Corporate Countermeasures Inc.
Your Information Security Specialists

How To Hire Professional Sweeping Services
For Your Information Security

Corporate Countermeasures, Inc.
P O Box 33244, Austin Texas, 78764
Phone: 512-420-9292 Fax; 512-420-9393
Email: RThomas007@aol.com

 

Under no circumstances should you make contact from a suspect telephone on the premises you want swept. If you are the CEO of a company and do any amount of work from your home, you home could also be under attack so DO NOT make contact from home. It's best to call from a payphone.

Although there are a number of people that claim to offer de-bugging or sweeping services at bargain basement prices, the overwhelming majority of them have neither the equipment nor the knowledge to perform a comprehensive sweep of your offices. Technical Countermeasures Surveillance Services (TSCM) for your business needs to be taken vary seriously especially if your company is information driven as leakage of your business information has a direct relationship to the success or failure of your business or professional practice. In fact,contracting with the wrong information security specialist could be fatal to your company, corporation or professional practice. Our firm specializes in high security sweeping, threat analysis, computer security, information security consulting and training all rolled into one comprehensive service without all the bull you usually see in this specialized service. We don't make any bones about it. There isn't any such thing as complete and total secured communications but your firm or company can and should have a goal to reach a level of information security that counters the overwhelming majority of information theft.

 

Initial Consultation And Overall Preliminary Evaluation And Walk Through

The initial consultation should be done in a secured meeting place away from your office. Before an actual sweep is done of your premises, an overall evaluation and walk through inspection is conducted to determine countermeasures strategy. Preliminary information gathering for your sweep and high threat areas are determined in this phase. This gives us the ability to plan your TSCM sweep, adjust and calibrate the sensitive equipment and come prepared with the right formulation of methodology, techniques and equipment with focused concentration on high threat areas. At the time the overall preliminary walk through is done, various covert pocket detectors are in use. During the preliminary evaluation, various sweeps and observations are conducted of the outside of your premises for further planning and further evaluations. Usually, the Inital Consultation and Preliminary Evaluation can take place on the same day.

 

Radio Frequency Sweeping & Analysis

Radio frequency sweeping involves carefully sweeping your premises for bugs. Analysis involves using a spectrum analyzer for inspection of anything suspect. Although there are literally dozens of cheap bug detectors in the market place today, the overwhelming majority of them have neither the power nor the sweeping ability to do a sweep at the level you need. Our sweep service is done with a top of the line broad band counter surveillance receiver called the CPM-700 Countermeasures Sweep A unique sound source called The Sound Spa is placed in the office to be swept for sound verification. The sweep is done in a covert manner. Although the CPM-700 can conduct on-the-spot audio verification, high grade frequency counters are used to record the frequency of the signal for spectrum analysis. Spectrum Analysis is done with a high-end spectrum analyzer specially configured for countermeasures sweeping service called the Oscar-Omni Spectral Correlator. The Oscar-Omni Spectral Correlator is a computer controlled and programmable detection unit with a base price of $15,000 designed for automatic comprehensive sweeping and analysis. Automatic mode sweeping is done in high venerability areas such as the CEO's office and conference room offices with the Oscar-Omni Spectral Correlator which will automatically scan, correlate and print out and suspect signals while other tasks of the assignment are being performed providing a double sweep in high threat areas. Automcially correlating pickup with actual room audio, the Oscar can quickly locate a threat signal modulation. Often times, the Oscar is left in high threat areas overnight to run additional testing automatically. A computerized radio frequency database is maintained on a laptop computer for localized verification of signals obtained during the sweep for further verification.

 

By using the above methods, a complete and through sweep and analysis of the radio frequency can be made that will detect all standard forms of bugs and hidden transmitters as well as detect higher-end bugging devises such as frequency hopping bugs, snuggled bugs, microwatt bugs and burst bugs. A frequency hopping bug is one that changes frequency frequently while sending audio. A snuggled bug is one that is tuned just off a major radio station in order to avoid detection. A microwatt bug is a lower powered bug often missed by inexpensive gear. A Burst bug is one that stores audio and then sends it in small bursts. Most of the medium end and low end equipment on the market today, even most spectrum analyzers; can not perform all these functions.

With a unique combination of knowledge and equipment, the methodology employed for sweeping services is one of the most comprehensive in the security industry. All friendly radio signals are analyzed for potential hidden eavesdropping near the friendly signal so no potential bugs are missed.

 

Telephone Line And System Testing, Inspection And Analysis

Using the latest high tech equipment, your telephone, telephone lines and telephone system is checked for bugs and wiretaps very comprehensively as the telephone itself is likely the most dangerous threat to your information security. Various forms of telephone checking include individual audio line verification methods which tests each wire and wire pair on your telephone line for audio eavesdropping, tests and inspection for wiretaps and bugs that may be hidden on your telephone line and tests for modifications to your telephone equipment itself. Other various forms of testing and inspection is conducted to check for hidden tape recorders that may be present on your telephone line. Specialized testing equipment is used such as volt meters, time domain reflectometers and telephone line tracers. The type of telephone equipment and system you use in your premises is needed before the telephone system sweep can be made. A clean telephone (one that has never been used) is usually needed. All telephones are taken apart and visually inspected. When they are put back together, screw heads are marked with a UV pen for quick and easy detection of any tampering and removal at a later date.

Various forms of telephone testing gear including top of the line analyzers, time domain reflectometers, line tracers, monitors, scopes and meters cost in the neighborhood of about $10,000 or more and months of training to utilize but we feel that, since the telephone line is the most vernable piece of common equipment subject to eavesdropping attack; the right combination of testing equipment and knowledge is needed to perform a comprehensive countermeasures detection service.

 

 

Electrical Line Detection

All electrical lines are checked and inspected for what is commonly called carrier current eavesdropping which uses the existing wiring as a carrier for audio.

 

Infrared Detection

Invisible Infrared Light can be used to carry audio signals. A comprehensive sweep is conducted to detect any such source using a specialized IR probe with the CPM-700.

 

Hidden Line Testing

Any questionable line found on your premises that can not be identified is checked to make sure it's not a hidden microphone line or other line used for eavesdropping. Specialized probes in conjunction with the CPM-700 are used.

 

Premises Wall Inspection/Detection

Your office walls are swept with a unit called a Non Linear Junction Detector to detect any type of eavesdropping equipment that may be hidden and buried in your office walls. This method of detection will detect eavesdropping equipment whether active, turned off or dead. Further analysis and inspection is done with an optical borescope and portable high grade metal detectors. Moreover, all electrical outlets electrical on/off switch plates and telephone jack plats are removed for inspection using various lights and borescopes which can see around these areas and inside your walls. When your cover plats are finally put back on, invisible UV pen markings are used to mark the screw heads for quick and easy detection of any tampering or removal at a later date.

A Non Linear Junction Detector is a detection unit that runs around $21,000 that will detect non linear junctions inside of walls and furniture. Used in the correct manner, this method can detect almost any type of hidden eavesdropping device without taking apart all of your office furniture and knocking down walls which would be impractical. Additional equipment is employed in this method consisting of borescopes (an optical devise to look inside walls the furniture for suspect readings with the non linear junction detector) and metal detectors (for further verification and analysis)

 

Hidden Tape Recorder And Video Camera Sweep

Aside from the use of non-linear junction detection mentioned above, high security areas are also swept with a magnetic probe for the detection of hidden tape recorders and video cameras that may be installed.

 

Acoustic Leakage Analysis And Detection

A common form of eavesdropping in today's modern business office is Acoustic Leakage. Your private conversations can and frequently do travel through walls, air ducts and pipes which can easily be picked up at another area. A complete detection and analysis is made of your unique acoustic leakage problems with specialized acoustic leakage probes and recommendation made to combat this problem.

 

Common Office Equipment Inspection And Analysis

Various forms of office equipment such as lights, dictation machines, calculators, fax machines and other equipment are checked as these type items make ideal hiding places for bugs. Fax machines are especially venerable.

 

Computer Security

A though inspection and analysis of your office computer is conducted for various forms of eavesdropping and information leakage. Usually, special procedures, techniques and software can be used to vastly lower the threat of information leakage from your computer equipment. Installation of virus protection software, security wiping software, system loocking software and encryption software can be arranged.

Advanced Computer Security
Advanced Computer Security services on LAN systems can be arranged.

 

Recommendations And Training

Unlike many sweep services in the United States, extensive recommendations are made for your company security involving inexpensive measures that can usually be taken by your company to bring your business up to an information security level that counters most threats. The overall approach is one of a complete consultation service to not only perform a comprehensive countermeasures sweep for your information security today but to provide you with information security levels for threats after the job is done. Moreover, we provide a short training session on some basic steps and procedures you can take to better secure your business and professional information from theft.

 

Equipment And Training

Aside for the actual sweeping services and information security consulting, our firm also offers various forms of equipment sales, installation and training for your own in-house information security program. For a review of equipment click here.

Countermeasures Sweep And Survey Pricing

Initial Consultation And Preliminary Survey/ Evaluation: $500.00
The Actual Countermeasures Sweep Analysis And Evaluation depends on the time involved and is based on the following time frame:

 

1/2 Day: $1,000.00
Per Day (First Day) $1,800.00
Additional 1/2 Day: $750.00
Additional Day: $1,500.00
Written Report And Recommendations: No Charge

A Countermeasures Sweep for a small business usually takes between one and three days depending upon square footage, the telephone system other equipment used, the type of business or profession and other factors. A prearranged retainer is required before the assignment is started.

Ongoing Contracts: Ongoing contacts can be arranged by the year with a minimum of four sweeps per year at subtancially reduced rates after the first sweep.

Travel expenses outside the Central Texas area are not included.

TAKE A SLIDE SHOW OF THIS SERVICE AND EQUIPMENT USED

 

RETURN TO MAIN COUNTERMEASURES PAGE

GO TO COUNTERMEASURES TRAINING PRODUCTS

READ ARTICLES ON COUNTERMEASURES

OBTAIN EXTENDED REVIEWS OF EQUIPMENT USED