What is TSCM?

Simply, TSCM employs technical and procedural counter measures to detect technical surveillance devices (bugs), identify both technical security hazards and physical security weaknesses of a business or individual interests and provide recommendations on how to make the future attempted placement of eavesdropping devices into an area much more difficult.

TSCM can be described in basic levels of low, medium or high. Those levels, in turn, correlate to a low, medium or high threat level. The counter measures needed to detect and nullify eavesdropping devices and technical surveillance strategies increase in sophistication as the threat level increases. The basic levels can be further broken down into ten more detailed levels:
 
Low Threat (1-3)



  • Amateur devices and employment (wire line spliced tape recorders or transmitters, wall jack plug-in devices, spy shop covert cameras hidden in electronic devices (clock radios, smoke detectors), spy shop audio transmitters, etc.)

  • Domestic (divorce, civil matters); small business advantage over competitor; revenge; stalking; political motivations; pending litigation

  • Standard items used surreptitiously (baby monitors, wireless microphones, nanny-cams, child's walkie-talkies, scanners, pre-paid cell phones)


Medium Threat (4-6)

  • A mix of readily available "spy shop" devices, Internet sales, foreign made, eBay sales. Manufactured eavesdropping devices may be modified by perpetrator (e.g. battery transmitter outfitted for hard-wiring use)

  • Deployment becomes more sophisticated and perpetrator may be a hired third party. The perpetrator will make the extra effort to conceal his eavesdropping devices. Perpetrator will probably employ multiple devices, with one planted with the intent of being easily discovered

  • Devices hidden in office equipment; phone line or phone instrument tampering; wireless battery or hardwired transmitters; multiple devices may be employed; utilization of facility wiring; ready-made eavesdropping devices hidden in power strips

  • TSCM becomes much more technically sophisticated and time consuming after level 5


High Threat (7-9)

  • Extremely sophisticated devices and sophisticated employment

  • Devices may be custom made. Perpetrator is an expert in electronics

  • The target company has very desirable technology, products or processes

  • The company has spent millions of dollars on research and development

  • Multiple sophisticated devices will be employed against target, covering numerous transmitting options (RF, wiretaps, hook-bypass, Infrared, etc.)

  • In many cases, the receiver and transmitter may be separated by miles. Eavesdropping devices may be attached to telephone lines blocks away from the target.

  • Newer devices in the high Ghz ranges are employed

  • Very few TSCM firms qualified to conduct effective surveys at level 9


Esoteric Threats (10)

  • Hypothetical; technologies tested but not yet deployable

  • Conspiratorial


It is safe to say that 85% of the eavesdropping threats that exist and that have been discovered occur(ed) within the lower two-thirds of the scale.

JRS Group levels of service include 1 through 8 on the 10 scale