If one man can be allowed to determine for himself what is law, every man can. That means first chaos, then tyranny. Legal process is an essential part of the democratic process. TSCM SeminarThe dates for the upcoming Technical Surveillance Countermeasures (TSCM), being presented by TSCI are 11-12 November 1993. Once again, the seminar will be held at the Sahara Hotel and Casino, in Las Vegas.
Again, for the convenience of those attending, it will be held on a Thursday and Friday. Enclosed with the Hot Micx is a sheet containing information TSCI requests you provide on your company or organizational letterhead. Please include a signature.
A man learns to skate by staggering about making a fool of himself; indeed, he progresses in all things by making a fool of himself. Item for DiscussionIf information is illegally obtained by a private citizen and provided to a law enforcement agency, can it be used in the prosecution? Can the provider of the information be sued by the defendant? According to the newspaper (which is great for inaccuracies in reporting) a ham radio operator allegedly intercepted and recorded a telephone conversation between two individuals in which one was discussing how to kill his former girl friend and a school teacher. The most recent newspaper article indicated the conversation occurred on a cellular telephone. Now, we all know that Congress, in its infinite wisdom, decided those conversation are personal, private and confidential and that we can go to jail for listening to them (unless it happens to be a Congressman or his/her aide doing the listening). But please, don't confuse those conversations with mobile vehicle radio/telephone conversations or those which occur using the cordless telephones or inadvertent conversations radiated as a result of improperly engineered or manufactured equipment. Those radio frequencies have not received special consideration by our lawmakers. I'll keep you posted on what occurs And in the meantime, I'd like your comments on this subject. - Gideon J. Tucker Just received (16 August 1993) from Bob Runyon. It seems he's been playing around again and those scrambled cordless telephones operating in the new range of 908 to 920 MHz. They aren't so secure after all, especially those coming in from Korea, Japan and Taiwan. As is the case with cellular telephone conversations, you only have to monitor the base frequency to hear both sides of the conversation. Many employ nothing more than frequency hopping as a means of scrambling and that can be broken out by utilizing a broadband receiver (with certain modifications). He also did it using an old TV tunable to channel 83, the same one he used to make a cellular telephone receiver. Again, all he had to do was certain minor modifications to the circuits. Bob's main point was to stress that all "secure" cordless telephones are not secure. Even those employing digital scrambling are limited. He stresses that if you do have a "secure" cordless telephone, the codes should be changed on a regular basis; they may not remain secure forever. Bob also provided the following, there is information out on the streets that will enable anyone with an IBM compatible computer to descramble the new digitized cellular telephone audio. That is before the majority of the cellular companies have even gotten the system installed. Both systems suffer from the following three faults:
Any fool can tell the truth, but it requires a man of some sense to know how to lie well. Reference an article in the last issue of The Hot Micx, The CEO who was briefed on policies and requested/directed certain changes in an existing security program. The company involved already has an aggressive security program; the CEO simply tightened up on an already excellent access control program, something the Security Director had already been looking at. I look for the Security Director to implement even stronger security measures in the future. Failures are divided into two classesthose who thought and never did, and those who did and never thought. Speaking of security programs, there are essentially two ways of implementing them:
In cities no one is quiet but many are lonely; in the country, people are quiet but few are lonely. Follow up is ImportantA recent TSCM examination disclosed no listening devices; however, it did result in the identification of several security weaknesses. Before the suggested changes could be implemented, an unauthorized entry to at least one of the examined areas resulted in unauthorized access to the computer system.The mere fact a surveillance device is not found during the course of a TSCM sweep does not mean all is well; it simply means nothing was found. On the other hand, weaknesses noted during an examination have often been exploited by the opposition or disgruntled employees (the internal threat may be greater than the outside threat; in those instances, the perpetrator already has some access). Such exploitations may be for the purpose of planting listening or recording devices, reading or copying documents or papers on desks or in unlocked drawers, the obtaining of trash through several means, obtaining entry into a computer system, malicious mischief or any of dozens of other reasons. The detection and reporting of security hazards and weaknesses is not done merely to justify the expense of a TSCM examination, it is done to protect a client's information, personnel and resources. Though I am always in haste, I am never in a hurry. Product Tampering Problems?Many of you already know Frank Hynes, formerly the Director of Corporate Security for The Coca-Cola Company. What you may not know is that he has recently entered the private sector and is available to assist you in product tampering prevention and incident resolution as well as other corporate security problems. For those of you involved with pharmaceutical, food or personal products, this is an individual you want to know. He may be able to point out how a product could be tampered with before it occurs, thus saving money and/or embarrassment. He may be contacted at 404-381-2011. He will be glad to provide additional information on his services and capabilities. The way to stop financial joy-riding is to arrest the chauffeur, not the automobile. Nationwide Investigative NetworkINTELNET is a non incorporated nationwide organization of former federal investigators, all operating independently. They presently have investigators in most major cities and most, if not all 50 states, as well as international operations and contacts. Their expertise is varied, with members specialization in fields such as fraud, white collar crime, organized criminal activities, undercover operations, audio and video tape processing, electronic countermeasures, covert surveillance, etc.There is no charge to be placed on the mailing list. You will receive a complete up-to-date listing of investigators and their area of coverage. For additional information, write to Alexander Hamilton originated the put and take system in our national treasury: the taxpayers put it in, and the politicians take it out. It's not legalDateline Houston, The Arizona Republic-June 27, 1993--- Parents are resorting more and more to illegal activities in an effort to keep tabs on what their children are doing.In Houston, a number of parents were interviewed and admitted they have resorted to tapping the telephones their children use in an effort to determine what their activities are. This has been accomplished by the parents as well as by private investigators acting for the parents. In addition, surveillance, background investigations of friends and court records checks have also been conducted. Remember, it may be your phone, but without a court order, you must notify any user conversations are being monitored. This may apply in the workplace as well. Check the laws before you do it. WantedI am always looking for any articles which may appear in newspapers or magazines that pertain to eavesdropping or surveillance (that is where most of my articles come from).Also, if your organization has experienced an incident of eavesdropping or corporate espionage, a sanitized version may be of immense help to others. And last of all, I am always looking for padlocks or combination locks for which the keys or combinations have been lost. These are often used in TSCM seminars or security presentations. Inside every large problem there is a small problem struggling to get out. My own hornI've been told time and time again, if you don't blow your own horn, no one else will. Well, I'll try once again to toot a tune for myself.Most of you are aware of my individual background as an electronics countermeasures specialist. In addition, I also perform government contract background investigations and support client requirements when technical assistance is required in internal investigations or inquiries. For the benefit of the new additions to The Hot Micx mailing list, I began my investigative, security and electronic countermeasures career in 1972 as a Technically Trained Special Agent with the Air Force Office of Special Investigations (My electronics maintenance background began in 1958 with the Army and continued with the Air Force from 1961 to 1972). Upon retiring in 1981, I was employed at NASA, Johnson Space Center as a Security Specialist (GS-11), with primary responsibility for the Space Center countermeasures program in support of the classified Space Shuttle missions. In 1983, I moved to the Washington, DC area and began working with a Department of Energy (DOE) contractor, providing TSCM support to DOEšs headquarters activities, Congressional hearings on Capitol Hill, nuclear research facilities, certain specified government contractors, all SCIF's and support to other government agencies in the national and international arenas. In 1982, I began providing technical assistance and electronic countermeasures services on a part time basis to organizations in the Houston area. The part time service continued until 1986 when Technical Security Consultants Inc. was formed in Arizona and full time service was begun. In addition to numerous smaller organizations, TSCI's client list contains numerous organizations listed on the Fortune 100, 500 and 1000 listings, organizations located throughout the United States and abroad. For additional information on services available, costs, or personal background information, feel free to call or write for an information package. There is no obligation. Floggings will continue until there is an increase in moral. Tim Johnson |