“The amount of effort expended to intercept information is limited to the value of the target data.” – Ryk Edelstein, 1997"
To facilitate the process, create a list of events which have led you to conclude you are under surveillance. Itemize events, potential motive and possible suspects. This information will be instrumental in our ability to assess who is conducting the surveillance, the type of information being targeted, and the complexity of intercept methods which may be used.
Depending on who is conducting the technical surveillance, the intercept technologies and methods used will vary significantly. Threat actors can be categorized into the following types:
Lawful Interception refers to the authorized technical collection of targeted communication at a specific location and over a defined period through a warrant. The Points of Interception can vary from offices, residences, vehicles, or electronic communications and may involve service providers or carriers.
If the Intercept involves collecting information from a service provider, the target party may need to realize this is happening as the method of Interception will often remain undetectable.
In Canada, it is mandatory to notify the targeted party of the surveillance event after a lawful intercept mission.
Nation-state attackers possess an advantage over their targets due to their access to advanced technology and larger budgets. They often employ zero-day technologies while targeting high-value or strategic data. These technologies may include sophisticated collection methods, atypical communication channels, or obfuscation technologies usually undetectable by standard security practices or commercial security technology.
At 5-L, we have a clear view of emerging and zero-day technical threats in both TSCM and network communications environments. Our involvement in analyzing zero-day threats enables us to provide services that can detect, defeat, and identify most forms of emerging threats across traditional TSCM, Information Technology (IT), and Operational Technology (OT) environments.
Corporate espionage uses various technologies and methods depending on the threat actors's motivation and the skills of those involved. Access to law enforcement-grade intercept technology is limited, and acquisition methods can range from low to high-risk activities.
Specialists at 5-L possess broad skills to detect and defeat compromises and identify threats across technical platforms and a broad range of technical compromises.
Spouses, parents, employers, or business partners can carry out domestic surveillance. Nowadays, covert surveillance technology can be found easily online, intercepting various types of information. Anyone can buy and use these devices to collect private information without the target party's consent.
The covert installation of hardware-based technical intercept technology typically requires access to the target's home, office, or vehicle. Depending on the installer's skill and the mode of operation, there is always a risk of detection.
In recent years, cloud services have become more popular, making it easier for threat actors to access real-time messaging, email, and device activity logs remotely. They can do this without the risks that hardware-based technical surveillance technologies or device resident spyware pose.
Our team of skilled countersurveillance specialists at 5-L can detect even the most creatively integrated recording and transmitting technologies, whether the perceived threat is from implemented technology, spyware, or account compromise.
As a threat actor, deciding to use technical intercept methods to access target data depends on various factors, such as the value of the target data, existing security methods to protect the target data, the type of information to be collected, the budget, and the threat actor's technical proficiency.
Domestic or industrial espionage often targets desired information using Commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) technology commonly available from online sellers or "spy shops." However, more complex attacks will require a significant budget and may involve professional-grade intercept practices executed by a professional team.
Your work environment and communication technology must be certified free from technical compromise to protect spoken, written, and digital communication against unauthorized access. While in-house technical resources may be skilled at addressing IT-related security concerns, they need more experience and technical resources to detect, identify, and defeat technical surveillance competently.
For this purpose, 5-L's Technical Surveillance countermeasure (TSCM) professionals possess the necessary tools and training to detect and neutralize technical threats effectively. Our counter surveillance specialists maintain a broad set of skills, including experts in communication technologies, information technology, radio frequency (RF) communications, optical communications, analog and digital communication technologies, data network design, packet level analysis, zero-day and evolving covert communication transmission technologies, cellular networks, short-range technologies such as Personal Area Networks (PAN) - including Bluetooth, Zigbee, DECT, Infrared, and medium-range network - including LORA, etc.
With over two decades of experience delivering TSCM services to enterprise and government clients, 5-L has developed an effective 'silent sweep' protocol to prevent informing the biggest of our presence. Aided by specialized and susceptible counter surveillance equipment, our specialists are effective in the rapid detection, location, and defeat of embedded, active/inactive, remote-controlled, or hidden technology, down to the detection of the tiniest of devices, even those embedded within furniture, walls, ceilings, or the least suspected everyday objects.
No magic boxes are available at any price that can reliably locate and intercept technical threats. Technology alone can not replace skill and experience.
Need assistance? Before you contact us, be certain that you are not calling from a compromised room or device.
As experts in Technical Surveillance countermeasures (TSCM), digital forensics, and packet-level network analysis, 5-L offers the most advanced Digital TSCM (SCM) services beyond traditional countersurveillance methods. Our dTSCM services provide comprehensive visibility and include the detection of illicit data paths and the use of available digital networks, such as internal, proximate, PAN, adjacent Wi-Fi, or cellular-based channels.
Our services help detect and analyze information exfiltration over present-day digital network services. We specialize in identifying the following threats:
Compromised end point hardware
Illicit use of integrated services
Redirection or mirroring of network conversations
Unauthorized network devices
Interception of end point video or audio / back-channel communication
Use of adjacent available networks for data exfiltration
Detection of rogue intercept technology to secure environments.
Traditional approaches to delivering TSCM are ineffective, so we offer the most advanced and practical solutions to counter surveillance.