Magnets are materials or components that generate a magnetic field. In engineering, they are used for fastening, alignment, latching, and closure. In cyber security, magnets matter because many physical security controls rely on magnetic sensing or magnetic attachments. A strong external magnet can influence a sensor, shift a connector, or hold an access point in an unexpected state.
Attackers may use magnets to try to bypass enclosure tamper switches, spoof a closed-door condition, or manipulate simple reed-based sensors. Defenders reduce that risk with Hall-effect sensors, redundant tamper detection, protected sensor placement, and enclosures designed to resist external magnetic interference. Magnets are also relevant in hardware security reviews because they can affect small devices, removable media, and embedded components that depend on precise physical alignment.