BUGS EYE SPY TRADECRAFT
Listening in. Government operators will use various means to gather intelligence including carefully concealed transmitters. The information is recorded and immediately analysed.
advanced computer software can be uploaded into certain phone units literally turning them into room bugs. Uploading covert software via the Internet can also turn a webcam into a listening and camera device. But before terrorists make a beeline to their nearest reference library to study countermeasures, beware, there is a solution to every problem. Telephone tap equipment can also be attached to the actual line (so not all the old traits of the spy have disappeared). If it’s done by a government agency holding an intercept warrant, it is legal. If not, and you are caught placing a device on a telephone line, you could go to jail (regardless of intent).
The loft is a favourite location to place advanced and ‘long-situ’ bugs. The area is usually powered and various cables can be run between rooms. Loft insulation and domestic clutter are good ‘concealers’.
Telephone line tap detector and bug hunter. This unit will tell you if the line is being bugged. Having such a device won’t necessarily reveal who placed the bug in the first place - but it does provide some assurance
specialists to make sure a competitor, for example, is not “listening in” and gathering trade secrets. A one-to-one scrambler phone will secure at least one line and make if difficult to a corporate spy to listen. DIGITAL ERA Sometimes simple is best. Few countermeasures’ operatives still possess equipment to detect a standard tape cassette recorder have replaced the receiver. Occasionally there is an echo or you can hear your comments repeated very quietly. Numerous line-clamped telephone tap defeat devices exist and work very well - but in truth, they won’t stop an official intercept. Changing your number will not stop an official or illegal line intercept. But it’s worth remembering, most telephone companies have their own investigators who are regulated. If you suspect a tap, call them for advice - the advice bit is free. More and more businesses are opting to install countermeasures equipment, but some seem oblivious to certain facts. For example, most corporations use digital phone exchanges to route calls from one office to another. Placing a standard telephone tap defeat on such a system simply will not work. Nevertheless, intercepting phone calls is big business in the corporate world, thus more and more companies turn to
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Devices are sometimes dropped down wall cavities - but powered from the loft area. Telephones can also be physically tapped from here by unscrupulous buggists
or are attached by a tiny crocodile clip. Hidden in a dark area, for example, they are difficult to see. Similarly, if someone has placed a line device high up on the nearest telegraph pole, it will probably be out of sight and reach. A popular place to conceal phone intercept devices is in the loft. Telephone line cables are often routed through the roof area to other rooms - to check thoroughly, you must follow the line throughout its journey to the phone or adapter. However, there are clues to a physical/central exchange line tap such as a minute pause or faint click; sometimes the line appears open - even if you
Physical line-tapping is performed in seconds but can be defeated using relatively low-cost equipment. (In a later edition of Eye Spy DIY, we will show you how to detect a ‘line presence’ using a simple voltage meter). Indeed, a visual check of your line is sometimes sufficient to spot an unusual object. However, Eye Spy has seen telephone taps as small as a pea. These devices are often powered by the line itself and have two wires spliced to the main cable
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when you need to know
WHITE NOISE - OR WATER?
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But what if audio intelligence is beyond the reach of an ordinary telephone tap? If a meeting needs to be recorded by the authorities, every attempt will be made to ‘prime’ the room. And there are dozens of covert listening devices that can be used to record conversations. However, they are all vulnerable to some extent, and bizarrely, even more so if they are wireless. A UHF transmitter is more secure, but an abundance of countermeasures’ equipment is available to ‘out’ the bug.
A favourite way of ‘cloaking’ a conversation is by playing white noise. If this is not an option - the sound generated by a running water tap can make recording difficult - a trait often used by undercover operatives. However, it also alerts the buggist that you may be on to him.
In one-to-one contact it is possible to obtain a high-quality recording. In an official operation and depending on the seriousness of the event it’s highly unlikely an operative will use just one recorder. Micro-recorders can be installed in a variety of everyday objects such as a button, wristwatch, glasses, hat, belt buckle or tie. Experienced operatives will assess the situation before contact is made and carefully select what he or she should wear. An ordinary recorder and tiny body-worn microphone will prevail in most cases, but even a glancing touch from a shirt collar may distort the sound. Using a long-play slimline recorder with the external mic removed is essential: this stops any internal noise being emitted and negates the possibility that the unit will ‘click’ when the tape is exhausted. Checking equipment and battery life prior to a field operation can’t be ignored and is mandatory.
received safely elsewhere and recorded at a listening or observation post. Because detectors can expose most transmitting devices, many intelligence services resort to simple recording methods. Even some of the most advanced detectors can’t accurately determine if a tape recording is taking place. A few years ago general audio recording detectors were readily available on the marketplace, but they have become somewhat of a rarity because technology has moved in to the digital era. However, Eye Spy is aware that a few models are about to make a comeback. For the record, most tape recorders generate an ultrasonic sound called bias. If used on the body or in a briefcase, for example, the detector will be alerted to the sound.
Eye Spy has recently received the new covert recorder from Russia that replaces the incredibly powerful MICRODOT. The new unit has been streamlined, encased in a tough rubber surround, and is easily hidden. It’s so small six units will fit into a standard match box. Because of its size, long play capability, stunning digital sound and other security features, it is the new choice of professional operators. The unit can be incorporated into clothing or virtually any object, such as a lighter, cell phone, or even inside the heel of a shoe. It is non-mechanical, does not transmit, and issues no sound whatsoever. Also, without the correct software and codes - no-one can access its content. The high-end model can operate for nearly 300 hours. Wearing any sort of device is problematic. The dangers of using a body-worn microphone/ transmitter are obvious. If the contact requests a “bodycheck”, its likely any bulky apparatus will
Using a transmitter tucked safely out of sight is a popular way to gather audio intelligence, whether it’s on a person, in a vehicle, in an object, inside a wall cavity or under the carpet. The data is
CUTTING THE POWER
TRADE SECRETS
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Some security outfits will actually create electrical faults to gain access into companies and homes. Cutting a phone landline is a popular ruse. An ‘engineer’ will often make a surprise appearance and say the fault is street-wide - thus gaining immediate access to the building.
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Selling for about £90.00 - this digital watch makes great recordings and conceals a multitude of devices. It might, however, catch the eye of experts involved in countermeasures
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