Bug Sweeps Archives - Page 2 of 8 - All in Investigations

Are you Bugged?

At we get at many inquiring calls inquiring about a TSCM (Technical Surveillance Counter Measures) sweep for listening devices. TSCM sweeps have many informal names such as a bug sweep, electronic bug detection or counter surveillance services but whatever you chose to call the service it has one object in mind and that is to find any device with the capability to record audio and/or video of a target without their knowledge. On these sweeps, we use some of the most sophisticated hardware available. We have a hidden camera detector, listening device detection methods, RF video surveillance detection, as well as many other electronic bug sweep devices. During a TSCM sweep we analyze local RF and attempt to isolate RF frequencies emitting from within the [...]

Not Only Do I Hear What You Are Saying, So Is Someone Else

We had a gentleman who was on the verge of selling his multi-million dollar company. He had a qualified buyer who he had been working with for several months and he was excited about the prospect of walking away from the hustle and bustle of owning a company to the sandy shores of some tropical island. In order to accomplish this, he would have to open his company finances to the buyer’s agent to verify his company was in fact viable. The buyer now showed some hesitation and didn’t appear to be as excited as in previous meetings. He had this feeling that something wasn’t right and he came to to hash over his suspicions to determine if that nagging warning was worth investigating. He [...]

Can I Help You?

It was a hectic day here at when the door opened and a small framed middle aged man walked in. He was a rather nerdy fellow with small eyes and bushy eyebrows. In his hand was a small box; 5 inches by 8 inches and he carried it like it was filled with precious gems. He walked right into my office, sat down and said, “I’m here to help you!” which I found strange, because I believed I was here to help him. When I asked what he could do for me, he laid the box down on my desk, opened it up and lifted a smart phone out of it. We both looked at each other with surprise, me because it was just a [...]

Bug Sweeps Can Protect Your Confidential Information

Did you see the recent stories about the National Football League (NFL) conducting a bug sweep in the New York Jets’ locker room before their Week 7 game against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium? It was the talk of all the sports media outlets for several days, given DeflateGate and other instances in which the Patriots have been accused of potential cheating. Funny thing though the Jets said they didn’t make the request for the listening device sweep. But Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk says the electronic bug detection sweep did occur. Eventually, NFL spokesperson Brian McCarthy responded by saying that the NFL has conducted regular, random sweeps of locker rooms for listening devices for years. However, the league does not provide [...]

Covert Surveillance with Four-legged Furry Spies

Would you consider a cat or dog roaming around your business or home as a possible security threat? What about if the animal was your own pet? At , we doubt you’d even consider it. But you may start to wonder about it after reading this blog post. According to an article in The Hacker News, a security researcher with a large security consultancy firm thought it would be fun to conduct an experiment in “weaponizing” his grandmother’s pet cat to map vulnerable WiFi networks in his neighborhood. He built a custom collar for Coco made from a Wi-Fi card, GPS module, Spark Core chip, battery and leopard-print fabric. He then set Coco loose. During the cat’s three-hour jaunt through the neighborhood, the security researcher [...]

Are You Being Victimized By Corporate Espionage?

According to a recent article on CNN, the head of the FBI’s counterintelligence division, Randall Coleman said that the bureau has seen a 53% increase in economic espionage cases. To warn and educate industry leaders, the FBI has launched a nationwide campaign. In the article, Bill Evanina, head of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center, said, “Economic security is national security.” There is growing evidence of threats from several different nations, which is part of the concern from the government agencies. Three scenarios highlight the types of situations of corporate espionage: Insider Threats. This is a situation where individuals who are familiar with the inner workings of a company or products are recruited by outside organizations. Sometimes these individuals actually “spy” on the company and [...]

Not All Office Spying is About Corporate Espionage

Many times, our clients are flabbergasted after we conduct a very confidential TSCM sweep of their offices. When TSCM services are combined with digital forensics, the findings catch them by surprise. It’s not uncommon for IT departments to be asked to monitor employee’s habits in surfing the Internet. Today with so much of the business world transacting business through the Internet, monitoring has been reduced to applying restrictions and developing Internet use policies. What Sort of Investigation? One C-level executive had a problem and contacted directly. He was a little uncertain about what he wanted. There was a female admin who was giving him some weird vibes. So much so that he went to personnel to find out where she had worked previously because he [...]

TSCM Services Still a Productive Measure for Investigation

In today’s highly advanced technical age, very often the common person can conduct some research, click on some links, learn a lot in a limited amount of time and trace down all kinds of information. But of course, even in this age of finding a lot about a lot in a limited amount of time, still has professional access to data bases that are unavailable to the average person. Then, we also make it our business to remain on the cutting edge of technology, especially regarding digital forensics, forensic computer analysis and forensic data recovery. Even with technology expanding in those directions, some people forget about the need for Technical Surveillance Countermeasures, or TSCM. Some believe that the collection of cell phones, tablets and other [...]

Is Using Surveillance Equipment Good or Bad?

If you watch TV at all, you hear continual references to closed circuit TV. In fact, if you spend time in the UK or other European countries you will see them everywhere. We realize that makes some people feel uneasy, but there are two sides to surveillance equipment. The Crime Prevention Side of Surveillance Equipment Not sure if I should call it crime prevention because it only seems to deter those who respect the law to begin with, but cameras can be installed inside and around public space and places of business to: Record evidence of theft and other wrongdoing such as vandalism. Authorities routinely use CC TV recordings to identify robbers and submit images to the public for help in apprehending the perpetrators. Employers [...]

Burglary and Trickery Foiled by TSCM

After years of providing investigative services, here at , there are some things we understand. When someone’s home is burgled, the residents often lose the feeling of being safe and secure. But when someone’s homes is invaded twice in a very short time frame, that fear is mixed with confusion and uncertainty. Sandy* had moved out of her home after the second incident. She was afraid, and not quite sure why the burglary had been repeated. In each instance, some possessions had been taken: a computer, some collectibles, and then some things like BlueRay movies, CDs and even a few books. It didn’t make sense to her and it sounded unusual to us, too. Since there was a chance the home would be invaded again, [...]