"dumb" ways to get past a security system

melindamusil · Sep 13, 2013

Okay, I know that with infinite resources, it's always possible to get past a security system (especially in fiction

). You know - hire a tech genius to reprogram the system, bribe the security company, that kind of thing.

But what are some "dumb" ways to get past a security system, for characters who don't have those resources? Cutting the power supply seems very 1990s.

What other ways can I use to get around a security system? (In this case, it's at a medium-sized museum, but I imagine this could be applicable to all sorts of security systems.)

cornflake · Sep 13, 2013

melindamusil said:
Okay, I know that with infinite resources, it's always possible to get past a security system (especially in fiction ). You know - hire a tech genius to reprogram the system, bribe the security company, that kind of thing.

But what are some "dumb" ways to get past a security system, for characters who don't have those resources? Cutting the power supply seems very 1990s.

What other ways can I use to get around a security system? (In this case, it's at a medium-sized museum, but I imagine this could be applicable to all sorts of security systems.)

What kind of security system is it?

Is it an alarm? Motion detectors? Guards? Does it have a silent trigger with a police call? Does it trigger a worker call? Where is the alarm? Doors? Windows? Just opening them or the panes? The floors? Around art? I have questions.

melindamusil · Sep 13, 2013

cornflake said:
What kind of security system is it?

Is it an alarm? Motion detectors? Guards? Does it have a silent trigger with a police call? Does it trigger a worker call? Where is the alarm? Doors? Windows? Just opening them or the panes? The floors? Around art? I have questions.

Cornflake - I'm undecided on what kind of security system.
FYI - this could be either an art museum or a history museum. I'm undecided at this point.

I have toyed with using the Gardner museum theft-style of break-in. (Two guys pretended to be police officers and knocked on a door saying they'd received a call. Once they were inside, they tied up the guards and stole a bunch of artwork.) I just wonder if that's overdone.

Haven't decided how tightly I want this museum secured. I've read that security is a problem for museums - short of putting all the artwork under bulletproof glass (a la the Mona Lisa), it's virtually impossible to protect the paintings from every possible form of damage.

MatthewHJonesAuthor · Sep 13, 2013

melindamusil said:
Okay, I know that with infinite resources, it's always possible to get past a security system (especially in fiction ). You know - hire a tech genius to reprogram the system, bribe the security company, that kind of thing.

But what are some "dumb" ways to get past a security system, for characters who don't have those resources? Cutting the power supply seems very 1990s.

What other ways can I use to get around a security system? (In this case, it's at a medium-sized museum, but I imagine this could be applicable to all sorts of security systems.)

I agree with you that cutting the power wouldn't work. Nowadays, I imagine that the Alarm company pings the security system at least once an hour. If the ping doesn't return, the cops would be contacted.

With a museum, there's a point of time where the MC or character in question would be allowed to be on the property. If he paid general admission and just hid in a bathroom or something until the museum shut down, I'd imagine that he would be able to move freely through any given section.

If I understand security systems, they tend to secure doors and windows, so they probably won't go off if he doesn't go through them.

The only problem is that he wouldn't be able to leave without tripping the alarm, or find a place to hid until the museum opens to the public again.

melindamusil · Sep 13, 2013

From the wikipedia page:

...while most high-profile museums have extremely tight security, many places with multimillion art collections works have disproportionately poor security measures.[2] That makes them susceptible to thefts that are slightly more complicated than a typical smash-and-grab, but offer a huge potential payoff.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_theft

This is what I'm playing off of, but for plot reasons, I need the break-in and theft to occur at night, and preferably not rushed (grab and run before the police can get us). Thus... I need to disable the security alarm.

cornflake · Sep 13, 2013

melindamusil said:
Cornflake - I'm undecided on what kind of security system.
FYI - this could be either an art museum or a history museum. I'm undecided at this point.

I have toyed with using the Gardner museum theft-style of break-in. (Two guys pretended to be police officers and knocked on a door saying they'd received a call. Once they were inside, they tied up the guards and stole a bunch of artwork.) I just wonder if that's overdone.

Haven't decided how tightly I want this museum secured. I've read that security is a problem for museums - short of putting all the artwork under bulletproof glass (a la the Mona Lisa), it's virtually impossible to protect the paintings from every possible form of damage.

It is and also depends on the size and type of museum and what you're protecting, obvs. Some places might be easier to have patrolling guards if it's a big place or big area with like, a giant hunk of an Egyptian temple (because obvs. how is someone going to abscond with that? Not that someone couldn't try but you'd think it'd be easier to notice in time) vs. Faberge stuff or the Mona Lisa or sculptures or yeah.

The fake cop thing I think depends on the place as well - as well as the way it's situated. If like, the desk is facing the street, a guard would see a cruiser or not, you know?

robjvargas · Sep 13, 2013

It's kind of an unwritten rule in I.T security that the weakest component in security sits between the keyboard and the back of the desk chair.

People. A surprisingly large number of institutions rely on "security through obscurity," the idea that no one outside knows what the security is really, and so will be too scared to carry out the criminal act. Or that they'll attack what they know rather than what they don't know.

I think an inside man is still the best low-tech way in. Or an incompetent one.

melindamusil · Sep 13, 2013

MatthewHJonesAuthor said:
With a museum, there's a point of time where the MC or character in question would be allowed to be on the property. If he paid general admission and just hid in a bathroom or something until the museum shut down, I'd imagine that he would be able to move freely through any given section.

Hm, I like this idea...

The only problem is that he wouldn't be able to leave without tripping the alarm, or find a place to hid until the museum opens to the public again.

...but this is the challenge. Maybe he can put a guard at gunpoint and force him to disable the system?

cornflake said:
It is and also depends on the size and type of museum and what you're protecting, obvs. Some places might be easier to have patrolling guards if it's a big place or big area with like, a giant hunk of an Egyptian temple (because obvs. how is someone going to abscond with that? Not that someone couldn't try but you'd think it'd be easier to notice in time) vs. Faberge stuff or the Mona Lisa or sculptures or yeah.

Agreed. That's one reason why I'm opting for a small-to-medium size museum - the biggies would have the best security systems. I've heard of people trying to break into huge museums (like the Louvre or Musee D'Orsay in Paris), but those were all either small-time criminals who were quickly caught, or huge multi-million-dollar enterprises.

The fake cop thing I think depends on the place as well - as well as the way it's situated. If like, the desk is facing the street, a guard would see a cruiser or not, you know?

From what I understand, the Gardner theft occurred during some kind of festival, so it was already moderately chaotic outside. (incidentally, it is still unsolved, the paintings have not been returned, and I believe it is the highest-value theft in US history.) I'm not sure if it would work in any ole' museum - like you said, wouldn't the guards be looking for other clues?

GingerGunlock · Sep 13, 2013

robjvargas said:
It's kind of an unwritten rule in I.T security that the weakest component in security sits between the keyboard and the back of the desk chair.

People. A surprisingly large number of institutions rely on "security through obscurity," the idea that no one outside knows what the security is really, and so will be too scared to carry out the criminal act. Or that they'll attack what they know rather than what they don't know.

I think an inside man is still the best low-tech way in. Or an incompetent one.

Yup. Social engineering is my prime suggestion for questions such as these.

Also, some security systems only "sound an alarm" when it detects the sound of breaking glass. So, a window could just be opened with no ill-effect to the opener, but if the same window was broken, the alarm would go off.

melindamusil · Sep 13, 2013

robjvargas said:
It's kind of an unwritten rule in I.T security that the weakest component in security sits between the keyboard and the back of the desk chair.

People. A surprisingly large number of institutions rely on "security through obscurity," the idea that no one outside knows what the security is really, and so will be too scared to carry out the criminal act. Or that they'll attack what they know rather than what they don't know.

I think an inside man is still the best low-tech way in. Or an incompetent one.

That is true. I'm not in IT security but I've worked with computers enough to know that there are too many people who stick the password on a post-it next to the monitor...

GingerGunlock said:
Also, some security systems only "sound an alarm" when it detects the sound of breaking glass. So, a window could just be opened with no ill-effect to the opener, but if the same window was broken, the alarm would go off.

I like, I like...

Myrealana · Sep 13, 2013

robjvargas said:
It's kind of an unwritten rule in I.T security that the weakest component in security sits between the keyboard and the back of the desk chair.

It's the rule in bank security, too. It would shock you how many bank "robberies" do not involve guns or notes or silent alarms, but social engineering or an inside man.

It doesn't take a lot to get cooperation from the right person. A small bribe, or a little blackmail to someone who already might not have a ton of company loyalty, and you're in.

jimmymc · Sep 13, 2013

Start a real smoky fire with a timed device away from the area you want to burglarize, maybe use a few smoke grenades when you come back in with the firemen.

PeteMC · Sep 13, 2013

melindamusil said:
Thus... I need to disable the security alarm.

Not really, you just need the security system to think you're allowed to be in there.

As said above, either social-engineer the passwords out of some nitwit on the night security desk, or get a curator drunk and steal their security pass.

The site I work at is all controlled by proximity sensor security access cards, but the cards aren't biometrically linked to their rightful owners. Therefore if you've got my card, you can get into anywhere I can get into (which is everywhere, anytime of the day or night) without tripping any alarms.

Sure the logs will show the access when it's checked the next day, but by then you're long gone.

King Neptune · Sep 13, 2013

Then there's the walking in looking like a couple of plumbers who are supposed to replaces something. That wouldn't work at a major museum, but there are places where it might work, especially if the truck and the personnel looked right. Banging around in the basement until closing would also help. Then a pipe wrench on the head of the guards, and . . .

DeleyanLee · Sep 13, 2013

MatthewHJonesAuthor said:
The only problem is that he wouldn't be able to leave without tripping the alarm, or find a place to hid until the museum opens to the public again.

Why is tripping the alarm on the way out a problem?

I mean--think about it. It's a problem if you're going IN, but going out?

If you're savvy enough to stay in there, do the job, then you're savvy enough to have the way out firmly established and ready to be there. And as long as you're not speeding (and the museum isn't located in a really isolated place that gets zero traffic), who's going to notice a car on the street going away from the building?

It's just more legwork at the beginning to time your exit for shift-change or some other cops-aren't-anywhere-near point of their routine.

cbenoi1 · Sep 13, 2013

In my story, I have a thief go to extraordinary lengths to make sure everything from the outside looking in looks, smells, and tastes like a robbery. When the FBI comes in to investigate, it fuels rumors something has indeed been stolen. Something big and valuable. Then there's this big denial from authorities, fueling even more speculations about what really happened.

By that time, my robber has sold a couple of fake copies...

-cb

Drachen Jager · Sep 13, 2013

There's an art museum near here that had a lot of items stolen a few years ago.

The thieves phoned the central security office and identified themselves as employees of the company that maintained the security hardware. They said not to worry about any alarms, as there was a fault in the system, and they'd have it fixed in a few hours.

Security guards, as a rule, are not that bright. If they were bright they'd do something that paid better and didn't suck so bad.

PeteMC · Sep 13, 2013

Drachen Jager said:
Security guards, as a rule, are not that bright. If they were bright they'd do something that paid better and didn't suck so bad.

Like many rules, that one isn't true.

Security is definitely one of those areas where you get what you pay for. Rent-a nightwatchman may well not be a genius, but then the company I work for has some security people who are ex-Secret Service / Special Forces and are decidedly not thick.

Cyia · Sep 13, 2013

Use the annoyance method. Have your thief set off the security system via remote (with a remote controlled helicopter or some such that can disturb the motion detectors) so often in such a short period of time that security starts to think it's a malfunction. If you've got 20 "breaches" going at once, then foot patrols won't be able to cover them all.

Grab and Go.

Drachen Jager · Sep 13, 2013

PeteMC said:
Security is definitely one of those areas where you get what you pay for. Rent-a nightwatchman may well not be a genius, but then the company I work for has some security people who are ex-Secret Service / Special Forces and are decidedly not thick.

And they spend a lot of time sitting around guardrooms watching the video feeds at art museums?

Obviously I'm talking about "Rent-a nightwatchman". That's what the thread is about. "Security Guard" and the type of security you're talking about are not the same thing.

But, I've known some pretty thick Special Forces types. Certainly the minimum IQ required is slightly higher than it is for a grunt, but those guys ain't rocket scientists.

PeteMC · Sep 13, 2013

I have no idea what they spend their time doing other than following the CEO and board members around to be honest. But art museums, no.

I still think the easiest way into somewhere is to make the somewhere think you're allowed to be there.

Cath · Sep 13, 2013

When the alarm goes off at the school my dad works at, a security company will give him a call. He needs to give a security code to the firm and they stop worrying about it. If your point person is on holiday, perhaps he has a backup assistant who takes the call & gives the code. So you'd need to hijack the cell phone and security code and be able to give the security company a plausible excuse for the alarm going off. It strikes me as doable.

Alessandra Kelley · Sep 13, 2013

I know of at least one smallish place where you needed to show an ID to get where the valuable stuff was, and have your bag checked when you left ... but not if you were only going to or from the cafeteria.

Thing is, there was a fire door between the cafeteria and the secure place, and employees routinely left it propped open for their convenience. It was not in an obvious place, but it was accessible. Someone could have gone from the cafeteria to the secure place and out without a bag check.

Sunflowerrei · Sep 13, 2013

Incidentally--the Gardner Museum is a small museum. If you visit, you can see the frames of some of the paintings that were stolen.

At my job--I work in a department store--the security cameras spend more time watching the employees than the customers. Although the customers come up with really creative ways to steal items. A malfunctioning sensor security tower at the doorway might be enough to fool security. They have those at some museums.

jclarkdawe · Sep 13, 2013

Simplest way to get past any security system is bribery. Unless you really multi-layer the system, one guy at a time usually controls everything and once he's paid off, the rest is simple.

A little bit more complicated is set off the fire alarm while the place is open. Partner goes in right behind the fire department, in bunker gear. No one will notice. Partner then hides while the building is empty as fire department searches building, then steals whatever during the night. Lots of variations on the faker approach can be used. Guard supervisor who shows up at night. Showing up looking like cops and approaching security guard (Gardner Museum).

Best of luck,

Jim Clark-Dawe

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