Tracking Security Guard Locations

I ran into an interesting article on HSDailyWire.com about a new service that allows security managers or guard force managers to track the location of security guards in real time. It is being touted by the manufacturer as a tool to manage and communicate with security forces. It tracks the guard location by GPS and transmits that data to a remote server by a wireless communication device. The server processes the data from the guard’s transceiver and provides information on the guard’s location, status and movement on a “a map-based (GIS) application that includes satellite imagery” according to the GuardTrax® product sheet. While it is certainly handy for a guard manager or security manager to be able to track the security force it would also be good information for anyone intending to penetrate facility security, either thieves or terrorists. There is nothing in the product literature that I have found that indicates that there is any encryption of the communications from the guard transceiver to the server or from the server to manager. Hacking into either communications channel would provide a serious tactical advantage to an adversary. Knowing where the guards were and where they were going makes it much easier to avoid them. Being able to provide bogus security status information to the manager will allow the penetration team to delay detection and misdirect any response forces. It sounds to me like a potentially good product that needs some additional work before it is ready for real world security.