Too often, corporations or individuals hire a professional technical surveillance countermeasure (TSCM) or “bug sweep” provider only after they have a strong suspicion that they are the victim of eavesdropping. While it may seem like a logical approach to first verify your suspicions, the decision to delay can be an irresponsible and costly choice. Every minute an illegal attacker maintains access to your information is valuable to the attacker and costly to you. The longer you wait, the more opportunity an attacker has to collect enough sensitive competitive, company proprietary, or harmful personal information to cause your company, or you, irreparable harm.
Why are corporations and/or executives hesitant to quickly hire a TSCM/Bug Sweep provider?? Fear is a key reason executives delay hiring a professional TSCM service provider. It could be the fear that competitors or employees will recognize the company, or its executives, suspect they are vulnerable to illegal espionage. The simple fact of recognizing that the company or its executives are exposed and/or having to obtain the authorization of the owner(s), Directors, etc. it can be difficult. The need to obtain clearance from corporate advisors and/or financial decision makers is another key reason for the delay. And, executives who make the decision to proceed with a Bug Sweep may also be dismissed as paranoid by their co-workers. Who wants their coworkers to think they’re paranoid? But no matter what the motivation for making the decision to delay, the perceived vulnerability is not going to “just go away.” And, failure to act quickly and decisively can be the beginning of the end for the corporation and/or executives. Is it responsible to give up taking action because you are afraid of the ramifications? If in fact your company or its executive(s) are victims of illegal espionage, it is negligent to allow the exposure to continue.
Is this a dramatic statement? What if the illegal spy planted an audio listening device in the offices of the Director of Sales and Director of Accounting? Every word spoken in these two offices, whether by two or more people or while these executives are engaged in corporate or personal phone calls, can be heard and/or recorded by the intruder. If the batteries in a small voice-activated listening device work for two weeks or more, how much valuable information could an intruder steal? The intruder could learn the names of existing customers, potential customers, suppliers, financial information, pricing strategies, billing information, sensitive product order specifications, marketing plans, and so on. How much valuable information is shared in the offices of these two directors alone in a span of two weeks? For an illegal spy, it’s a gold mine! And, if you work in a highly competitive industry or manage valuable or highly regulated technology, the ramifications can escalate dramatically. Now consider that the illegal spy may have hacked into the executives’ email accounts and/or installed keyloggers on the executives’ computers. The potential exists for simply devastating results! And, if these executives handle confidential or proprietary customer information that they are required to keep confidential (i.e., through a Nondisclosure Agreement), or if they handle information that is subject to strict government control (i.e., ammunition list products , other highly regulated industries/products, patents). pending technology, etc.) has a duty and obligation to ensure that your corporate information is not shared with restricted companies, countries and/or individuals.
Isn’t wiretapping a federal crime? Yes! 18 USC Sec. 2512 states that the manufacture, distribution, possession, and advertising of wireline, oral, or electronic communications interception devices is prohibited. And, it doesn’t matter if the illegal espionage activity is perpetrated against a company, an executive, an inventor, or an individual. Everything is illegal. Unfortunately, the chance that an intruder can be effectively identified and prosecuted may be lower than you think.
What do I do if I discover illegal electronic devices? One of the most important things you can do once you suspect that you are being tapped is to act as “normal” as possible in the area of concern, so that the intruder is not “noticed”. Then contact a professional TSCM provider outside of your physical area of interest using a phone that you believe is not bugged. This means contacting the TSCM provider from an area outside of your office, car, or home. A professional spy will target locations/places where they hope you will feel comfortable discussing information freely. That means your office, elevator, car, cell phone; purse, wallet, bedroom, etc. are all targets of choice for a spy. When you feel comfortable, you will discuss confidential, proprietary, or personal information that is valuable to a spy. You should also be aware that the attacker may expect a local TSCM company to be called in to handle their task. Therefore, hiring a TSCM service provider outside of your geographic area, operating undercover, may be your best option. And you should consider that if an illegal spy has your company or executives under electronic audio surveillance, they may also be conducting some degree of visual surveillance of your company or executives. Nothing can set off an alarm for an illegal intruder like a van bearing the TSCM company logo pulling up to your office or home. Discreet is the best!
Why not let the intruder know that you are after them?If the intruder suspects that you are aware of the illegal activity, they are likely to remove the spying devices at the first perceived “safe” opportunity, especially if the perpetrators are an employee, part of the cleaning crew, etc. who has routine access to the office(s) and/or home(s) of the executive(s). Sure, you want the devices removed for the surveillance to stop, but your goal should be to know who wired you, who authorized the intercept operation, and/or what potential damage they can cause with the information they’ve taken. The best case scenario would be for illegal trespassers to be prosecuted, but the chances of this happening are less than you think. Damage control is most important to any business or individual that has been the target of an illegal espionage attack. That must be your focus!
What motivates an illegal spy?It’s really a matter of how valuable your information is! An illegal spy is a risk taker who is willing to take the risk of being discovered when he installs the devices and/or after the listening operation is in progress. His goal is to gain access to the right kind of information and to steal as much of this valuable information as possible. They are your adversary and will do whatever it takes to win. The more damaging the information, the more useful it is to the illegal intruder and/or the company or person who hired them to put you under surveillance.
Why hire a professional TSCM provider? When you start to price your professional bug sweeping task, you may be surprised by the cost. It’s not a minor expense, but it is a much-needed expense. Buying a bargain for a professional TSCM bug sweep is not the best approach. With a bug sweep from TSCM, you get what you pay for! Don’t be fooled by a private investigator giving you a low quote; It’s not the bargain you think it is. What you need is a TSCM bug sweep performed by a competent, knowledgeable, skilled, and well-equipped TSCM professional. Most have decades of experience developing their interviewing, visual inspection, and electronic detection skills, and are knowledgeable about the most common and new emerging threats and appropriate detection methods. They live and breathe TSCM and their opponent is the illegal spy. Private investigators have their talents and abilities, and with the exception of a few, TSCM is not usually their area of expertise. Hire a professional debugging provider from TSCM!