Revealed: Technical Surveillance Threats

Revealed: Technical Surveillance Threats


Spy Cam 101

Not long ago while on assignment, I was asked "How many times do you actually find technical surveillance threats?"
My answer was "Well, I would tell you but then I would have to...." Just kidding,  The real answer is more often than you would think..
Although, not every technical surveillance threat involves finding a device. It can also can mean discovering a technical surveillance vulnerability. Like for instance, the allowance of cellular devices (w/ cameras) or iPads in conference rooms and during high level meetings. Or, the allowance of digital recorders within these areas, just to name a few.

It's not always "James Bond" spy gear that turns up during a sweep.

But every now and then, I still discover a "surprise" that may (or may not) have been left behind...on purpose.

For example, take this pen & pencil holder discovered during the wee hours of the morning while sweeping the "Presidential Suite" of one of our clients facilities.

Plain looking enough, but take a closer look... Through our Thermal Imaging Camera... Notice that hot spot? So did we...It turned out to be a hardwired Spy cam, with audio....Here's another look..

This was only one of the technical surveillance threats found during this assignment. Yes, you heard me right, only one of several threats found...

So, the short answer is YES, technical surveillance threats (although crude) like the above are used for intel collection purposes by your adversaries. i.e.; disgruntled employee, competitor, corp spy, eavesdropper, etc.
So be aware, these types of surveillance threats could be lurking closer than you might think...

If you don't mind me asking, When was your last TSCM Sweep?  Not Sure?  Contact Me here. I can help.

Stay tuned for the next "reveal"....JDL

Simon Cowell admits 'The X Factor' uses hidden cameras to expose contestants

examiner.com

"The X Factor" U.S. is inevitably getting compared to "American Idol," but Simon Cowell (who is an executive producer/judge on "The X Factor" U.S.) says that his show is doing something that "American Idol" doesn't do: use hidden cameras to expose contestants' true personalities.

In an exclusive Q&A with ReelzChannel, Cowell was interviewed by his older half-brother Tony Cowell, who is ReelzChannel's special "X Factor" U.S. correspondent. Simon said in part two of the interview (which aired on September 29, 2011):

"We put cameras in all the makeup mirrors, and we didn't tell them [the contestants]. I've worked with contestants who, on camera, are the nicest, most beautiful people you'd ever meet. [With the] cameras off, they are absolute horrors. On this show, you see everything. Otherwise, it's not real."

More...

Naked eye: hidden cameras more common than you think?

Note: This just in from our ERI Associate & Friend from down under, Julian Claxton, Counter Surveillance Expert & Director of Jayde Consulting. Congrats Julian! Job well done!



smh.com.au



Hidden cameras in change rooms and toilets are far more common than people realise and advances in technology have made them so small that they are virtually impossible to detect, a Sydney counter-surveillance expert said.

Organisations are typically oblivious to the presence of hidden cameras and, on the odd occasions they do find them, are reluctant to come forward to police for fear of reputational damage, said Julian Claxton, a surveillance expert whose company, Jayde Consulting, conducts sweeps for recording devices.

Just this year, Claxton has investigated two instances in Sydney, one involving a hidden camera in the change room of a Sydney private school and another involving a camera placed in the toilet of a building in Haymarket.

"Two or three inquiries a year where devices have been found is quite significant … in this business you would be lucky to find something 1 or 2 per cent of the time," said Claxton, estimating he saw only 10 per cent of the reported cases in Sydney.

"We believe that there's a lot more going on that's not being picked up."

More....



Note: By the way, when was the last time your organization requested a sweep for electronic eavesdropping devices? Not Sure? Contact me, I can help. ~JDL