Bulletin Board #9
#1
Date: Mon, 17 Mar 1997 07:44:48 -0600 (CST)
From: "\"Louis Knecht\""
Subject: Re: BULLETIN BOARD
Tim,
This can be accomplished with many different call management programs.
One such program is from a company called Telemate. Its expensive, start
around $2500.00, and it depends on the hardware installed (ie phone
system). If you can give me the system information I can better answer
the question.
Cheers,
Lou
#2
From: "McMinimy, Richard W."
To: Tim Johnson
Date: Mon, 17 Mar 1997 12:55:33 -0600
Just thought I would pass this along since you always start your classes
by telling the group how to spell TSCM. The safety magazine for NASA
did an article on me in the upcoming eddition and the writer explained
that I was the only employee involved in the Technical Security
Encounter Measures (TSEM), I guess I am closer to the work than the rest
of you.
#3
Date: Mon, 17 Mar 1997 12:39:38 -0600
From: Trace Carpenter
Organization: Trace Carpenter Investigations
Subject: RadShk Wirelss Mics Response
Don't be surprised to see these gems showing up as devices being abused as bugging devies.
They already have, and you wouldn't believe the performance improvements that come from raising the input voltage.
Sincerely,
Trace Carpenter
Trace Carpenter Investigations Professional Private
Investigations
660 Amberton Tower Suspicions Confirmed
4144 N. Central Expy. Problems Solved !
Dallas, Texas 75204 Free Consultations
214.828.4520
214.828.1917 Facsimile
#4
Date: Mon, 17 Mar 1997 11:06:37 -0600
From: "Thomas H. Jones"
Reply-To: re0801@multipro.com
Organization: Research Electronics Intl.
Subject: Review of Website
Tim,
I just finished reviewing your Website. It looks great. I would like to
add a link from our website to yours if you do not mind. Please check
our website at www.multipro.com/research/ and let me know if I may add
you site to our list of links. I just got back from the Las Vegas ISC
exhibition last week, and I referred several people to you. Keep in
touch, I hope that business is going well.
Tom Jones
#5
From: Kuma3938@aol.com
Date: Mon, 17 Mar 1997 09:42:46 -0500 (EST)
Subject: Re: BULLETIN BOARD
I have a real problem with Mr. Carpenters comments regarding turning the bugs over to the authorities when they are found.
To start with, most experienced Techs realize that once a device is found in an area, and the people residing in the area understand what is going on, including upper management, they become lousy actors, and in most cases do more harm than good.
Besides, last time I checked, the installation of a device is a violation of Federal law. And a private company doing TSCM does not have the authority to not report it to the proper authorities. I think that could also be considered violation of a Federal law. Regardless of what the customer wants, this should be understood up front before any TSCM work is done.
Correct me if I'm wrong, please.
Harry
#6
From: "Steve Uhrig"
Date: Sat, 8 Mar 1997 09:59:48 -0500
Subject: Strange phenomenon
Subject: Industrial Sabotage ?
Hello Michael,
I experienced a vaguely similar thing here, about a year ago.
Woke up one morning, all clocks in my small house were messed up.
Clocks, VCR, microwave clock, three computers including laptop which
was turned off and not hooked to anything including charger.
Didn't give it a great deal of thought at the time, put it down to a
power failure, altho alarm system had not reported an
AC failure.
Got dressed for work, noticed my watch was messed up. Readouts
blanked. Watch is 18 years old, never a problem, battery only 2
years old. Ended up later having to open it up, take battery out and
reinstall, to get watch working. Been fine since.
Went out to my truck, clock in radio had segments all screwed up,
radio or clock has not worked since although tape functions.
Never did figure it out. Did not lose any magnetic data on any of the
computers.
Neighbors never reported anything, and they definitely would have
mentioned strange things like that to this weirdo in the log cabin
with antennas everywhere.
No lasting damage other than the radio in my truck.
Got me. I do not believe it was any malicious deliberate attack. No
high tech near here; I live in the country, nothing more around here
than milking machines and everybody's Primestar satellite TV.
Aberdeen Proving Grounds (US Army) and Edgewood Arsenal are both in
my county altho both are 15+ air miles away, and no one else reproted
anything that I heard.
Steve
Steve Uhrig, SWS Security, Maryland (USA)
Manufacturers of electronic surveillance and commo equip
mailto:Steve@swssec.com
tel +1+410-879-4035, fax +1+410-836-1190
Celebrating our 25th anniversary in 1997!
"In God we trust, all others we monitor"
#7
Date: Sun, 16 Mar 1997 21:07:57 -0500
From: "Kevin D. Murray"
To: Colleagues on Tim Johnson's mailing list.
From: Kevin D. Murray, CPP - Murray Associates
Location: http://www.iapsc.org/kmurray
Mailto:murray@spy.busters.com
Subject: Re: Doug Ralph's fine suggestion, as follows...
"Have been reading with interest the concern raised by several
persons about coming across Federal devices. There was a Research Paper
(book - 84 pages) put out in 1995 by the Office of Technology Assessment
(Congress of the U.S.) s/n 052-003-01418-1 @ $ 5.50, also included on
their 5 Volume CD for sale in US Gov't Book stores for $ 23.00 (Contains
research papers form 1972 - 1995 until they ceased to exist.
Recomend you get a set while they last. In any event the research paper in addition to describing most methods of federal electronic surveillance methods, also discuss how the onus is on the phone companies to make intercepts (wiretaps, room probes etc) 'transparent' to testing such as TSCM."
- Doug Ralph, COMSEC Services Inc.,
mailto:doug.comsec@sympatico.ca
This report is available online (text or Acrobat) for free at:
http://www.wws.princeton.edu/~ota/disk1/1995/9513_n.html
Kevin
P.S. Doug, Thanks for sharing the Radio Shack wireless mike tip.
#8
Date: Sun, 16 Mar 1997 17:42:07 +0200
To: dbugman@dbugman.com (Tim Johnson)
From: "F. & M. GERON"
Subject: New Service Offered
Briefly, we have a new associate being a ex-Israeli Defense Force expert in
the field of electronic surveillance operations. We are now offering these
services both locally and overseas.
Regards to All
Michael Geron
F. & M. GERON (1979) LTD. - ISRAEL GMT +2 - Investigative & Related Services
Michael Geron, F.IPI,ABI,NALI,IKD - Fred Geron, LL.B.
Tel. +972 9 7441810, Fax. +972 9 7440663, Email.
m_geron@netvision.net.il
#9
From: "Mike Andrews"
Date: Sun, 16 Mar 1997 06:19:55 -0500
Tim,
Some replys and responses.
Mike
Hi Tim, long time....I have an issue that hopefully you can help me
with...we have a problem in Xxxxxxxxx with harassment calls within the plant...we can caller ID from inside to outside the plant but cannot trace extension to extension. It is an analog system...is there any trace/trap device that we can use to trace the call from extension to extension...?
Thanks for the help, Rxxxx
In addition to Tim's suggestions - if this is an older "key" system it will almost take someone watching the relays to determine the source of the harassing call. If it is something like a smaller Merlin (TM) System - get the book out and check the section on station grouping and "auto-answer."
Program the sets for a distinctive "ring" for each calling group. One
harassing phone call and you have it narrowed down to one of ten or so
phones and a specific section of the plant. There's also a "privacy"
feature that could prove useful. Anything more sophisticated will have call records that can be checked. Also, most medium sized PBX
installations have a 20 to 30 button "administrator's" phone set attached.
The typical administrator's set will have LEDs to indicate whether or not a
phone/station is in use. If your plant's phone system has one of these
then just watch the lights and coordinate with the harassed party. It
shouldn't take long to determine the origin of the calls - process of
elimination - Be careful using this method, though - wouldn't want to storm
into the plant managers office just because his/her phone was in use when a
harassing call was placed. Use logic and common sense - you will soon
reveal the yo-yo making the calls.
Date: Wed, 12 Mar 1997 18:10:50 -0600
From: Trace Carpenter
Subject: Response to Mike Andrews Posting
Mike,
There were some very good points in your posting. Many of them which we in the business take for obvious which are often overlooked. I hope you don't mind I'm going to pass the text on to a few of my corporate
clients.
Thanks for your kind remarks.
As for the part of turning the bugs over to the authorities however I
have some concerns. I normally like to leave anything I find and use it
to our advantage. Either set up surveillance on it to catch the perp
returning to remove it/maintain it; or, use it to our advantage. By
that I mean feed the information out that we want the other side to
believe. If the client wants it left there, and dosen't want to file
charges we don't have a complainant.
What are your thoughts?
Makes sense to me. I'm still concerned about the possibility of an
"obstruction of justice" charge, albeit a remote possibility. In a past
life I was a communications technician for a state agency and occasionally repaired surveillance devices for a federal agency on an "emergency" basis.
Having seen and heard their opinions of anyone tampering with their
"stuff" makes me nervous, to say the least.
Part two of that situation is this: Once a person realizes their client is under surveillance by a federal agency it seems to me the rules change.
First, I don't care to protect anyone trafficking in drugs, etc. - I hope
they catch all of them. That raises an ethical/moral issue that, I
suppose, will have to be an individual consideration. I, for one, would
just as soon help lock them up forever.
I realize, also, that just being under surveillance by a federal agency
doesn't make a client guilty. But it sure makes the B.S. detector ring a
bell in the back of my head.
Best Regards,
Mike Andrews
P.S. Will be traveling to the UK this afternoon on business - Anyone on the list live near Bristol?
Date: Tue, 11 Mar 1997 17:26:56 -0500
From: jmatk@tscm.com (James M. Atkinson, Comm-Eng)
Subject: U.S. State Department crackdown
The U.S. State Department is starting to crackdown on the illegal
export of TSCM and SIGINT equipment under ITAR.
Noice how section (b) is worded:
"...equipment designed or modified to counteract electronic surveillance
or monitoring."
DEPARTMENT OF STATE - Bureau of Politico-Military Affairs
22 CFR Parts 120, 121, 122, 123, 124, 125, 126, 127, 128, and 130
Category XI-Military [and Space] Electronics
- Electronic equipment not included in Category XII of the U.S. Munitions List which is specifically designed, modified or configured for military application. This equipment includes but is not limited to:
- * Electronic systems or equipment specifically designed, modified, or configured for intelligence, security, or military purposes for use in search, reconnaissance, collection, monitoring, direction-finding, display, analysis and production of information from the electromagnetic spectrum and electronic systems or equipment designed or modified to counteract electronic surveillance or monitoring. A system meeting this definition is controlled under this subchapter even in instances where any individual pieces of equipment constituting the system may be subject to the controls of another U.S. Government agency. Such systems or equipment described above include, but are not limited to, those:
- Designed or modified to use cryptographic techniques to generate the spreading code for spread spectrum or hopping code for frequency agility. This does not include fixed code techniques for spread spectrum.
- Designed or modified using burst techniques (e.g., time compression techniques) for intelligence, security or military purposes.
- Designed or modified for the purpose of information security to suppress the compromising emanations of information-bearing signals. This covers TEMPEST suppression technology and equipment meeting or designed to meet government TEMPEST standards. This definition is not intended to include equipment designed to meet Federal Communications Commission (FCC) commercial electro-magnetic interference standards or equipment designed for health and safety.
"If it doesn't involve a torque wrench, then it's not TEMPEST"
James M. Atkinson Phone: (508) 546-3803
Granite Island Group - TSCM.COM
127 Eastern Avenue #291 http://www.tscm.com/
Gloucester, MA 01931-8008 jmatk@tscm.com
The First, The Largest, The Most Popular, and the Most
Complete TSCM Counterintelligence Site on the Internet