FAQ

Q. how much does a sweep cost?

A. Fees are assessed on a project basis. We will provide a proposal once we understand your requirements and agree upon a scope of work.

Q. How do you accept payment?

A. We accept cashier's checks, money orders, ACH transfers, and cash.

Q. Why can’t our IT, cybersecurity, or physical security team do our sweeps?

A. Most IT, cybersecurity, and physical security professionals lack the expertise, experience, training, and equipment to conduct a competent sweep. TSCM requires knowledge of RF theory, telephony, facility design and construction, offensive tradecraft, and device capabilities and limitations. Such knowledge is typically beyond the scope of most internal security teams.

Q. do you accept private individual (non-corporate) clients?

A. Yes. A good number of our sweeps are done for private clients. In order to provide the best level of service, it helps if we have some idea regarding the background of the problem.  

Q. How long does a sweep take?

A. It depends upon the size and complexity of the space, but for regular sized offices or board rooms we aim to keep our sweeps to less than four hours to avoid operator fatigue and cause minimal disruption to work schedules. Vehicle sweeps typically take around four hours. In any event, clients should plan for even a simple engagement to take at least half a day to account for contingencies.

Q. How often do you detect vulnerabilities?

A. Unfortunately, we almost always discover vulnerabilities in technology, security practices, or policies that could easily be exploited and result in information or privacy loss. Rather than inflate threats, we focus on detecting vulnerabilities and educating clients on how to prevent compromises.

Q. Are there any types of eavesdropping threats that you cannot detect?

A. Yes. We cannot detect telephone taps done by telephone companies, wire taps located off premises, and malware installed on smart phones. If malware is your concern, we recommend simply buying a new phone, as that is much cheaper than having it forensically inspected.

Q. What equipment do we use?

A.  We use equipment from a variety of manufacturers, including REI, Kestrel, Signal Hound, Selcom, Flir, Fluke, JNN Digital, Icom, etc.  

Q. Is it legal to import tscm equipment into my country?

A. It depends; however, many countries do impose strict restrictions on the importation of counter-surveillance equipment and RF transmitters.