Physical Security Assessment
Most cyber programmes stop at the building entrance. Real attackers don't. Pentiq runs covert entry, badge cloning, tailgating, and pretexting against your physical estate - and reports back on what worked, what didn't, and whether anyone noticed.
What we test
Find out whether the front door, the badge reader, and the receptionist hold up.
Site reconnaissance against publicly available information and on-site observation; physical entry routes including main reception, side doors, loading bays, fire escapes, and shared-tenant spaces; access-control systems, badge cloning (HID Prox, iCLASS, MIFARE), and tailgating against visitor-management processes; lock and mechanical-bypass resistance on doors, cabinets, and server-room enclosures; CCTV coverage and blind spots, alarm response times, and guard-patrol patterns; pretexting scenarios against reception, facilities, and service-desk staff; and the security-culture layer that's supposed to challenge the stranger walking through the door.
Why it matters
The pressure this service answers.
Most cyber programmes stop at the building entrance. Real attackers don't - the cheapest way to land a beacon on your estate is often a propped-open fire door, a borrowed badge, or a confident person with a hi-vis jacket and a clipboard. Physical compromise also short-circuits most logical controls: zero-trust assumptions break down when an attacker is already at a desk inside the building. ISO 27001 Annex A.11, PCI DSS Requirement 9, and NIS2 all include physical-security expectations, and physical findings tend to move budget faster than written reports - they're visceral, demonstrable, and often recorded on your own CCTV.
Testing activities
Manual, reproducible, peer-reviewed.
Every engagement is scoped through a formal Rules of Engagement, delivered by an in-house Pentiq consultant, peer-reviewed by a senior tester, and risk-rated using CVSS 4.0 where applicable.
- Reconnaissance of site layout, entry points, and guard schedules
- Covert entry attempts using lock-picking, badge cloning, and social engineering
- CCTV, alarm, and response-time evaluation
- Facility and asset mapping (server rooms, executive offices)
- Security-culture assessment through staff interactions
- Detailed findings and pragmatic physical-security roadmap
Methodologies & frameworks
The standards behind every report.
Every report aligns to the methodologies and frameworks your assessors, customers, and insurers already recognise, so findings are defensible, reproducible, and easy to validate.
- CREST Simulated-Attack methodology
- NPSA (formerly CPNI) Physical Security Guidelines
- ASIS Physical Asset Protection Standard
- MITRE ATT&CK for Initial Access (Physical)
Outcomes
What you walk away with.
- Tangible evidence of physical-security vulnerabilities
- Improves staff awareness and visitor-management procedures
- Supports ISO 27001 physical-security control obligations
- Pragmatic roadmap of cost-effective enhancements
Often paired with
Related services.
Red Team Operations
Full scope, objective driven simulations testing how your people, processes, and tools actually hold up.
Learn more →
Social Engineering
Phishing, vishing, and physical vector testing to measure (and improve) human-factor resilience.
Learn more →
Wireless
Site survey, encryption review, and rogue-AP detection across the network that bypasses your firewall.
Learn more →
Get started
Talk to Pentiq about physical security.
Most enquiries get a same working day response from a Pentiq consultant. We'll scope honestly and tell you when an alternative service is the right answer.