Is your business at threat from eavesdroppers?
Whilst advances in technology have brought many benefits to businesses, the downside is that this same technological advance has also brought new threats.
In a competitive business environment, an organisation’s information is perhaps its most valuable asset in retaining competitive advantage. This is why unscrupulous competitors are turning to covert surveillance techniques to steal this vital resource.
By understanding the various forms these threats come in businesses can take their first step in effectively dealing with the risk of unwanted surveillance.
GSM Bugging Devices
Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) devices are commonly used bugging and tracking devices that pose a real threat to business information security. They are small, simple to deploy, use very little power and can be accessed remotely from anywhere in the world.
GSM devices work by using the mobile telephone infrastructure to relay conversations being held in one location, to an the eavesdropper who could be based on the other side of the world.
A real problem with GSM bugs are that they are so difficult to detect. Their signals can be lost amongst legitimate GSM and mobile phone traffic. To deal with these effectively it is vital to call on the help of experts in detecting gsm listening devices.
Radio based technology is fairly low cost means of eavesdropping on telephone lines where a bug will transmit both sides of a conversation to an eavesdropper or recording device.
The advantage of these bugs is that they allow the eavesdropper to receive high quality intelligence in real time. They can also be made quite simply by modifying existing technology such as radio intercoms, analogue cordless telephones and baby monitors.
Keystroke Loggers
Keystroke loggers work by either recording the key presses on a keyboard or by storing information on the activity on a host computer.
These electronic devices have the ability to capture tens of millions of key presses. A year’s worth of average computer use equates to less than 4 million key presses so keystroke loggers aren’t likely to miss anything.
What is particularly dangerous about keystroke loggers is that as they record actual key presses they will record user name and password combinations.
Software versions of keystroke loggers are even more sophisticated and can email screen shots of computer activity to eavesdroppers, as well as keystroke and user information.
As with other forms of electronic eavesdropping devices, the most effective way to discover and deal with installed keyboard monitoring devices is by engaging professionals to carry out a bug sweeping service of the area once the threat has been detected.