Največja varnostna napaka v antičnem svetu: varnostne lekcije iz Doline kraljev

Zahvaljujoč dolgim letnim dopustom Mastercarda (imamo 25 dni!) Prejšnji mesec sem šel na dvotedenski izlet v Egipt, da obiščem kraj, ki sem si ga vedno želel ogledati: pokopališča starodavnih faraonov v Dolini kraljev. Kot varnostni inženir, nisem mogel mimo, da ne bi pogledal teh grobnic kot starodavni varnostni program in kot študijo primera o tem, kako se obramba lahko sčasoma omaja.

Stari Egipt je za sabo pustil več artefaktov kot večina drugih starodavnih kultur. En razlog je bil, da so Egipčani, še posebej njihovi kralji, bili globoko osredotočeni na smrt in posmrtno življenje s svojimi telesi. Verjeli so, da je telo treba ohraniti (mumificirati) da bi kralj lahko nadaljeval svoje potovanje po smrti in postal bog! Because Egyptians invested so much in funerary goods and mummification, many objects survived at least until tomb raiders found some of them.

A brief look at the tomb of Tutankhamun (KV62) which was discovered in the early 20th century, shows what might have been placed in other royal tombs. It was one of the few royal tombs not fully looted in ancient times. It contained hundreds of kilograms of gold and many other treasures from over 3,300 years ago.

Golden Throne of Tutankhamun was found in his burial chamber by archaeologist Howard Carter in 1922

From obvious pyramids to hidden tombs

In the Old and Middle Kingdoms, kings built pyramids as burial placements. These monuments were easy to see, which also made them easy to target. Even though they used blocking stones and other tricks, many were robbed. Later, in the New Kingdom (about 3,500 years ago) pharaohs moved to a new model: security by obscurity. They saw what happened to the pyramids of their predecessors, so they chose a remote valley on the west bank of the Nile, near today’s Luxor, and dug hidden tombs into the rock. They built and isolated a workmen’s village, Deir el‑Medina, to keep the location and details secret. For about 500 years, this village produced the tombs of new pharaohs.

The Pyramid of Djoser is considered the first pyramid ever built approximately 4,700 years ago.

These tombs were essential. The dead needed their mummified body, objects, offerings, and guides like the Book of the Dead to reach Osiris and live in the afterlife. If a tomb was robbed, it was not only a material loss but it was a spiritual failure.

What I saw on my visit

I visited almost all tombs open to the public in the vally of the kings, valley of the queen, and deir-el Madinah. One of the interesting observation is that you can see different risk choices by different kings. Some placed their tombs in more accessible locations, betting on internal complexity and decoration. Others, like Thutmose III, chose harder, more hidden positions. But in the end, almost all of these tombs were found and robbed during later periods of instability by motivated attackers. This means that even the smarter and more risk averse kings also failed in their security designs. Here is my take on why the defenses failed and how it could have been better.

Burial chamber of Ramses the third in my background.

Why the defenses failed

• Varnost s prikrivanjem je bila glavni nadzor. Skriti vhodi, zapečatena vrata, in odmaknjena dolina so pomagala, vendar niso bila dovolj za obrambo, ki bi morala trajati tisoče let.
• Čas je bil v prid napadalcem (To vedno povem svojim strankam!). Skozi stoletja, skrivnosti se razkrivajo. Kamni se premikajo. Politične krize pridejo in gredo. Motivacija ostane visoka, kadar je vpleten zaklad.
• Omejena obramba v globino. Blokirni kamni in lažni hodniki so upočasnili napadalce, vendar niso ustavili tunnelinga ali obvoza, ki ga omogočajo notranji ljudje. Glavna obramba je bila varnost s prikrivanjem in ni bilo dodatnih nadzorov.
• Notranja grožnja, nestabilnost pozne Novega kraljestva, inflacija, in zamujene prehrane (udar na Deir el-Medina) povečano krajo in podkupovanje. Sodni zapisi omenjajo kamnoseke, kovarje, nekropol policijo, in duhovnike nižjega ranga, ki so bili vpleteni v ropanje.
• Enojne točke odpovedi s zaupanja vredno skupnostjo. Preveč znanja in dostopa je bilo pri eni majhni, zaupanja vredni skupnosti. Ko je skrivnost odpovedala tam, je celoten sistem odpovedal.
• Ni bilo stalnega nadzora ali odziva na incidente na voljo (zelo težko je vzpostaviti za tisoče let in več!). Poslikane kače in božanski varuhi so bili simbolični, ne pravi nadzor. (Ih je bilo veliko na stenah in okoli krst!) Bilo je pečatov, a ni bilo trajnega nadzora, patrolov, ali učinkovitega odziva na dolgi rok.

Pogoste napake faraonov pri varnosti

• Nadzor ni ustrezal vrednosti sredstev. Če s kraljem pokopaš stotine kilogramov zlata, vabiš ekstremne, vztrajne napade. Obramba ni ustrezala tej visoki vrednosti.
• Preveliko zanašanje na skrivnost. Na začetku je skrivnost pomagala, a po izgubi skrivnosti je bilo malo večplastnih kontrol.
• No least privilege! Many workers in Deir el‑Medina had broad knowledge of plans, maps, and layouts. This enabled later robberies.
  Weak access governance. Privileged access management did not exist in a modern sense. The same teams that built the tombs knew how to breach them.

How they could have improved

• Reduce attacker motivation (MOM framework: Success = motive + method + opportunity): They should not bury large amounts of gold with the body. Keep the body for the afterlife, but remove the main motive.
• If treasure must be buried, separate it from the mummy in independent, randomized chambers, far from the main burial, with anti‑tunneling features (rubble trenches, hard bedrock layers, decoy shafts).
• Add defense in depth: Multiple sealed compartments with different sealing methods and independent stone barriers.
• Physical anti‑tamper layers ki povzročajo hrup pri kopanju, tvegano, in počasno.
• Uveljavljajte najmanjše pooblastilo za znanje: Razdelite oblikovalske podrobnosti, da nobena ekipa ne pozna celotne postavitve. Menjajte ekipe, Razdelite naloge na oddelke, in uporabljajte pravilo nujnosti za lokacije končnih grobnic.
• Delo v končnih grobnicah zaupajte zelo majhni, zelo zaupanja vredni ekipi, nato jih odstranite ali premaknite.
• Zavajanje: Več vpadljivih golobnjih grobnic z verodostojnimi predmeti, postavljenimi zgodaj v gradnji, da delavci mislijo, da je golob prava. Lažni pogrebni dogodki za ustvarjanje zavajajoče ustne zgodovine.