Combating logical back doors into physically protected areas. The role of computer security in modern access control systems

As long as nuclear fission has been used for energy production, substantial efforts have been made to protect the critical process and nuclear materials from unauthorized access. Electronic systems have been designed to assist security staff in access control and have become increasingly sophisticated as technology has advanced. With the latest access control systems being fully computerized, new questions of computer security have arisen. The paper outlines the latest trends in computer based access control systems, demonstrates where these systems are vulnerable to hacking attacks, and provides guidance on what can be done to avoid the introduction of new computer technologies creating back doors to bypass physical plant and material protection. (author)