Tips For Ensuring The Integrity Of Your Sensitive Conferences
O'Hana Security Consultants, LLC (OSC) has always believed that the most valuable resource of any company or corporation is their "information". Once this valuable asset is lost, it cannot be replaced and the financial impact can be staggering.
Most companies and corporations dedicate significant resources to protecting their written communications and data. However, during the course of business, it is frequently necessary to discuss sensitive business issues in more open forums like conferences and meetings. During these meetings the same sensitive information that is protected with cutting edge technology is presented with little, if any consideration for possible compromise.
The advancements in commercial and government technology have made electronic surveillance operations by your competitors a very lucrative alternative to costly research and development efforts. The cost of commercial electronic surveillance devices is very reasonable and their ease of operation and installation increases their appeal to your business competitors.
In view of these compelling factors, OSC is offering the following tips to enhance and improve the integrity of the security you may currently be implementing during your sensitive business conferences. (Note: The tips are presented in a progressive format. They start with basic concepts and each subsequent tip is designed to improve on the overall security and result in the optimum protection).
The most secure environment for a sensitive conference is a "shielded" enclosure where all contiguous walls, ceilings and floors are within the control of your company. However, in the "real" world, this is not always possible. Therefore, a conference room should be located in an interior area of your building. Windows present a vulnerability to acoustic leakage, radio frequency (RF) and optical attacks. If windows are located in your current conference room they should be double-glazed and covered with wood blinds, cloth curtains or shutters. The windows should be closed during all sensitive conferences. Ceilings and floors also present a vulnerability to acoustic leakage and unauthorized access. Needless to say, a ground floor conference room is generally more vulnerable to electronic surveillance measures than a room on a higher floor due to outside access.
Regular utilization of TSCM surveys is always a good preventive measure. We highly recommend the policy utilized by most critical government agencies to conduct a TSCM inspection of sensitive areas on an annual basis or after any construction projects that may affect the sensitive areas. It is also recommended in the commercial world to conduct a TSCM inspection after any significant personnel changes.
The extent of a TSCM inspection varies, depending on the individuals conducting the inspection. A standard TSCM should consist of a multilevel inspection. Some companies and corporations feel the use of an RF field strength indicator or RF scanner alone is sufficient for verification that a sensitive area is secure. This is a very inaccurate and dangerous assumption. A standard scanner cannot pick up and demodulate audio from a digital surveillance device. It also fails to identify sophisticated electronic surveillance devices like "burst" transmitters and spread spectrum transmitters or "hard wired" devices. Most common electronic surveillance devices now utilize digital technology.
Thus, a proper TSCM inspection should utilize multiple devices. The most common approved systems are; fast scanning oscilloscope spectrum analyzers with correlation capabilities, nonlinear junction detectors, thermal imagers, RF field strength meters, carrier current analyzers, telephone/data line tracers, and acoustic and optical leakage detectors. (Make sure the TSCM company you utilize explains the systems they use and how they work).
As a minimum effort, your sensitive conference room should be subjected to a TSCM inspection immediately before your conference. After successfully passing a TSCM inspection, the conference room should be secured and, if possible, monitored by security personnel until the start of the conference.
Sufficiently sterilizing (electronically) a sensitive conference room prior to a conference is very effective and highly recommended. However, this procedure does not address the potential introduction of an electronic surveillance device by a conference participate (intentionally or inadvertently), or by an outside domestic support person, or a deeply implanted audio device that was not detected during the TSCM inspection.
A "real time" monitoring service consists of operating a fast scanning RF oscilloscope analyzer from an area outside the conference room. The operators can monitor the analyzer to detect the presence of an active RF transmitter from within the conference room that should not be operating under the current conditions.
Many cellular telephones may be compromised to enable an unauthorized person to use another person's phone as a microphone with or without the knowledge of the host cell phone owner. This modification can be accomplished in less than 10 minutes and it is virtually transparent to the cell phone host operator/owner. Another common threat to the integrity of a sensitive conference room is acoustic leakage. This concept is simply the ability of audio from within the conference room to "leak" out of the room via windows and/or contiguous walls, ceilings or floors. This method of audio surveillance can be accomplished with little, if any, technology. Acoustical leakage can be defeated with the installation or utilization of an acoustical "white" noise generator. This technology consists of a noise generator (not audible to the conference participants) and several remote components that are placed on the walls and windows of the conference room. This relatively "low" technology approach is very effective in neutralizing or diminishing acoustical leakage vulnerabilities.
O'Hana Security Consultants, LLC, is a licensed and highly experienced security solutions company. We consist exclusively of retired Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) technically trained Special Agents with over 80 years of practical experience. We provide only the highest quality TSCM services to ensure your company's security and sensitive conferences are provided with the best available protection from unauthorized electronic surveillance.