QUESTION - I saw something in one of your newletters about permission being required to travel out of the US with TSCM gear. I've never done this but recently we've had some requests to do sweeps internationally and are seriously considering doing so.
What permission is required, from whom, how do you contact etc. Can you or someone else advise. I would appreciate any help.
Tim wrote:
Steve,
Write the
U. S. Department of Commerce
Bureau of Export Administration
Room 1099C
Washington, D. C.
Attn: D. Bell
and explain that you are requesting application forms for the temporary export of TSCM equipment for use in performing services for a client.
I'd also suggest you ask where you can obtain a copy of the documents which will help you identify the codes necessary for completing the export application. If everything is completed, it can be done in 10 days or two weeks; otherwise, it may take as much as six weeks.
You'll need one of these for each country you intend to visit to include a local address. For the address, you could use a hotel in the capitol city, but don't tell them I said that. :>)
Additionally, to make it even easier on you, I'd suggest you develop a list of everything you'll be taking out, insure that all major items have at least a locally assigned serial number and visit your local Customs Office and have them stamp the form. You'll have to get a form >from them to list everything on. It makes it so muuch easier.
And finally, you will need to arrange with the client to have someone available to get the equipment through their customs, both ways or you can ship it through a bonded carrier. Sometimes it helps to have a CARNET.
I hope this helps.
Tim
By the way we are now officially a licensed provider of Tektronix, Advantest, and Rohde & Schwarz Spectrum Analyzers, TDR's, OTDR's, O-Scopes etc for TSCM perposes (finally got the final contracts today - can you beleive this took 16 months!?).
We only carrying the 26.5 GHz spectrum analyzers so if you or anyone you know is interested in one of these high end units we will be giving a good discount to early purchasers. You don't have to display this last paragraph (Delete it from the posting if you wish) as I'm not trying to sell equipment via your newsletter. This note is intended more toward a personal note directly to you. If you (or someone you know well) is interested in a 26.5 GHz system have them give me a call privately and we'll discuss these systems with them.
HELPING BUSINESS BENEFIT FROM
"THE ECONOMIC ESPIONAGE ACT OF 1996"
Trade Secret Protection Program Development and TSCM
Counterintelligence Products and Training
Vulnerability Threat Assessment Services Available
http://www.tscmplus.com ..... [540 628 1599]
A LICENSED TEKTRONIX DISTRIBUTOR OF EQUIPMENT FOR COUNTERINTELLIGENCE
#2
From: "W.Lively"
In response to an inquiry on the Spyking site, Tim Johnson wrote:
Wayde,
Basically, you'll need a good pair of eyes and basic tools. Open all the phones and look for anything that looks out of place, A good, highpowered magnifying glass is sometimes a plus in looking at connections and sloder joints. Remove the covers on telephone jacks and look for anything out of the ordinary. Open the box (typically installed ob the outsiide of the house) and see if anything has been installed within. Basically, there should be nothing in the outside box or within the phone jack except wires. A good physical examination of the wires outside the house is also necessary, following them as far back as possible toward the telephone company--typicaly to a junction box on the ground or on a pole. Again, see if anything is there that is not supposed to be (it will be obvious) and look at the wiring to make sure there are no extra jumper wires.
Hope this helps
Thank-you very much for the information. Perhaps you could tell me if
joining one of the investigator assoc. ie. NAIS or Global would be of
benifit for someone in Canada. If you know anything good or bad I would
welcome the info.
Wayde
Tim responded
Any association is only as good as what you put into it. They are preferrably for making contacts and keeping up to date on what's going on. Personally, I feel that most of them are a waste of time, with the possible exception of ASIS and that because ASIS is much larger and you're able to make more contacts, both presonally in your local area and through the network. In my line of work, I need it, but for the local practitioner, it may not be appropriate. Mainly, anything you do to advertise of increase business contacts is a trial and error process. So far, in my line of work, the only thing that has been really effect for me has been personal contacts and the referrals that have resulted.
This is not much, but hopefully it will give you a few ideas.
Comments from the readers???
#4
From: Steve Wilson
Subject: Jim Ross
Tim,
Forgot to discuss this in my message just sent - so here are my comments on the hot topic of the moment. I should know better than to publicly criticize a legend but - not today!
I know a lot of people are upset with Jim over his comments. He's written about me at least three times because of the TDR issue. I contend they are useful, and can be very beneficial. I also have serious doubts about someone who tells their clients that they have physically examined each wire run. I wonder if they are opening up the conduit, pulling each end through, examining each wire, then returning that wire into the bundle, and somehow getting it installed back into the conduit (or much less the riser cable in an elevator shaft) - but I guess they are doing these things as otherwise they would be defrauding their clients and worse yet they'd have their motto Performance not Showmanship backwards - "ME THINKS - IT MIGHT BE"!
Jim is writing about me when he writes of ... "that TDR Expert who'd brought his much lauded TDR to his class but couldn't find anything that he (Jim) had placed on a simple wire run that he (Jim) had run especially for the test". I know ... I may have the quote wrong by a word or two - forgive me - it's just not one of those things I keep framed on my wall to look at.
But he's right - I couldn't find anything, not even the end of the line!? My trusty TDR just failed me completely that morning. Course the battery was dead - Jim had requested I leave it for him to look at and not knowing much about TDR's he'd left it on and the battery was dead. Usually they have a shut off but when left unplugged in a monitor mode they stay on ... till they go dead. Anyone who knows anything about TDR's would think I'd at least been able to see the opening and shorting of the other end of the line - but not in that test.
FUNNY THING though - I photographed the components and the precise way Jim had connected them, and two weeks later Ray Jarvis (a real knowledgeable TSCM'er and excellent instructor) helped me run this test again by building the same components for a exact repeat of the earlier test - RESULT - This time the TDR saw everything! We saw the tap, we say the junction of the 66-block, and we certainly saw the end of the dry line when shorted and opened, ... we even say just 12' of wire attached to the 66-Block!!
Maybe - just maybe (in Jim's defense??) it was late that night when Jim set up that test for my early morning test, and maybe - just maybe he was tired and inadvertently had placed those wiretaps on a different line. In any case something was wrong at Ross's that morning as my TDR did not see anything - I couldn't find anything - I couldn't even see the end of the line. I have no idea what happened that morning, maybe I was tired and I'd hooked up to the wrong cable pair. God only knows - and for those of you who don't know - God doesn't have an outdated EE degree.
Anyway - we did a lot of exhaustive testing at Jarvis's and I'm happy to tell you all that there, and now, my TDR's works just fine.
I just had the Tektronix 1502C in for testing. This is the one not used by many people (everyone in TSCM seems to use the 1503 model has avoided the 1502 as it only goes to 2000' - but we liked it a lot - it is sensitive! Besides - I've yet to do a PBX wire run analysis where any cable run exceeded 1500 feet. Yes the whole run often has, but not the individual runs (from station to closet - closet to closet - to PBX), which is how you're supposed to test anyway.
Using the 1502 I was able to detect just a slightest separation of the cable pair, if you actually pulled them out of the sheath it was impossible to miss, and if you skinned them back (as in to attach a parallel connection) - well Ray Charles could see that one on-screen (forgive me Ray if your reading this). I plan on putting all these TDR test results (a lot of them) onto my web site one day when I figure out HTML.
So I've said my peace on the TDR issue - some of you may not like or use them but we use them as a tool on every sweep. Sorry Mr. Ross but I'll have to remain at conflict on this issue.
HELPING BUSINESS BENEFIT FROM
THE ECONOMIC ESPIONAGE ACT OF 1996"
Trade Secret Protection Program Development and TSCM
Counterintelligence Products and Training
Vulnerability Threat Assessment Services Available
http://www.tscmplus.com ..... [540 628 1599]
A LICENSED TEKTRONIX DISTRIBUTOR OF EQUIPMENT FOR COUNTERINTELLIGENCE
Which is a great lead in to comments, pro and con, on Time Domaine Reflectometers. We did this one earlier, but there may be some new thinking on it out there.
#5
"Acoustically Hard"
From: "Andrew Kelley, III"
Hello,
I am very curious to know what is meant by the term acoustically hard?
For example, is a solid wooden door acoustically hard even though you
can hear through it (or maybe under it)? And if a wooden door is
acoustically hard, is a solid metal door acoustically harder?
Andrew
Comments please... I'll add mine with all of yours, rather than getting things started off.
Tim
For just general information and nothing else, I've been invited to visit Hong Kong the latter part of this month for the transition. It should be interesting to say the least. I should be back on or about the 5th of July (I have to be back by the 8th of July as I will be making a 1 to 1 1/2 hour presentation to the National Fraud Examiners monthly meeting at the Arizona Attorney Generals Office).
I'm also providing in house training to acquaint a number of security personnel with the TSCM concept as applies to the corporate environment. It will be two sessions of two days each.
The first two day session is for non tech types (both corporate executives and security people) to expose them to the concepts, ideas, equipment, etc., and to give them a little hands on with the "non-technical" equipment so they can perform a very basic examination of key areas on an ongoing basis (I was totally exhausted, bit mentally and physically when I got home this afternoon and crashed for a couple of hours after I fell asleep at the keyboard trying to answer e-mail).
The next two session will be with people in their electronics department who they want to have additional capabilities to support the more indepth requirements--somerthing between what the security specialist will be doing and the activity I do when I visit the facilities.
That's it for now. I wanted to get this out because of a couple of inquiries and comments I felt you might be able to assist with.
tj