What is TSCM,
Debugging, and Bug Sweeps All About?
The manufacture, sale, installation, and monitoring of illegal surveillance devices is a multi billion underground industry within the United States.
The U.S. State Department estimates that at least 800 million dollars of illegal bugging and eavesdropping equipment is imported and installed into corporations in the United States each year.
The majority of this equipment is illegally imported into the United States from France, Germany, Lebanon, Italy, Canada, Israeli, England, Japan, Taiwan, South Africa, and a host of other countries.
Additionally, anyone with a soldering iron and a basic understanding of electronics can build and install an eavesdropping device. The raw materials to build such a device may be easily obtained at Radio Shack, or salvaged from consumer electronic devices such as cordless telephones, intercom systems, and televisions.
In the United States over six millions dollars worth of surveillance devices are sold to the public each day. Most of these products are sold from storefront operations, spy shops, attorneys, and via private investigators located in major metro areas such as New York, Miami, Los Angles, San Francisco, Dallas, Chicago, and Mineapolis. This does not include the tens of billions spent each year for legitimate eavesdropping products purchased by law enforcement, military, and intelligence agencies.
This equipment is commonly sold over the counter, via mail order, and through the Internet. Most of these bugging devices cost only a few dollars, but highly sophisticated, quality products may be purchased for less than one thousand dollars.
In New York City alone there are over 85 companies which will not only sell you the eavesdropping device, but will break into the targets office to install the device, and for an additional fee will provide a monitoring and transcription service.
The FBI and other federal law enforcement agencies have repeatedly indicated that they lack the resources and training to enforce or properly investigate the technical security threat within the United States.
Technical surveillance and industrial espionage is a serious problem which can have a VERY GRAVE IMPACT on your company and your own personal freedoms.
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If you are concerned about covert eavesdropping or wiretapping then it would be wise to contact Granite Island Group, or another TSCM firm and schedule a "Bug Sweep" or TSCM Inspection. However, do not call from a suspect telephone, cellular telephone, or cordless phone and understand that it is critical that you should get someone out to your location as quietly, and as quickly as possible.
Granite Island Group offers technical counterintelligence and engineering service including the following:
Various Types of TSCM Services
TSCM - Technical Surveillance
Counter Measures
TSCM includes all countermeasures
employed to prevent or detect the interception of sensitive,
classified, or private information. TSCM is typically an
inspection by a technician or engineer of a physical item or
place (briefcase, automobile, office, home, boat, etc...). The
purpose is to locate possible covert surveillance devices
(bugs), technical security weakness, and technical security
hazards. A TSCM specialist will also evaluate for weaknesses all
locks, alarms, and other systems of physical and electronic
security or controls.
The primary purpose of a
vulnerability analysis is to answer the following
questions:
It's a waste of money to have any TSCM services performed without first having a careful vulnerability analysis or threat assessment completed.
The amount of formal training needed to do this type of a sweep is minimal (5-10 days) and the equipment required will fit into two or three briefcases.
This type of inspection is commonly done for attorneys, executives, and corporate board rooms. For this inspection every wire in a given area is checked in for any type of covert listening or video devices. Special equipment is used to search for covert devices transmitting on the airwaves. Normally the RF search is done first, followed by the wire and conductor check, followed by a detailed physical search.
The amount of formal TSCM training needed to do this type of a sweep is extensive (500 hours minimum), plus an expert level of knowledge in security, electronics, communications, and computer science is also required (involving thousands of hours of additional baseline formal training).
This type of inspection is commonly performed at military facilities, embassies, defense contractors, DOE facilities, government agencies, police departments, etc...
Additionally, this type of inspection also looks for explosives, bombs, poisons, chemical weapons, contraband, and other safety and security hazards. The goal is to locate not only bugging devices, but anything that could cause the protectee any harm or embarrassment.
The amount of formal training needed to do this type of a sweep is very high, often involving years of training, an extremely high level of expertise is required. Personnel providing this type of service will also be trained in some kind of executive and dignitary protection.
A Protective Detail TSCM Inspection requires specific equipment.
Detection, Measures taken to detect technical surveillance devices, technical security hazards, and physical security weaknesses that would permit the technical or physical penetration of a facility.
A technical surveillance device is a item designed to intercept conversations or electronic transmissions and are commonly known as "bugs."
A technical security hazard may allow the unintentional transmission of information, and is any condition which could permit the technical surveillance of an area. This condition may occur with equipment due to its normal design, installation, operation, maintenance, component deterioration, or damaged condition.
For example, some telephones have the ability to pass audio even when hung up.
$ 496 million - Sale of Equipment - Imported
$ 392 million - Sale of Equipment - Built within the U.S.
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$ 888 million - Estimated Value of Eavesdropping Devices Sold in the U.S.
$ 434 million - Services - Entry and Initial Installation
$ 891 million - Services - Ongoing Maintenance and Listening Post Operations
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$ 1,325 million - Estimated Value of Services within the United States
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$ 2,213 million - Estimated Total of U.S. Revenues (Goods and Services)
$ 512 million - Value of Eavesdropping Equipment Used Against Private Individuals
$ 734 - Median Cost of Typical Non-Corporate Eavesdropping Device (Installed)
$ 376 million - Value of Eavesdropping Equipment Used Against U.S. Corporate Targets
$ 57,500 - Median Cost of Typical Corporate Eavesdropping Activity
$ 8,160 million - Impact (Loss) to U.S. Corporate Targets
6,550 - Number of [reported] Corporate "Eavesdropping Incidents" each Year [92-96]
$ 1.25 million - Average Impact (Loss) to Each U.S. Corporate Target
17% - Computer Usage Monitoring
83% - Closed Circuit Television/Covert Video
71% - Audio Interception and Wired Microphones
60% - Miniature Audio Transmitters
43% - Electronic Beepers, Tracking Devices, and Sensors
40% - Telephone Wire Taps, Recorders, and Pen Registers
17% - Electronic Mail Monitoring
14% - Cellular Radio Interception
11% - Satellite Interception
68% - Still Photography
63% - Night Vision Systems
The illegal equipment confiscated during the raids included bugging devices that were miniature transmitters hidden in everyday household and office items like pens, calculators, credit cards, and three-plug electric outlet adapters.
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