panel session at RSA, where Beliles will be part of the panel session PHYS-403, Does Physical Security on the Network Create New Vulnerabilities? This session is Friday, March 05 11:20 AM, Orange Room 304.

More info on this session: Physical security has only recently moved to IP implementation. Video (CCTV) and card-based access control have been "siloed" systems, communicating on a basis proprietary to their manufacturer. What new vulnerabilities to the network are created as these devices migrate to the network? Do manufacturers know how to preserve network integrity? Do they understand threats from the network? This session will examine issues such as these in the context of the leading systems in the industry. More info on RSA sessions can be found @ http://www.rsaconference.com/2010/usa/index.htm.