(TLP:CLEAR) WaterISAC Physical Security and Resilience Advisory Committee: Keys & Locks – The Overlooked Security Risk – Fact Sheet

Summary: WaterISAC is excited to announce the release of a new product, “Keys & Locks: The Overlooked Security Risk – Fact Sheet.” This fact sheet was developed by WaterISAC’s Physical Security and Resilience Advisory Committee specifically for water and wastewater utility owners and operators.

Robust key and lock systems are essential for mitigating physical security threats at water and wastewater utilities, where unauthorized access to sensitive assets can pose serious risks to public safety and operational integrity. Keys and locks form the foundation of physical security, yet they are often overlooked in favor of electronic solutions. Understanding how your key system is structured—whether it uses restricted keyways, master key hierarchies, or standard locks—is critical to reducing vulnerabilities.

To help water and wastewater utilities with improving their keys & locks management strategies, WaterISAC’s Physical Security and Resilience Advisory Committee has developed the following best practices organized into eleven thematic sections.

Ultimately, manual keys and locks remain the foundation of physical security—they are reliable, cost-effective, and essential for any facility. Before moving away from traditional keys, ask yourself: Do you truly understand your current key system and its risks? Many organizations overlook key control, which can lead to serious vulnerabilities.

Original Sources: Access the full report below.

Additional Reading:

• (TLP:CLEAR) WaterISAC Physical Security and Resilience Advisory Committee: Insider Threat Management – Fact Sheet

Related WaterISAC PIRs: 1 & 3