An alleged conversation between German military personnel, held over Webex has been played by Russian media. Now Germany must investigate thoroughly how this conversation was intercepted. The alleged content of the conversation led to Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova to say that Germany owes Russia an explanation regarding the discussion of military operations in Crimea.…
In today’s interconnected world, protecting privacy and sensitive information has become increasingly vital. As technology advances, so do the methods employed by malicious actors to eavesdrop on conversations, gather intelligence, and gain unauthorized access to confidential data. Technical Surveillance Countermeasures (TSCM) is a comprehensive approach to detecting and mitigating electronic surveillance threats. This essay explores…
A TSCM inspection requires TWO essential components; Remember, TSCM equipment doesn’t have an opinion! The equipment measures a threat domain parameters, and then displays the findings and measurements. To be able to; 1. detect, identify and pinpoint locate a technical surveillance attack, or 2. a historic signal of a technical surveillance attack, or 3. a…
We tend to forget and be very surprised when approached by security professionals who ask ‘what does TSCM mean?’ and seem to be unaware of what TSCM is (and what it is not!). Our specialism is TSCM, we live and breathe all things TSCM. Let’s start from the basics. TSCM stands for Technical Surveillance Counter…
Do Military TSCM teams need an OPEVAL? Warnings continue to be issued to the international community that Russian espionage attacks have increased. As in any conflict, knowledge is power. This is no surprise. Knowing what your enemy is doing, finding their weaknesses and exploiting them is necessary to support your military actions. More details in…
News article below details the case of a former Twitter staff spying for Saudi Arabia. They were sentenced to over three years for spying in US for Saudi Arabia This incident brings to light how Twitter (now X) can be a valuable source of information for foreign government agents A former Twitter employee who was previously found…
We’re seeing an increase in the use of hidden cameras in both private and commercial settings. Toilets and changing areas are sadly the most targeted areas. Sadly, many of these are educational establishments. Why are UK educational establishments continuing to ignore this serious safeguarding issue? Do you know how to incorporate checks into your standard…
What was Project Acoustic Kitty? Bugged by a surgically altered cat?! We’re guessing most TSCM professionals don’t automatically consider the source of an eavesdropping attack to involve a family pet. Discussions in the Verrimus Operational TSCM Training Facility today centred around imagining what other domestic animals could be turned into viable eavesdropping attacks. Goldfish seem…
Verrimus TSCM specialists question whether the Government privacy training provided to UK Ministers is fit for purpose. “The Johnson, Truss and now Sunak governments have all had publicly revealed issues with information security. For Boris Johnson’s administration it was the extensive use of WhatsApp to discuss and make COVID policy. This morphed into the use of WhatsApp…
Pegasus in the EU: A Watergate-Scale Spyware Scandal The Pegasus spyware scandal continues to ripple through the European Union, drawing comparisons to Watergate in its scale and political fallout. Pegasus, a powerful surveillance tool originally designed to fight terrorism and organized crime, has instead become synonymous with state overreach, political surveillance, and the erosion of…