Hey guys, for the past few years, I have been working on a reusable tamper-evident jar for storing physical items.

The idea is that the lid creates a random physical “fingerprint” every time you close it. Inside the lid are thousands of tiny black and white balls. When you twist the jar open or closed, they mix. Once the jar is closed, the unique pattern is locked in place.

You can take a photo of that pattern with your phone, and later compare it to check whether the jar has been opened. If someone opens it, the pearls mix again and the original pattern is gone. The second pic shows a gif of two different patterns compared to one another, showing it is easy to tell that the lid was opened.

I made it because I wanted a simple physical way to store things like hard drives, USB sticks, authentication keys, documents, etc. Basically anything that you would do want to know if someone has accessed it.

After a lot of hard work and prototyping, I'm happy to announce it's finally complete! Check it out on https://www.entropyseal.com/.

Happy to hear feedback. I’m especially interested in whether the concept is clear and what use cases come to mind. :)

Edit: seems there some common questions, so I'll add some FAQs below:

Do the balls move around when the entropyseal is moved or handled?
No, the balls are held firmly in place when the lid is closed tight. So you can handle the entropyseal without the pattern breaking.

What if you twist the jar instead of the lid?
The pattern still changes. There are pins inside the lid that stir the balls around when twisting either the lid or jar.

What if I open the lid very slowly as not to disrupt the pattern?
The pattern will still change because of the pins inside the lid that stir the balls around when twisting open the lid.

EDIT:

Hey all, thanks for the feedback! After taking a look again we agree the price of 100 USD / 93EUR was a bit too steep. So we reduced the price to 70 USD / 61 EUR. We want to make this product as accessible to everyone as possible, so we don't want price getting in the way.

Sitting in place, passive / standby security for most of the work day. Phone borderline banned.

Best way to pass the time?

Be as detailed as possible / use specifics. I need ideas!!

A couple of days ago, an Amazon driver entered my home without permission, delivered a package then left, leaving my front door wide open. Proof of his illegal entry is the photograph Amazon sent me as proof of delivery. The Amazon driver had no right to enter my home. Packages are to be left outside in a place hidden from the public and if they can't deliver the package, they're supposed to contact the customer. How did the driver get inside? The front door is locked. Even if it was unlocked, he had no right to enter my home. This happened in the US, not overseas.

Which work schedule would offer a better work life balance?

I'm trying to decide between 2 job offers. One is for Residential Estate Security (EP work), and the other is for Security 3 position at Spacex in Hawthorne California. Both pay the same.

I work as a security guard in a city I will leave unnamed for the privacy of the deceased. I work at a shopping center and transit center combined with a ferry depot. I had just gone on my lunch break and I heard the call over the radio everyone has feared for years now. "Base to all officers, report to the back promenade, ferry personnel have reported a dead body in the water".

I had just gotten my food and sat down. I had eaten about three fries and was about to dig into my hot dog. My fellow officer and I sprang up and ran downstairs onto the back promenade to see an elderly woman, bloated and in rigor mortis, floating face up in the water in front of one of the restaurants located on our waterfront.

I stood there looking down into the water at this woman in her mid 70's. Bloated but barely decomposed. Her left arm at a right angle and her fist clenched upright. On her face she had a grimmace. But what I remember most is her hair flowing in the water. It floated there, drifting left to right. I couldnt look away.

I immediatedly called my supervisor and asked him if he wanted us to clear off the promenade and restrict access to the area, to which he said yes evacuate the area. I cleared the whole area off with some difficulty. Some people think their right to walk is more important than respecting emergency response as the fire department and police had already shown up at this point.

People kept trying to get in and take pictures and videos and I kept having to kick them out. At one point a couple guys tried to force their way back onto the promenade. I told them they needed to get back to the sidewalk right fucking now. They demanded to be let through. I told them they needed to have some fucking respect and clear the fuck out. They threatened to knock me out. Told them to leave property and eventually they did after bitching and moaning some more. People kept coming back and trying to take pictures and just generally be insensitive. I almost crashed out and lost my composure.

For hours afterward I was totally messed up and stressed out. This was not the only thing that had happened this day. We had multiple trespassing/theft issues and multiple medical emergency issues this same day. It has so far been the most insane day at work I have ever had. This isnt even totally abnormal its just more insane than the rest.

I dont want to go to work tomorrow

Title: Land-Based CP / Security Contractor Hacks
For those working land-based close protection/security contracts and travelling around the country — what are your best practical hacks?
Not the obvious stuff everyone already knows. I’m interested in the little things you’ve picked up through experience that make life on the road easier, cheaper, more comfortable or more efficient.
Things like:
Travel and accommodation hacks
Kit/EDC setups
Keeping clothes and kit organised
Food and meal prep on the road
Sleeping/recovery between shifts
Vehicle/travel organisation
Managing long days and multiple locations
Staying sharp when you’re constantly travelling
Anything you wish someone had told you when you first started contracting.

Has anyone had their vehicle stolen due to this tactic? And if so, what type of car was either tampered with or stolen? I only see videos on youtube, but never hear about anyone getting their cars hacked.

Hey all!

So I am currently doing physical security at a fairly large company. I started as a front desk receptionist, but in my two years there I've done almost every security post available at my facility except security operations. I am on track to go up into the security operations room, but am not able to move yet due to staffing issues.

However I've been learning that I do really enjoy other aspects of the security field. Specifically access control. I've been watching a lot of Phil Coppola videos online detailing the technology and history behind HID/Assa Abloy systems. The idea of getting to set up cameras and badge scanners and learn more about the software they use sounds so cool. (I love playing with Lenel On Guard, but I don't know much about it and I'm only authorized to do so much)

The technicians who do access control work are different employees than our security team. What can I do to get in there? I don't get to talk to them ever because their office is in a place I'm not allowed to be, and I work nights anyways.

The problem is other than my security experience at my specific site, I'm not qualified to do much else and I've only been a guard for just shy under two years. How can I break into this different facet of security? Does me having physical security experience help at all?

Hello,
Which book would you recommend as the bible of Physical Security professionals? I see some in Amazon but from 2016 and I guess now with AI, drones, etc there will be several updates?

any recommendation?

thanks!

My company is currently exploring options for an emergency notification system that can be scaled across multiple campuses. Additionally, it is essential that the system integrates seamlessly with our existing access control, video surveillance, and fire alarm platforms.

Can anyone provide information on the systems available that meet these criteria? We would also appreciate insight into the advantages and disadvantages of each option to help us make an informed decision.

Marine vet and former cop, Im scheduled to deploy on this contract soon. Regarding the training course, does anyone have insight on the driving portion? What does it entail? Do I have to be an experienced driver on a manual transmission or pretty basic? Any info helps, thanks.

Hello! I’m a PSO on the FPS Colorado Contract in Denver, CO. Im in the process of relocating to the DFW area to be closer to the rest of my family. I would like to transition over to the NTX Contract to continue my PSO career. If there are any PSOs currently on the NTX FPS Contract that would be willing to answer some questions and point me in the right direction I would be extremely grateful!!! Please hit me up!! Thank you in advance!

Over the past years we’ve run multiple physical red teaming / penetration tests on large office buildings, public‑sector facilities, data‑sensitive agencies and data centres across Europe. Different clients, different layouts, but the same patterns keep coming back.

Below are recurring weaknesses that show up across many sites, and what actually helps to fix them.

1. Tailgating and “I’m here to fix X”

Even with modern access control (speedgates, turnstiles, card readers), getting in behind someone is often trivial:

• During lunch or rush hours, auditors could simply walk in with the crowd and pass speedgates without using a badge.
• On secured office floors, following catering staff or employees through inner speedgates worked repeatedly.
• At several sites, doors to “more secure” areas could be reached by using an unattended badge found on a desk or in a bag.

Nobody challenged our auditors, and security didn’t act on tailgating visible on camera.

What helped:

• Enforcing a strict “no badge, no entry” principle at all layers, including inner doors.
• Training staff and reception/security to treat tailgating as a security breach, not as politeness.
• Using anti‑tailgating portals or logical monitoring (alarms on multiple passages per authorisation) and making sure guards respond.

2. Unchallenged strangers and weak social control

In many tests, once auditors were past the first barrier, they could move around for a long time without being questioned:

• Auditors in clearly “out‑of‑place” clothing (e.g. activist T‑shirts, inspectors’ vests, contractor polos) walked around secure office floors for 20+ minutes to several hours, taking pictures of screens and staff, without anyone speaking to them.
• Presenting a simple pretext (“we’re here for an inspection”, “we’re checking the ceiling”, “we’re from the real‑estate agency”) was usually enough to pass informal checks.
• Staff often assumed: “if someone is in this area, they must belong here”.

What helped:

• Security awareness focused on social control, not just phishing:
  • Teach “security questioning”: who are you, who is your contact, what are you here to do, how can we verify?
  • Make it normal (and expected by management) to challenge unknown faces politely.
• Making clear that a badge alone is not proof; unknown badge‑holders can still be intruders.

3. Unattended and unlocked assets

Across office environments we consistently see:

• Unlocked, unattended workstations and laptops on desks and in meeting rooms.
• Access badges left on desks, in jackets or bags in semi‑public areas.
• Keys, visitor passes and sometimes system diagrams lying in open cabinets or on trolleys in post or file rooms.

In data‑sensitive environments this is enough to:

• Install tools or grab credentials from an unlocked machine.
• Clone or simply use a found badge to reach “extra secure” zones.
• Map critical assets and internal structure without any scanning.

What helped:

• Enforcing screen lock and badge discipline, backed up by regular walk‑throughs and feedback, not only policy documents.
• Moving sensitive paper handling (post, case files, financial documents) into locked rooms with access logging.
• Treating any found badge or key as an incident, not as “someone will come back for it”.

4. Scan lanes and screening that miss obvious threats

In several high‑security style environments, we tested X‑ray lanes and access screening:

• Disassembled weapons in a backpack passed the X‑ray more than once.
• Tools like a screwdriver concealed in an umbrella were not noticed.
• Behaviour outside the entrance (loitering, rummaging in a bag) was either not seen, or seen but not treated as suspicious; no message was passed to the screening staff.

What helped:

• Additional practical X‑ray training focused on recognising parts of weapons, improvised devices, and unusual item combinations. Not just the basic vendor course.
• Clear procedures for what to do when something “might be suspicious” so staff do not hesitate.
• Linking camera operators and lane staff: if someone behaves oddly outside, lane staff are explicitly alerted and pay extra attention to that person’s belongings.

5. Construction sites, shared sites and suppliers as the weak link

At mixed or expanding sites (e.g. a running facility plus a new building project) we repeatedly saw:

• Construction gates where workers, inspectors or “technicians” could get a site pass without proper ID or verification of a work order.
• Guards or site staff who recognised “regular contractors” and waved them through without checks.
• New buildings where internal secure rooms were protected by access control, but perimeter control was lax, so an intruder could roam freely in non‑commissioned areas and reach server or plant rooms through open doors.

What helped:

• Treating construction phases and neighbouring properties as part of the security perimeter in risk assessments and controls.
• Strict ID and work‑order verification for all external staff, even those “who come here every week”.
• Clear escort rules and signing‑in / signing‑out of contractors and inspectors.

6. Outer perimeter: “detected” is not the same as “protected”

At one high security site, we tested roof access via a neighbouring parking structure:

• A simple car jack was used to lift high‑voltage wires enough to crawl under and reach the roof.
• The perimeter motion detector triggered correctly and alerted security.
• It then took about 10 minutes for guards to reach the roof access point.
• None of the guards carried a flashlight, making effective searching almost impossible, and allowing auditors to sneak up on them.

What helped:

• Making sure response plans and equipment match the detector:
  • Time targets to reach alarm locations.
  • Mandatory gear (flashlight, communication, PPE) for every patrol.
• Assessing and securing access from neighbouring structures (parking decks, adjacent roofs) as seriously as direct fence lines.

7. Information leakage through acoustics and paper

Even where access control was decent, information often leaked through:

• Non‑sound‑proof meeting rooms where sensitive discussions could be followed word‑for‑word from hallways.
• Open post and file areas in corridors with confidential case files, subsidy dossiers or internal HR paperwork visible and accessible.
• Whiteboards with sensitive notes or diagrams in rooms with glass walls.

What helped:

• Improving acoustic separation or changing how sensitive meetings are scheduled and where they are held.
• Moving sensitive post and files into closed rooms; limiting who can enter and logging access.
• Adopting a clean‑desk / clean‑wall approach for anything that identifies crown‑jewel systems, people or cases.

What security teams can do with this

If you’re primarily on the cyber or policy side, a few practical takeaways:

• Include basic physical intrusion paths in your threat models. Don’t assume “inside is trusted”.
• Run at least one joint exercise with facilities / physical security:
  • Can someone walk in, reach a core switch, a data‑bearing system, a scan lane, or a critical office without being stopped?
• Harden critical assets assuming semi‑legitimate physical presence:
  • Locked racks and rooms for critical equipment.
  • Full‑disk encryption and secure boot.
  • Network monitoring that flags new devices on sensitive segments.
• Make awareness and procedures tangible:
  • Use anonymised photos and timelines from tests (tailgating, found badges, unlocked screens) to make it real for staff.

I’m interested in how this compares to what others see:

• Do you run physical components in your red teaming, and what do you most often exploit?
• Have you found specific controls or training formats that genuinely changed behaviour (not just ticked the box)?

Let’s make the world a safer place.

For context I’m an at home caregiver for the elderly. One of my clients POA (power of attorney) recently installed new security cameras in her house including her room (which is where she dresses and gets bed baths). The first night I worked with the new cameras I noticed the lights going off all night and I assumed that they were motion sensors. The next night I noticed that the motion sensors were not going off every time I got up to check on my client or do other things. I noticed that the cameras would only turn on in short intervals whether or not there was any movement to trigger the sensors. I took a picture of the security camera and googled it to find out which kind it was and what the lights mean. Every source I could find told me the floodlights can be a sign someone is watching and a small blue light means someone is recording. Once I learned this I noticed that the blue light was on more and more and in addition to that I started to hear clicks (like the sound of a camera taking a picture). I took a picture of all the cameras to gain evidence, when I walked into my clients room to take a picture the lights when on but as soon as I raised my phone to take the pictures the lights went off immediately. I took a video that started before I walked into my clients room and showed that the floodlights and blue light were on. Below I will have pictures of the cameras I took plus a picture from the website because the POA put black duct tape over the floodlights. I don’t know whether someone is actually watching me or if I’m being paranoid since I briefly had a man stalk me at work when I was 16, sometimes the cameras will turn on if I even twitch (or sometimes not move at all) and other times I can walk in circles waving my arms around and it still doesn’t set off the cameras.

Can someone recommend a wireless door chime that is not too loud? It's a precaution if a kid opens the door for their safety, not an alarm.

Can doorbell cameras do this? Or is it much cheaper to get something dedicated for this purpose. It's mostly for sleep walking and I don't want a startling loud alarm.

i am planning to buy a raspberry pi and a usb webcam to mount in my house as a security camera. for reasons.

what i want to do is to code my own go program that opens the webcam and records videos and deletes it afther x days. and maybe even use the likes of frame-based motion detection.

i would at least need: - a pi - a large hdd for video storage since ssd is to small - the usb webcam

why a usb webcam? they offer much higher quality then the standard pi camera.

i plan to hang it in front of my front door, and put a small poster above the camera:

the eye of sauron is watching you or something like that just for the memes.

has anyone done this ?

I’m looking into purchasing or starting up a business renting mobile security towers. I’m interested in feedback regarding the opportunities and challenges with this type of business. Specifically, how long are these contracts? Is there a standard third party to outsource the surveillance and response? Is the opportunity in selling the towers or leasing?

I don’t see many of these businesses for sale, so I’m wondering if that demonstrates a solid niche or lack of overall viability.
Anything else that would be relevant for this industry that I’m missing?

Have you, as a sec professional, ever watched a movie or played a game just been annoyed and the stupidity portrayed?

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Have you ever wondered how different a stealth game would be if the security actually followed appropriate standards, procedures and expectations? Imagine how cool it would be if the 'hackerman' actually compromised a real weakness through phishing. Also, what can we learn from these failures in the virtual space?

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I am an instructor, security professional and consultant for the professional and entertainment industry. I have been in the industry for more than 12 years and possess over 30 certifications and certificates. Though I may be doing a Red Team or walkthrough one day, I will never share those videos or images publicly. I will however, demonstrate those same weaknesses and fundamentals using video games!

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For example:

1: The regular patrolling officer understands that his Presence is the first layer of deterrence; though the security manager's first layer is a well written policy.

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2: A nice wall and gate don't really matter if your team has never noticed a hole in the fence.

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3: Poor geographic locations means the security team should invest in additional awareness hardware such as powerful PTZ cameras and omnidirectional sensors.

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By training ourselves to be observant even in our spare time we become better assets to our teams and clients.

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I'd love to hear about security failures (or places it's done well) you've seen in media. If you're interested, every 3rd week I post a new video performing a security analysis on a fictional site. Sometimes, like the one coming out Friday (Gray Zone Warfare), I will bring on an industry professional (cyber, military, management, executive protection, etc.) for their opinion.

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I'm not amazing at editing/commentary and have been learning this thanks to the help of other amazing content creators. Any suggestions are GREATLY appreciated!

Hi! Everyone, badly needing your help if this Security Service agency I plan to join is legit? I’m worried coz i’ll be coming all the way from Bicol just to join this agency as security guard.

Really Having a hard time finding a job so I guess will try this one for temporary income experience. 😢😩

Does anyone here install or work with Alula panels that have knowledge on them? Tech support doesn't seem to be of much help.

It seems their latest generation panel (Connect-FLX) has issues where it will not try to pull an IP or even stay up. The only time i see an ethernet link is for about 10 seconds before the panel drops the physical port.

Hi, this is a sort of crazy situation, but I (19 F) need some help because I don't know what else to do, and have two major issues. I apologize for any typos, I'm shaking while writing it. I currently live in my mom's (41 F) house, its under her name, she pays for everything, my step dad (54 M) is a complete freeloader, has a job, doesn't contribute or help with the smaller kids at all (my mom has significantly younger children). He's also a major pathological narcissist and liar, and probably quite literally a sociopath. He has zero emotional attachment to anything living, cares about nothing other than himself and his favorite hobby is intentionally making other people's lives harder. Anyways, I'm living here temporarily until I move into my own place in September, my mom is helping me pay for my continued education following me dropping out of traditional college, and she said that I'm allowed to live here free as long as I hold a job (I currently have two), and stay dedicated to my studies and make good grades. I have a kitten as well, I found him on the side of the road before his eyes even opened and have raised him since, he's 8 weeks old now. My mom is currently out of town with my four younger siblings, I stayed home to work, and apparently my step dad did as well, she left last Friday and is coming home tomorrow. Which honestly makes me asking this feel entirely stupid but hear me out please. I am also partially posting this here to have it recorded, if anyone has thoughts on me potentially filing a police report, please share those as well.

I have two jobs, one full time, one part time, both almost entirely outdoors, so when I come home, I'd really like to be a little cooler, considering we live in the south and it's like 85+ degrees with humidity. My room has multiple windows and tends to trap whatever temperature and multiply it, so it gets extremely hot in the summer and extremely cold in the winter. There is a thermostat outside of my room, but there is also a switch on the actual AC machine thing to turn it on and off, and that is upstairs in an unfinished closet like room. For the past week, I have made sure to turn it off at the switch every single day before leaving for work, and only turning it back on after getting express permission from my mother, who pays the power bill. However, this has sent my step dad on a power trip, so every single time I've gone to turn the AC on, he'd come behind me and turn it off as soon as I was out of earshot, often we'd do this multiple times a night. So I started waiting about an hour and a half, waiting for him to get comfortable and go to sleep, to go turn it back on. It has caused me to be majorly sleep deprived because I leave for work hours before he does and don't come back until usually after or only shortly before he does. Two nights ago now, I went and turned it on and then waited to see if he'd come back up, planning to confront him, but apparently he'd gotten to it before I even gotten set up to wait him out (I went back to my room for a minute to grab my phone, charger, etc). I checked and he locked the door to the room that the switch is in, I can't open it. It's a traditional lock, probably just like the one you have on your bedroom door, super common lock. I really need to pick this lock so I can get in there and turn it on. I haven't slept in multiple days atp, I can't sleep hot at all, and it's putting me in a really bad position with my jobs because they've noticed I'm distracted, exhausted, not doing as well as I usually do. How do I pick this lock, or even just make a key for it? Any tips?

I mentioned that I have a kitten, and my step dad's pathological issues. I can't lock my bedroom door whenever I leave the house for work because I won't be able to get back in. My kitten stays in my room, he doesn't leave my room because we have dogs that I don't feel safe with him around, considering how little he is. I also hid some food in my room because my step dad steals the food I use for my lunches, and doesn't allow me to eat whenever he's home and my mom is not. If he catches me eating he will quite literally dump water all over my food or just pick it up and throw it away entirely, plate and all. I got home from work today and noticed that all of the food that I've hidden is gone and my kitten is acting super skittish. My step dad does have a history of abusing my animals, my cats especially, and even killed my cat two and a half years ago. My kitten is also breathing abnormally. One of my jobs is at an animal clinic and I will be discussing with the doctor there what he thinks I should do, I'm going to contact him as soon as I finish writing this, especially if symptoms continue throughout the night. I don't have a key for the door going into my room, so I am needing to either figure out a way to lock this door so that only I can get into it when it is locked, or just get an entirely new doorknob and lock. Does anyone know how I could get a key made, where I could get a new doorknob and key, or know of a way to lock this from the inside?

Yes I am recording everything, he has a history of things like this, as well as more severe abuse when I was a child, that stopped when I got a job and a phone, aka the ability to call the police, but it would always get worse whenever I'd get grounded from my phone. No, he does not treat my other siblings like this, it is specifically towards me because I'm not his child and my biological father (45 M) is still in the picture. My dad has stepped in since my mom has been gone and made sure I've gotten home safe, eaten, etc, and I know that I can call him and he'll probably get here faster and solve the issue faster than the cops would. I'd go stay with him, but he and his wife (34? F) and their children are actively moving, so I'm trying to stay out of the way, and I also have various things to deal with around the house, such as feeding the animals, keeping things clean (step dad is a complete slob). I know my mom comes home tomorrow, but I have a feeling this summer, until I move into my own place, is only going to get worse. I'm moving states when I move, not telling my parents when exactly I plan on moving or where I am moving. I'm doing this because when I lived in the college dorms, my step dad found out what dorm I lived in and some issues occurred. I'm really trying to protect myself and the things I love, and doing that will really protect my peace. Any help is appreciated, thank you guys for listening to me and any advice you can give me.

I am looking for outstanding home security cameras. Wired (ethernet) with IPOE. Included NVR and ios/desktop app. I want it to be stored locally with no cloud or subscription.

I have experience in home networking and running the wire, so that is not a factor. I really like the Lorex products, but have heard horror stories on their customer service. Looking for a comparable solution. I like to go overkill, so basically looking for a business solution for my home.

Im wondering if this hatch at my high school will go off it gets opened? The padlock on it was left unlocked for who knows how long, but the metal cord thing on the side makes me second guess if it will set off or no, if it is for security or fire safety. I'm asking due to work needing to be done up top.

Hey all , in between jons atm with a few potentially good jobs , but got a message from Tarian group for an armed position and ive been pretty good at avoiding big companies so far in my career. So was just trying to get others experience with them before my interview