Tamper control is a security feature that detects or responds when a device is opened, moved, or handled without authorization. It may use switches, seals, sensors, logs, or shutdown routines to make physical interference visible and harder to hide.
In cyber security, tamper control matters because many attacks are physical as well as digital. An attacker who reaches the cabinet of an ATM, router, or point-of-sale terminal may try to plug into service ports, replace hardware, or install malicious software. Tamper controls can alert defenders, lock down the device, erase sensitive keys, or disable trusted paths so rogue commands do not look legitimate. They are often combined with locks, signed updates, authenticated maintenance access, and monitoring so that opening a device becomes a recorded event, not a silent one.