Catch this comment from the CEO of an smartphone access control vendor:
"Any access control reader mounted on the unsecure side of a door is easy to “skim” by attaching a simple, cheap skimming device to the reader’s output. To help avoid these hacks, you should always use the following guidelines to prevent your system from being compromised: NEVER mount a reader on the unsecured side of the door. A reader on the outside of a door can be easily skimmed. Always mount the reader on the secure side and when possible, out-of-site."
First, this 'guideline' is self serving, because the vast majority of readers (99%+?) are mounted on the unsecured side of a door in plain view. The CEO's product happens to be an exception to this vast majority.
I also think 'the skimming risk' is plain unfounded, because I've not heard it be even a minor concern voiced from access users. Further, he's pitching his wireless product as being more secure than a 'skim-prone' conventional reader.
What do you think?