THE HOT MICX is published 3 to 4 times a year, contains information of a security nature, dealing mostly with electronic eavesdropping or information loss and is provided at no cost. Reproduction of any or all of this newsletter is authorized.
Diplomats are just as essential in starting a war as soldiers are in finishing it. To Dallas-Fort Worth: Thanks for the warm welcome a couple of months ago. It was one of the best visits yet to a new area and I anticipate several return visits a year as a result of your requirements. While there, I visited a couple of dozen of you, left information packages for another dozen or so and sent information after my return to Arizona to even more. Even with all that, I still didn't get a chance to contact all of you who will be receiving this newsletter. As has been stated on numerous occasions, it is TSCI's policy not to "pester" you with letters or telephone calls; contact was made and if you feel TSCI can support your requirements, assistance or information is just a telephone call away. HINT: If you think you've been the victim of information theft by whatever means, it is better to call from a phone away from the area suspected; use a pay phone or one in another part of your facility. What you say in private is your business. Keeping it private is ours. © TSCI 1987 Don't knock the weather; nine-tenths of the people couldn't start a conversation if it didn't change once in a while.- Kin Hubbard Dateline Phoenix--Reference the article in the last copy of The Hot Micx regarding the two video cameras installed in the overhead of the office and shower of a Phoenix area school principal, that all started out when someone said they saw him and a female associate leaving a shower together. What wasn't clarified before the people in an administrative/supervisory position jumped into the shark infested waters was that the shower was a BABY SHOWER. On the other hand, their faux pas (is that spelled correctly, I don't want to get into more trouble with the spelling monitor in the D.C. Area) appears to have been covered by past Arizona Legislatures. According to Arizona's Revised Statutes, installing a video camera, even in a shower, is not a violation of state law. It was just an imprudent action on the part of the official in charge. However, possible civil law suit to follow. It is a statistical fact that the wicked work harder to reach hell than the righteous do to enter heaven.- Josh Billings Don't think you can rest easy now that the cold war is over. Some of the most pervasive industrial spying is being done by allies (France, Japan and Korea have been mentioned on several occasions as some of the biggest offenders), not the members of the former USSR. Personally, I think those statistics will change in the near future as Russia and her former allies continue trying to join the capitalist societies of the rest of the world. Once they rid themselves of government intervention and control, introduce western style management and establish the necessary quality control levels, I believe they'll be a real threat to the rest of the free world market. They have the workers, low wages and raw materials; all they need is to steal the plans for the wheel rather than trying to reinvent it. And getting the plans for a lot of the "wheels" isn't going to be to difficult, judging from what I've seen in many of the hundreds of locations I've examined and surveyed. In most instances, there is little access control or procedure for challenging unknown persons; too much information is left out for the "night workers" to see; little or no control over documents, storage, or destruction; and welcoming happy fingers into your information systems. There's more, but I think you get the idea. If you don't take care of the simple stuff, you're gonna soon find yourself in deep Kimchee. If you don't know how to handle a problem, admit it, at least to yourself and get outside assistance. Even then, in most instances, you're not going to like the final analysis. By the way, some of the information sought by the friendly foreign governments is stuff like fiber optics technology, marketing strategies, sealed bids information and other related economic target information. The wisest man is generally he who thinks himself the least so. Dateline Falls Church, VA, SECURITY, April 1992--In spite of constant articles and briefings warning people not to talk away from the office, Howard Miller of Miller Consulting Services, Ltd. did some eavesdropping on conversations at a favorite company "watering hole" and was able to pick up code names, identify people and their positions and, in general, build a blueprint of an organizations operation. Believe it folks, intelligence is most often lost from the inside out, not the other way around. Having done both positive and countermeasures work for the Air Force Office of Special Investigations for 10 years, the last thing the person or group gathering information wants to do is install a listening device. Once it is found, your advantage is gone. Good old fashioned talking and listening, coupled with trash cover and tricking, compromising or buying someone on the inside is still the best and most productive on a long range basis. Electronic surveillance is generally reserved for the short term, time sensitive type information. Let's face it, most of your facilities can be accessed by someone determined to get in and you are leaving the information there for them to read or copy at their leisure. Nothing is really work unless you would rather be doing something else. Just to let you know--TSCI's next TSCM seminar will be held in Las Vegas in May as a result of a special request (We try to accommodate). With the last minute cancellations, there were only three attending the last session. Maybe I should stop limiting it to just twelve or so and go for the money. Then again, if I did, I'd loose the fun and enjoyment of trying to give you more than you paid for. Anyhow, Dave Austin, Security Director at the Las Vegas Hilton, has offered to assist in any way possible. That was a standing offer from Dave even before he attended the last seminar (I probably should check and see if the offer is still open now that he has attended). At the same time, I want to once again extend my thanks and heartfelt appreciation to Art Steele at the Sahara for supporting up on the last two or three occasions (Don't start celebrating yet, Art; as Arnold would say, I'll be back). Once again, attendance will be restricted to corporate security, law enforcement and government contractor/agency personnel. (If you don't fit in the above categories, but would like to attend, contact me direct and provide information on your background and reasons for wanting to attend. Exceptions have been made in the past.) We don't try to teach you how to do a sweep, we try to expose you to the methods in which information is lost and what the threats are. Equipment is available for touchy-feel and devices built and/or modified for eavesdropping are displayed. For you government types, it is a dancing bear-dog and pony show. There's a pletoria of handouts (about two to three inches worth) and a lot of exchange of information and ideas. You even get a certificate for your "I Love Me" wall. On Taxes-Never before have so many been taken for so much and left with so little. I'm always looking for articles or clipping containing security related information dealing primarily with electronic eavesdropping or information loss which may be of interest to others. Some of the information provided in the past has saved several people/corporations a lot of time, money and possible embarrassment. They read the synopsized article and called for further information. Their thanks to you. My thanks to you. Something for my own "I Love Me" wall---In November, I blew another chance for all you folks out there in TV land to see me on national TV. It seems there was a lot of interest in how much personal (and private) information could be gathered by the average person or Private Investigator, legally or illegally, and with little or no effort on their part. As it turns out, I had been referred by two or three others (only one of whom I know) in the private sector as someone who could help them. After several lengthy discussions and faxing of a bunch of information, I (reluctantly) referred the program director to an investigator in their area after explaining he could do a much more thorough and professional job in the limited time available; they concurred (Hey, I'd like the national exposure as much as anyone else, but not at the expense of a quality product. Maybe, someone will decide to do a bit on bugging/debugging and I'll get yet another chance at fame and fortune, or making a fool out of myself). Actually, my only real regret in not participating was not being able to meet the person hosting the show. On the positive side, I saved the cost of an extra plane ticket; Toni wouldn't have let me go by myself on this one.
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