Target Breach: Physical Security Meets Network Security

A good friend posted a great article (Bloomberg Businessweek: Missed Alarms and 40 Million Stolen Credit Card Numbers: How Target Blew It) about Target's recent data breach. The hackers who breached Target's system are believed to have gotten access to Target's infrastructure by impersonating HVAC repair workers. This is a key element of network security that's often overlooked: if you don't maintain physical control of your system, you no longer have a secure system, regardless of how well you may think your software controls are working.