What Is Tailgating in Cyber Security and How Does It Work?

Hello readers! What if someone could enter your office without stealing your credentials, hacking tools, or passwords?

All they have to do is follow the legitimate employee into the restricted area.

This act alone will enable the attacker to access sensitive data, hardware, software, and networks. This attack method is called tailgating in cyberspace security. Although it is mostly aimed at physical security and human behavior, it often leads to a more serious cybersecurity issue.

In my experience explaining tailgating, I have noticed that the most comprehensible description of tailgating is imagining the secure office door entry process. Here, one of the employees enters the restricted area by scanning their badge. Then, another employee enters right after without scanning a badge.

That is how a tailgating attack happens.

Hackers leverage the concept of trust, politeness, distraction, urgency, and poor access control mechanisms. After gaining access, they can steal data, use an unattended computer, plug in unauthorized devices, and even set up for a major cyberattack. Companies like CrowdStrike, Proofpoint, Trend Micro, and Check Point categorize tailgating as a social engineering and physical security threat.

What Is Tailgating in Cyber Security?

Tailgating occurs when an individual tries to gain entry to areas that they do not have authorization to enter. It is achieved by following the individual into the premises. Tailgating is done digitally through gaining access to an employee's laptop or device and using his/her credentials to access confidential data and areas of the network.

Tailgating is normally followed by other forms of attacks such as malware and phishing. In other instances, a network is attacked through tailgating for the attacker to gain confidence with individuals he/she intends to attack. This means that a tailgating attack is usually the first step of a larger attack.

Tailgating Vs Piggybacking

These two terms are often used interchangeably; however, there may be a slight difference.

Tailgating Occurs Without Permissions

In most cases, tailgating is performed without any kind of permission. When tailgating takes place, one unauthorized individual follows an authorized employee without asking for permission.

For instance, an authorized individual scans his access card, enters through the door, and a stranger follows him right after.

Piggybacking is a More Cooperative Process

However, in the case of piggybacking, one authorized individual allows the other individual to pass through the door together with him.

For example, an individual sees a person with several packages and leaves the secured door open for him. The authorized individual believes that the individual who passed through the door is employed in the delivery company.

What is important is that this distinction does not matter much in terms of the security issue.

How Does Tailgating Function?

If an attacker plans to tailgate into a computer system or network, he might opt for any of the following techniques: social engineering, session hijacking, or the system's poor logout process. The methods work well since they take advantage of human nature and security weaknesses in systems that may be overlooked by IT security professionals.

Session Hijacking

The act of session hijacking (also known as cookie hijacking) involves attackers who steal the user's session ID by sniffing network communications using software like Wireshark or through an XSS attack whereby the session cookie is stolen in the web browser. As an example, if you connect to your company's network using an unsecured Wi-Fi connection, you make yourself vulnerable to tailgating through session hijacking.

Social Engineering

Another approach that attackers adopt when carrying out tailgating attacks is social engineering. Social engineering exploits deception and manipulation to tailgate into a network. A good example would be a phishing email that purports to come from the IT department of your company and requests that you verify your password during routine IT maintenance work. By doing this, the attacker gains access to your network.

Flawed Logout Method

Problems with logout processes refer to a case where the logout process used in the system does not log out the user effectively. In this case, the user's session is still active despite the fact that the user is already logged out.

Businesses can make the best use of the endpoint management to enforce security policies, and strengthen overall device controlls. 

Examples of Tailgating Attack

Tailgating attacks can take different forms, though the commonality between all attacks is the fact that an unauthorized user follows an authorized individual to gain entry into a protected zone. Here are examples of tailgating attacks:

The Amiable Stranger

One of the most common tailgating attack scenarios involves an attacker standing at the entrance of the facility and chatting with an authorized person who possesses a passcard to get in. The attacker might present himself as a new employee without a card or an employee carrying too much to get in on their own. The employee opens the door for them to enter.

Delivery Scam

Here, the attacker pretends to be a deliveryman with too much cargo to be able to swipe their ID card. They try to enter a building by getting employees to hold doors open for them without verification.

Impersonation Scheme

In this case, the attacker pretends to be an IT specialist and claims that there are issues with a computer in the office and the issue can only be solved by accessing the room where the computer is.

Ambush Hours Ambush 

The third technique entails ambushing the individual after office hours since there would not be many individuals present at that time and the security personnel will be relatively lax. The intruder follows the person working the night shift into the building as though he too were working late.

All three situations make use of human kindness or social conventions such as the tendency to help out others or not ignoring someone who appears to belong. However, maintaining vigilance and due diligence in the company culture and identifying a tailgating attempt requires vigilance at all times, no matter how insignificant the situation might seem.

Common Tailgating Methods

Why Is Tailgating So Dangerous?

The most dangerous thing is what happens after the intruder makes it into your premises.

It Can Reveal Sensitive Information

It can be confidential documentation, customer information, accounting data, or intellectual property.

It Can Be Used for Malicious Code Attacks

Physical access can allow intruders to connect additional unauthorised devices or infect workstations with malware.

It Can Be Used as a Stepping Stone

Intruders can observe the actions of employees and their screens and use that information for phishing and impersonation attacks.

So tailgating appears to be a simple physical breach, which can actually become the first stage of a cyberattack.

How to Prevent Tailgating Attacks?

Create Strong Access Controls

Biometric, card, and/or role-based access controls can be created in order to restrict access to certain areas.

Companies can boost their security by strengthening cybersecurity maturity. 

Employee Training

Training needs to be conducted among the employees to help them spot instances of tailgating and social engineering.

It is also essential for employees to know about different types of phishing attacks and other threats. 

Visitor Management System

Badges need to be issued to visitors, with escorting where required.

Conduct Security Drills

Security drives along with security drills regarding tailgating need to be conducted regularly.

Use Barriers

Gates and other such barriers could be employed to prevent tailgating.

Surveillance Cameras

Installation of surveillance cameras is another means to prevent tailgating.

Use Signage

Signs with security instructions should be placed at the entrance and other restricted areas.

Use Technologies for Detecting Attempts of Tailgating

Technologies like sensors or alarms can help to detect attempts to pass through a secured door.

Audit Your Security Policy

Security audits should be performed, and access policy should be updated accordingly.

Involvement of Management

The management should encourage employees to remain security-conscious at all times.

Employee security awareness, proper access control measures, technological solutions, and good security policies can help minimize tailgating dangers.

Conclusion

Well, then, what exactly is tailgating in cybersecurity?

This is a combination of a social engineering and physical security threat that involves the entry of an unauthorized person into a protected area by following or manipulating someone who has access.

The procedure may seem quite straightforward, but its impact can be grave.

An intruder getting inside an office may find unlocked computers, sensitive papers, network gear, or other tools that will enable them to execute their attacks on a grander scale.

A combination of technologies and vigilance is the key to prevention here.

Strong access controls, monitoring, training of employees, personal identification, and a verification culture can prevent such attacks to a great extent.

What I learned from this threat is that cybersecurity does not consist only in preventing cyber attacks at the borders of the network.

FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

Q1. What is tailgating in cyber security?

In cyber security, tailgating is the entry of an unauthorised person into a secured area using the authorised person’s access.

Q2. Is tailgating a form of social engineering attack?

Yes, tailgating usually involves social engineering whereby trust, courtesy, distraction, or human error is used.

Q3. What is a tailgating attack?

An example is following an employee through the security door of an organization by scanning the access badge.

Q4. What measures should organizations take to avoid tailgating?

Some measures include individual identification, security awareness training, surveillance, biometrics, turnstiles, and visitor policies.

Q5. Is tailgating similar to hacking?

Tailgating is not the same as hacking since the former is physical while the latter is cyber.