‘Security by Obscurity’ Can Do the Job

Sometimes less can be if not more, certainly adequate, in terms of security. It’s all in how you approach a situation.

For example, the American Numismatic Society practiced “security by obscurity” recently in moving hundreds of millions of dollars worth of rare coins and currency – “one of the great hords on the planet” – safely through the streets of New York.

In a New York Times story that Bruce Schneier highlights in his Cryptogram newsletter, Ute Wartenberg Kagan, executive director of the numismatic society, explains that the move “had to resemble a totally ordinary office move.” So five ordinary moving vans were used to haul the collection without advance notice to anyone except the New York Police Department, which provided an escort. As The Times notes, “There were no armored-car convoys. No helicopter gunships. No National Guard outriders flourishing automatic wseapons. Just sweaty movers, in blue shirts with their names stitched on the front, schlepping 425 plastic packing crates that were filled with treasures trussed in humble bubble wrap and garden-variety vinyl packing tape.”

The lesson of this shipment seems to be: Use security appropriate to the need, with caution and prudence, without making a big deal over, in this case, a truly big deal in commodity value. Good security requires steely-eyed planning, not necessarily all the trimmings that might be available in terms of added firepower.

In a sense, PRO Barrier Engineering also practices “security by obscurity.” Our Arrestor and LightFoot barriers, with their trim design and beautiful paint jobs, don’t look particularly substantial. Yet behind those unobtrusive designs are anti-terrorism barriers with formidable stopping power. The barriers become even more “obscure” if you elect to lower them and deploy them only during periods of heightened security. Down, they are essentially invisible.

Our customers typically are not protecting high-value coin collections. But, in fact, many of the assets behind our barriers are worth much more. Which is exactly why those customers – civilian or military – selected PRO Barrier.