TapSweep: Your Next Line of Defense
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Surveillance Overview


We Live In An Information Society

Fact is, information is and has always been a valuable commodity. Who controls the information always has the upper hand.


Are You At Risk?

According to the FBI, the insider threat is not new but it’s becoming more prevalent for a host of reasons, including:

  • The pervasiveness of employee financial hardships during economic difficulties
  • The global economic crisis facing foreign nations, making it even more attractive
  • Cost-effective, and worth the risk to steal technology rather than invest in research and development
  • The ease of stealing anything stored electronically, especially when one has
  • Legitimate access to it
  • The increasing exposure to foreign intelligence services presented by the reality of global business, joint ventures, and the growing international footprint of American firms

Your Due Diligence now includes adopting the relevant electronic security measures for today’s business environment. 

As our technology changes, new vulnerabilities emerge:

  • Passwords, Virus Protection and Firewalls – protocols have changed significantly over the last decade or so
  • Access controls to the buildings and offices? Unknown services and trades personal were routinely given full access to buildings communications rooms while carrying equipment and toolboxes full of who-knows-what—without ever so much as showing ID. I personally went 12 years without showing ID once!

 

Protect your company, your shareholders, yourself.

As an executive of your company you carry the onerous, and often fiduciary responsibility to your Board of Directors and shareholders, as well as to your employees and union members to implement the appropriate ‘due diligence.’  Due diligence requires that you contract a capable, credible and of course, a very discrete company to examine your vulnerabilities.  A specialist security company like TapSweep is capable of ensuring and verifying your Security Hygiene.

TapSweep is available 24/7 to help you fulfill those requirements and obligations. E-mail info@tapsweep.com or call 613-220-2717 to see how we can help you.

Recording of Vital Conversations – the best information succinctly packaged and articulated.

Efficient verbal communication sums up the most important and relevant info to clearly articulate. We have the advantage of hearing subtleties & nuances in the voice: the tone, inflections, sarcasm, humour, doubt, shrewdness, urgencies, fear and confidence.

An eavesdropper is much better served in this manner too as opposed to hacking emails and files -- the likes of which most of us have problems discerning nuances of those to whom we’re most familiar.

How damaging would it be if a competitor, opposing legal team, labour negotiator, nemesis, etc. ’virtually’ sat in on a sensitive meeting?

Would you invite your competitors to strategic boardroom meetings? At least knowing their presence gives you an opportunity to take measures and adjust strategically. Not even knowing they’re there …then just ponder the ramifications.

 

What we are finding these days…

Inexpensive eavesdropping devices—wiretaps and RF Bugs—that are usually highly effective therefore helping illegal eavesdropping practices to exist in the simplest of forms.

Why? Because nobody is looking for them!

Over the past several years, there has been a systematic simplification being used in corporate espionage. Why would more complex and expensive devices and methods be used if these simple devices and methods are effective?

Eavesdropping experts are gravitating to the simpler, smaller, cheaper transmitting devices –regardless of higher security facilities -- because they are effective and not being looked for.

Have you been TapSwept?

  • Communications rooms, IT closets, shared floor telecommunications terminals, Main Distribution Frame (main communications frame for all the building’s & tenants communications)
  • Phones lines, PBX, phone & data jacks
  • Intercom systems, speakers, smoke detectors, clocks, power bars, electronic gifts
  • Power mains—and that thing on the wall some serviceman installed but no one seems to know what it is or does.

"There are 1000’s of phone & data line access points that are unsecure – often unlocked or easily opened with just a simple socket wrench. Any telephone tech worth their salt can find your lines outside in 10 minutes or less."

 

"Electronic eavesdropping started with the use of telegraph lines during the American Civil War."

Everyone’s security needs are different

You may just want piece of mind because you’ve always wondered if in fact there is a tap or bug. Perhaps you:

  • Strongly suspect information is getting out and want to eliminate that possibility and focus on a few staffers that may be talking to people they shouldn’t be talking to.
  • Want employees to know measures are being taking to combat illegal temptation.
  • Want to clear the clutter & worry of being overheard
  • Want to know the safest way to converse in the office without an expensive retrofit
  • Wonder what that ‘thing’ some unknown tradesman installed on your wall
  • If that beautiful gift clock is really ‘just a clock’ -- & doesn’t have a bug or camera built in. Wouldn’t you want to know? Appreciate it or expose a nasty cunning associate!

We’ll address all those questions on every Technical Security visit from our Baselining Sweep & Security Package on up.


Next Step Information Security against today’s new corporate threats

 Have you wondered if you’ve been wiretapped or bugged? Is information getting out somehow? Are familiar everyday devices being used covertly?

Eavesdropping could be in the form a hidden voice recorder, baby-room monitor or phone placed above the ceiling tiles, a hidden video camera or one of the 1000’s of covert devices easily found on the internet and in electronics shops. Someone is buying them if the US Department of State is conservatively claiming sales of over a billion dollars.

Can you imagine your Board of Directors finding out that the details of a major acquisition or initial public offering has allowed your competitors to make millions – or, perhaps a union negotiation with one side knowing if the other is bluffing.

How about the evening news reporting that a prominent female client in one of your franchise gyms found a video camera in the ladies’ change room; can you imagine the headlines?

With so much new technology in our homes and offices, it is difficult to stay relevant and aware of ‘seemingly innocuous technological advancements’ let alone the potential problems that just a single additional ‘advancement’ could impart on your corporate health.

If someone could gain from this exploitation, would they contrive to cheat?

Do you think it is possible there are individuals — employees or competitors—who would gain from obtaining any of your personal, confidential, financial, strategic, proprietary information?

What would the damage be of just a single breach?

What would be the repercussions from the shareholders and Board of Directors?

The consequences of having a competitor, unscrupulous individual or disgruntled insider illegally obtain information can be catastrophic to the health of your business.

Your work place should be free of such security clutter concerns.


In our industry, it is generally accepted that there are 3 levels of information pirates:


The hobbyist

A casual eavesdropper, perhaps with an analog Scanner. This may be just a low-cost form of entertainment, but every so often something interesting may be overheard. Hobbyists can monitor cordless and cell phones conversations, room monitors, wireless mikes, police and 911 calls, and some intercoms. Sometimes they record a ‘good one’ and share it with other hobbyists or post it on the Web.

The Techie

The so called electronic buff / computer geek who possesses technical knowledge and equipment far more sophisticated than the average person. Often these people will target an individual, a distinct area, or piece of equipment. Techies are generally very private individuals who are highly motivated, sometimes just to the thrill of the accomplishment.

The Specialist

These individuals excel as information pirates. They use a huge range of equipment and devices, often have no allegiances to the client, and work for hire (there are also active IE organizations and societies). These individuals pose a very serious threat and tend to perform work targeted to the task at hand. Often the targeted company’s information is sold -- sometimes many times over. Every competitor of a particular business is a potential customer.

 

TapSweep: Your Next Line of Defense

Industrial Espionage via wiretapping, and audio/video covert surveillance is a very real, and present threat to small and medium sized businesses, professionals, as well as anyone with valuable, proprietary information. The prevalence of the easy-to-purchase and use bugging equipment, re-purposed items such as baby-room monitors, cordless & cell phones, recording devices for note-taking is proof that the threat exists widely, and much damage is already being done without the victim’s knowledge or awareness.

The sliding ethical scale away from privacy of others and the quest for individual gain greatly increases the odds of being compromised.

The cost of personal and industrial espionage goes far beyond loss of a bid, concept, idea, litigation matters, theft or safety: it can topple large businesses, create financial catastrophes, and ruin lives.

 

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