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The term ‘outsider’ is used to describe an adversary other than an insider and refers to threats to an organisation that have generally been addressed through more traditional measures. Potential outsiders include corporate spies (e.g. someone posing as a legitimate employee or private contractor to extract information) and opportunistic thieves (e.g. a contractor hired to work on a server or in sensitive areas who takes advantage of a loophole or opening in the security measures).
There exist numerous examples where individuals and groups external to an organisation have attempted to gain unauthorised access to a facility and/or its systems. One of the most well-known is the incident that took place in the US at the Y-12 nuclear complex in 2012. Three activists – amongst them an elderly nun – were able to overcome several physical protection measures despite the facility being heavily fortified. They entered the secure area of the site and caused considerable damage to protest nuclear weapons. This incident occurred largely due to poor communication between staff and security protocol misunderstandings.
Other examples of external adversaries include two incidents in South Africa: one where energy activists climbed onto the roof of the country’s nuclear power plant (2002, Koeberg); and another where an armed incursion was aimed at stealing materials (2007, Pelindaba).
Generally, various extremist groups, terrorists and anti-nuclear activists have been flagged as serious outside threats to nuclear sites. For example, the 9/11 Commission has said that nuclear power plants were potential targets originally considered for the 11 September 2001, attacks in the US. In addition, it has been speculated that terrorist organisations are seeking the materials and knowledge needed for so-called ‘dirty bombs’.
However, while there is an external threat, arguably the most serious incidents have been caused by insiders. Examples of this include Leonid Smirnov, who smuggled weapons-grade uranium from a Russian state research institute, and Rodney Wilkinson, who placed several explosives at a power plant in South Africa. Insiders pose a particularly difficult threat to counter as they can legitimately bypass many physical protection measures.
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