History Main / SwissCheeseSecurity

** [[Recap/StarTrekS1E22SpaceSeed even the best episodes]] had this problem. Just how much info on the Enterprise did they give ''Khan Freakin' Noonien Singh'' as bedside reading to allow him to run complex ships' systems and get into highly secure areas like Engineering, and to override the one security system the ship apparently had, knockout gas flooding all decks?

*** In Season 2, Cisco claims to have upgraded the security system to keep anyone from coming in. Two seconds later, Jay Garrick walks in with no explanation (and he no longer has SuperSpeed to justify it). Cisco's supposed "security system" constantly fails throughout the season, frequently not even warning anyone that someone is coming. During a cross-over episode, Team Arrow asks Cisco if he's finally gotten rid of that "revolving door" at STAR Labs. Cisco counters by pointing out that ''both'' Team Arrow headquarters have been broken into. The point is proven when Merlyn keeps randomly appearing there with a StealthHiBye (not just by himself, but with over a dozen League assassins), surprising even Barry.

** Actually, [[spoiler:you want people to fall into the trap, just to make sure no one outside finds out what happened. And any cell phone calls are intercepted]].

* The same thing happened to the Enterprise on ''[[Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration TNG]]'' a LOT. One episode of ''[[Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine DS9]]'' even had Odo tease Worf about it. Seriously, in ''TNG'' only the bad guys ever enacted IT security pertaining to anything except the self-destruct. Forget circuit breakers, surge suppressors, seat belts, where were the PASSWORDS?

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]

* Versailles in ''Manga/RoseOfVersailles'' has this kind of security due to [[TheGuardsMustBeCrazy the incompetence of the guards]], to the point [[LampshadeHanging Jeanne Valois said you only need a sword and a hat to walk up to the king]] (and she and her husband failed in their attempt to meet UsefulNotes/MarieAntoinette to scam her only because they stumbled into Oscar, who, being the husband's superior officer, would have exposed them in a heartbeat had they gone through with it). It's so bad that Fersen and Oscar are surprised when the latter's soldiers in the French Guards unit she recently transferred to were not only doing their job before she could catch them lazying off and discipline them but ''had actually caught Fersen when he was sneaking around'' (as Oscar knew why he was there and was sneaking around, she had them let him go... And directed Fersen to a gate where the security was as bad as expected, and the guards weren't from her unit so it wasn't her problem).

[[folder:Fanfiction]]

[[folder:Film — Animated]]

[[folder:Film — Live-Action]]

[[folder:Professional Wrestling]]

* ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 2}}'' has the Navarro Enclave Base, whose beyond laughable security measures consist of a guy who merely checks you for a password, and, with some modest BS skills, you can get almost total access to the entire facility (which barely has any locks, ID Scanners, or any other security measure you'd expect from a high tech base), whereupon you can loot pretty much everything and walk out with no one blinking an eye, even if you're walking out in one of their PoweredArmor suits and toting over half their now depleted armory on your person.

[[folder:Webcomics]]

* Versailles before UsefulNotes/TheFrenchRevolution. It was bad enough that Marie Antoinette had additional bodyguards, and dodged Jeanne Valois' attempt at scamming her because ''she herself knew Jeanne's fame and face'' and instructed her guards to keep her away the moment she spotted her.

** Jaune and Yang mock the security Ozpin put on the relics, wondering why he'd put each relic in a vault that can be opened by a single Maiden. Especially since said Maiden is determined by who the last woman under thirty the previous one was thinking of as they died. The Maiden doesn't even have to be willing to open the vault, merely present. They ponder why he didn't just use a combination lock or have the vaults require all four Maidens be present, noting that the only dumber idea would be [[WhoWouldBeStupidEnough attaching the security to a random piece of hardware and carrying it with you all the time]], causing Ozpin to hide his cane.

* The [[VideoGame/ResidentEvil2 second]] and [[VideoGame/ResidentEvil3Nemesis third]] ''Franchise/ResidentEvil'' games take place in a zombie-filled city that's been barricaded by the US government. Despite this, people, vehicles, and attack helicopters regularly pass in and out without even seeing said blockade.

* From 1968-1985, US Navy Warrant Officer John Anthony Walker acted as a spy for the Soviet Union, handing over thousands of pages of classified documents in exchange for millions of dollars in cash payments. Despite two decades of espionage, Walker was never even suspected of criminal activity by authorities. He received an honorable retirement from the navy in 1976 and continued his spying even after leaving service, getting his son (who was also in the navy) involved in his activities as well. Walker's downfall and arrest only happened as a result of his estranged ex-wife turning him in. When asked how he was able to get away with espionage for so long without being detected, he said "K-Mart has better security than the Navy".

* In the ''{{WesternAnimation/Rugrats}}'' episode where Tommy and Chuckie are left behind in a toy store, Stu and Chaz go to the security guard for help looking for them. The guard doubts the babies could be in the store because the security system is top of the range and would have picked them up. He is right about the security system being top of the range and it actually does spot them several times. The problem was the guard wasn't paying attention to the monitors.

* {{Defied|Trope}} by Wrestling/RingOfHonor match maker Wrestling/NigelMcGuinness when Wrestling/BulletClub, which had pretty much been on its best behavior when working for the promotion, started their trademark attacks at the 2016 ''Global Wars''. He found ROH security needed ''quadrupling'' but he paid for it by ''fining Bullet Club''. [[/folder]]

** Jaune and Yang mock the security Ozpin put on the relics, wondering why he'd put each relic in a vault that can be opened by a single Maiden/ Especially since said Maiden is determined by who the last woman under thirty the previous one was thinking of as they died. The Maiden doesn't even have to be willing to open the vault, merely present. They ponder why he didn't just use a combination lock or have the vaults require all four Maidens be present, noting that the only dumber idea would be [[WhoWouldBeStupidEnough attaching the security to a random piece of hardware and carrying it with you all the time]], causing Ozpin to hide his cane.

* ''Franchise/StarWars'': In ''Film/ReturnOfTheJedi'', the heroes manage to get past the Empire's security using one of their ships and outdated clearance codes. While Vader gives the ultimate go ahead because he can sense Luke onboard, the commanding officer, Admiral Piett, was about to do so anyway despite the codes being out of date.

* ''Fanfic/WhiteSheep'':

* Jaune and Yang mock the security Ozpin put on the relics in ''Fanfic/WhiteSheep'', wondering why he'd put each relic in a vault that can be opened by a single Maiden, especially since said Maiden is determined by who the last woman under thirty the previous one was thinking of as they died. The Maiden doesn't even have to be willing to open the vault, merely present. They ponder why he didn't just use a combination lock or have the vaults require all four Maidens be present, noting that the only dumber idea would be [[WhoWouldBeStupidEnough attaching the security to a random piece of hardware and carrying it with you all the time]], causing Ozpin to hide his cane.

* ComicBook/UltimateMarvel

* Averted when ComicBook/IronMan tried infiltrating ComicBook/DoctorDoom's castle with an armor that can become invisible. When he tried, Stark forgot the little fact that Doom's had enough run ins with the ComicBook/FantasticFour's Invisible Woman sneaking around to have numerous sensors everywhere specifically designed to detect invisible intruders.

* Marvel has a lot of abandoned assets with all their high-tech equipment inside ready for someone to take over. When the Cyclops and Emma Frost had their renegade X-Men, they took over the old Weapon X facility which had everything in order. Cable and other heroes had occupied crashed Helicarriers before and one incarnation of the Thunderbolts even take over a secret U.S military base. Despite being government property, nobody ever reclaims them and occupants have a field day squatting on these bases.

* The four unhappily run into this twice in ''Fanfic/TheKeysStandAlone: The Soft World''. They take a penthouse suite at one of the most expensive inns in Tevri'ed, and the management promises them complete security. Of course they're attacked by [[EverythingsBetterWithNinjas ninjas who come ghosting through the walls]]. The next night they stay in the same room at half price, with the management swearing it won't happen again... and they're attacked ''twice'' (though not by ninjas, so technically management was correct). After that they give up on inns entirely.

* ''FanFic/RosarioVampireBrightestDarkness Act VI'': [[KnightTemplar Talon Ryashen]] is able to effortlessly break into the home of Issa Shuzen, one of the Dark Lords of the monster world, not once, but ''twice'', the second time with ''three other people'' helping him. After the second time, Akua and Kahlua outright [[LampshadeHanging lampshade]] how poor their security is since Talon was able to break in and try to kill them so easily.

* ''WesternAnimation/SupermanDoomsday'' had Lois Lane easily sneak into the most secure areas of Luthor's building and into his office, tranquilize him into unconsciousness, call up Jimmy Olsen to help her, both of them spend a ''few hours'' going through all his files, before finally dragging the unconscious (paranoid, ridiculously-intelligent, could lose everything if this got out) Luthor over to a retinal scanner and requiring nothing more than sticking his eye against the screen to get directly into a lab where Luthor's most dangerous, most secret project was going on.

** In the Season 1 flashbacks, Rumpelstiltskin's cell is guarded by a grand total of one palace guard, allowing easy entrance and exit by Regina (who simply transformed herself into a rat). However, this is [[JustifiedTrope justified]] because, as far as Snow White and Prince Charming know, Rumpelstiltskin's powers are sealed and he can't escape. [[spoiler: He actually ''does'' have a means of escape, but he doesn't use it because his plan is working perfectly without him being free (and he needs his escape plan to be there so the heroes can use it later).]]

* There are no examples of Batman's many hideout break-ins in the Franchise/{{DCAU}} because he's ''Batman'', so flimsy or top-notch security is all the same.

* An event in which a couple crashed a White House party pointed out this. The White House actually used to be like this ''regularly'', up until after the presidency of UsefulNotes/AbrahamLincoln. [[WhatsUpKingDude It was how the Prez kept in touch with the people.]] It was still pretty easy to get into the White House ''after'' the Lincoln assassination, too. Charles Guiteau, the future assassin of President UsefulNotes/JamesGarfield, was able to get several ''meetings'' with the President to discuss his supposed pending appointing as Ambassador to France, even though Garfield didn't know him from Adam. Garfield's shooting was itself an example, as it happened in public when he'd entered a train station (without guards, to boot). Guiteau (along with everyone else) was able to simply walk right up. This applies to Lincoln (his bodyguard, a chronic alcoholic, left for a nearby bar, with no one stopping Booth from entering his box at the theater, albeit he was an actor who'd performed at it, thus his presence didn't arouse suspicion) and [=McKinley=] (shot while greeting people at the Pan-American Expedition in Buffalo, NY (Leon Czolgosz simply wrapping his hand and pistol in bandages, faking an injury to cover it). Security still wasn't really amplified before JFK was shot in an open-top automobile. In the wake of that, Presidential security is ''very'' tight, and none has been assassinated since.

-->'''Liara:''' "''That'' security upgrade made a lot of people unhappy. "

* An event in which a couple crashed a White House party pointed out this. The White House actually used to be like this ''regularly'', up until after the presidency of UsefulNotes/AbrahamLincoln. [[WhatsUpKingDude It was how the Prez kept in touch with the people.]] It was pretty easy to get into the White House ''after'' the Lincoln assassination, too. Charles Guiteau, the future assassin of President UsefulNotes/JamesGarfield, was able to get several ''meetings'' with the President to discuss his supposed pending appointing as Ambassador to France, even though Garfield didn't know him from Adam.

* A white hard hat and a clipboard will get you in ''anywhere.''

** ''Series/{{Supergirl|2015}}'': Quietly subverted. It seems like practically anyone can walk into the DEO's top-secret base whenever they want, but they are always accompanied by armed guards, even though no one ever draws attention to them. The one time someone got in without permission was when Supergirl let in [[Series/TheFlash2014 the Flash]], which is justified because they both have superspeed (and she'd have any necessary codes). Even then, the guards showed up within a minute.

* Subverted in ''ComicBook/UltimateSpiderMan'', when Spidey tries to intimidate the Kingpin by dropping in on him unexpectedly, only to realize that the Kingpin put in shatter-proof windows to get rid of such problems. Makes the web head lose his cool. Kingpin doesn't even blink at the sound of Spidey hitting his window.

[[folder:Films -- Animated]]

[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]

* In ''Film/ReturnOfTheJedi'', the heroes manage to get past the Empire's security using one of their ships and outdated clearance codes. While Vader gives the ultimate go ahead because he can sense Luke onboard, the commanding officer, Admiral Piett, was about to do so anyway despite the codes being out of date.

[[folder:Web Comics]]

* [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_engineering_(security) Social Engineering]]. Just ask [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevin_Mitnick Kevin Mitnick]], a famous hacker. For example, need to get inside a door that can only be opened with a card key? Just stand outside, wait for someone to come by, say something along the lines of "I'm new here" or "I'm having a bad day, my card was destroyed..." People are nice enough to open doors with no questions asked. [[ParanoiaFuel That is just one example.]]
** A particularly devious method is standing next to the door while holding a bunch of (seemingly) heavy boxes, or folders, etc. Not only will people be willing to help you, but will most likely assume you have the card and just can't reach it.
** Many places where card access is given to people who haven't had any kind of security instruction have large signs actually instructing you to close the door in front of the next person. They don't work, of course (the real solution would be to actually train people).
*** Most companies very specifically warn their employees against this, but people rarely cooperate. No one wants to be the JerkAss who wouldn't let the poor new guy in.
* Similar to the above examples, the easiest way to get a password is to ring the building and say "This is Tech Support - can I have your Username and Password?" Despite the fact that Tech Support will ''never'' say this (they'll usually have an Admin Password that allows them into all accounts) and that people are warned never to give this info out, it still works a lot of the time.

* Speaking of passwords, the practice of masking password input fields continues despite contributing greatly to password weaknesses. Masking was developed when the only possible access was from public terminals to prevent the password from being seen over the shoulder of the typist. Now this is rarely possible since computers are usually used in where someone reading over your shoulder is unlikely. Masked passwords must be short and hence easy to crack since any typo won't be spotted until the password is entered. Where this practiced ended considerably longer and more secure passwords could be used since the user could spot any typos while entering it.
* Password security questions. Some services (usually email) will require you to pick from a set of pre-written questions and write answers to them, and if you forget your password, you're to answer this question in order to reset your password. Most of these pre-written questions will ask for answers that can easily be obtained through SocialEngineering such as "What city did you grow up in?" or "What's your mother's maiden name?" (which for many is ''their own middle name''); worse, most of the time you can't just make up your own questions. Granted, the next step after answering one of these questions is usually to then have a password reset link emailed to you and you'll need to be able to access your email account to use the link, but if the question is the ''only'' thing guarding your account from a password change, the answer is effectively [[ThePasswordIsAlwaysSwordfish an extremely weak alternative password]] in practice, unless you get crafty and make a password-grade answer that doesn't actually answer the question.

* {{Defied|Trope}} by Wrestling/{{ROH}} match maker Wrestling/NigelMcGuinness when Wrestling/BulletClub, which had pretty much been on its best behavior when working for the promotion, started their trademark attacks at the 2016 ''Global Wars''. He found ROH security needed ''quadrupling'' but he paid for it by ''fining Bullet Club''. [[/folder]]

* ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'': {{Lampshade|Hanging}}d in [[Recap/StevenUniverseS5E2TheTrial "The Trial"]]; Steven's lawyer Zircon points out that it should have been essentially impossible for Rose Quartz to have gotten close enough to Pink Diamond [[spoiler:to shatter her]]. Pink Diamond was surrounded by attendants, including precognitive Sapphires, Agate bodyguards, and her personal Pearl. Moreover, Rose Quartz had been a known public enemy for centuries and all other Rose Quartz gems had been bubbled, so she would have been instantly recognizable. So how could Rose Quartz have possibly gotten close enough to shatter Pink Diamond without ''anygem'' trying to fight her off, or at least sound the alarm? We're given the answer [[Recap/StevenUniverseS5E18ASinglePaleRose later that season]]: [[spoiler:Pink herself sent all of them but her Pearl away [[FakingTheDead to fake her own death]].]]