Counter-Surveillance

Get ahead of the threat with Overt AI’s specialised surveillance counter measures.

A Growing Threat

Organisations, trade secrets, national security, and individuals are constantly at risk from criminals and adversaries seeking to acquire confidential information for personal gain. With methods of illicit intelligence continually developing, it’s increasingly complicated to maintain complete awareness of our threats. A tested and comprehensive security protocol covering physical, cyber, and electronic surveillance can drastically weaken the chances of sensitive information getting into the wrong hands. Ensure that your secure facilities stay secure by employing Overt AI, an always present, invisible sweep team.

 

 

Video Surveillance

Infiltrators may use video to provide insight into security procedures, the building layout, and locations for areas of interest. Video can also uncover passwords for air-gapped devices and access points to operational technology – furthermore, video surveillance can identify and blackmail persons of interest.

Audio Surveillance

Audio surveillance has remained a consistently popular means of attaining illicit intelligence. Eavesdropping extends beyond the constant and intermittent transmission of audio files. Technology can vary, with some devices lying dormant, collecting speech recognition data, and converting it into text format for a much smaller file. These devices then “lie in wait”, designed to send the file in an extremely narrow burst transmission, making it increasingly challenging to detect.

Data Exfiltration

Wireless advanced persistent threat (WAPT) devices allow infiltrators to gain complete access to a connected computer. The compromised machine enables the intruder to destroy or transmit files and alter anything they gain access to, such as documents and local networks.

Locating Devices

As briefly outlined, modern surveillance devices are incredibly discreet and capable. The biggest dangers are often entirely inconspicuous – for example, a lightbulb with an intermittent transmission capability, or a repurposed USB lightning cable. While appearing as a typical phone charger, it can access and transmit information from connected devices. Those with effective monitoring and control of the space are far more likely to identify and evade any attempts of illicit intelligence. Many cutting-edge surveillance devices stay undetected by only briefly emitting RF transmission to pass on data. Overt AI can detect even the briefest and slightest anomalies amongst problematic RF conflict and interference. Recorded detection of the signal is geolocated and given to personnel as a real-time alert.

Lacking reliable security of your radio frequency space can allow for undetected RF activity, resulting in:

    • Intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) operations carried out against your organisation.
    • Classified information and trade secrets being leaked, sold, or leveraged against the organisation.
    • A potential loss of life due to hijacking critical C2 signals.
    • Stolen financial data and cash assets.
    • The undermining of military, law enforcement and intelligence agency operations.
    • Infrastructural damages.
    • Unforeseen assault or terrorism attacks.

Read more about Situational Awareness here.

A Hierarchal Approach to Counter Surveillance

A hierarchy of security measures is a reliable way to prevent technical surveillance.

01: Physical Security

The foundation to any defence measure is functional and broad-based physical security. This foundational level encompasses security guards, clearance and access control points to various facilities and air-gapped control systems to operational resources. All these measures play a significant role in preventing ISR operations.

02: Bug Detection and Location

Current surveillance technologies are highly capable of avoiding detection. Methods include repurposed unassuming devices such as a cable that remains dormant while collecting information to briefly emit RF, ‘shake hands’ and transfer the information to the infiltrator. Traditional sweeps are rendered ineffective as hand-held devices likely won’t detect radio frequency emissions in such a narrow window of time. Traditional sweeps are highly disruptive and require investment of time and human resources, as a result, they can only be done intermittently. Our solution includes both; in-place monitoring and wireless intrusion detection. Coupled with advanced and highly accurate locating capabilities, Overt AI leads users directly to the location of the anomalous behaviour.

03: Wireless Intrusion Detection Systems (WIDS)

WIDS monitor phone radiation, Bluetooth and WiFi (and most other ISM band-based devices). These systems are excellent for identifying active emitters in the vicinity, making them ideal for use in SCIFS (secure facilities) and other contexts requiring oversight of emitters and enforcing no phone/radio transmitter policies. WIDS are tremendously helpful. However, they operate in a limited RF range, typically unable to extend past 6GHz due to bandwidth and physical boundaries. To attain complete coverage against RF breaches and surveillance, a constant, technical surveillance countermeasure known as the in-place monitoring system is used.

04: In-Place Monitoring Systems (IPMS)

Get continuous, extremely precise TSCM. Clearly identify the weakest and briefest signals next to other, more robust transmitters. This function can be run without pause outside of operating hours to ensure complete coverage from any breach attempts or unwanted activity. Our device can reach and jam frequency activity as high as 6GHz. There are devices on the market capable of detecting frequencies as astonishingly high as 50GHz, and as while this may be impressive, the geographical range of these frequencies is extremely short and responsive jamming of unwarranted activity at these frequencies is just as ineffective. Most RF activity takes place below 6GHz which is also favourable for accurate identification, consumption, and effective jamming.
Think of Overt AI as an ever-present, invisible, comprehensive sweep team. Beyond physical security measures, Overt AI acts as a constant, non-intrusive sweep for bugs and data exfiltration. The range of application is extensive. Some examples are provided below:

  • Military and national defence facilities.
  • Secure facilities and embassies for state and national security matters.
  • National infrastructure facilities.
  • Banks.
  • Offices.
  • Data centres.

Technical Surveillance Counter Measures

An approach that combines finely calibrated broad bandwidth receivers with highly capable, autonomous monitoring to capture even the most discrete unauthorised signals.

Creators of surveillance devices are always thinking of ways to get around up-to-date countermeasures. A unique method is daisy-chaining multiple Bluetooth, VHF and other signal listening devices that rapidly pass along information to a transmitter far from locations that undergo sweeps and similar RF space surveillant technologies. Due to the commonality of everyday RF activity, this can go unnoticed. However, we can deploy our AI application to learn or ‘soak’ the activity of the space to gain a baseline of known and predictable behaviour. Once a daisy chain action has occurred, no matter how brief and minuscule the signal was, Overt AI can detect, recognise it as a threat and alert staff, providing geolocation and direction-finding information to locate the devices.

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How would In-Place Monitoring help you?

Sensitive, compartmented information facilities (SCIF) are enclosed areas, ensuring complete shielding from surveillance of any kind. Electronics are not permitted inside. In addition, these facilities are often sound-proofed and physically guarded to protect information crucial to state matters.

With Overt AI’s in-place monitoring capabilities, no accidental or intentional breach will occur as devices emitting any energy in unauthorised locations will be identified, and security teams notified before any vital intelligence is shared. Cutting-edge artificial intelligence detects and accurately locates even the most subtle and evasive transmission technologies.

The political context has a history full of illicit surveillance. Government and diplomatic premises must guarantee privacy as consequential, sensitive, and highly sought-after information is exchanged and kept on site. These environments need an unobtrusive, cost and time-effective means of securing signal space from transmitting devices to assure freedom to discuss strategy, policy, and other important intelligence.

In-place monitoring solves this problem by providing around-the-clock oversight of the space. Without this technology present, antagonistic actors are far more likely to have exfiltrated information that can be used as a detriment to national security or wellbeing.

It is our goal to identify surveillance attempts as they start, not after the harm is done with continual in-place monitoring. Overt AI can integrate with other security systems, such as CCTV systems, giving guards an advantage in preventing damage and catching the hostile actor. Our innovative deep-learning signal analysis assures that even the most sophisticated transmission technology will be detected and located.

Critical National Infrastructure (CNI) assets attract substantial amounts of unwanted attention from actors with nefarious intent as they have immense influence over national functionality and wellbeing. Due to the enormous power of these facilities, critical infrastructure protection (CIP) measures must be as successful as possible.

CNI facilities invest heavily in the security and safety of their assets with routine testing, research, and development. These facilities make sure that they are as capable as possible and steps ahead of incoming threats. However, potential weak points that continue to get exploited are the cyber and radio frequency spaces. These methods of intrusion in these facilities could cause catastrophic loss of life and economic damage.

With Overt AI as the cornerstone of the defence system of the RF space in-and-around the premises, it can accurately and effectively alert on any unwarranted activity and its exact location.

Business relies on companies of people identifying new market needs, researching, developing, strategising, designing, and communicating solutions to demand. Critical information flows throughout company spaces amongst staff in substantial detail. As a result, the safety of this inside information and intellectual property is of great concern. Even with a strong network, legal and physical securities in place, organisations still struggle with internal breaches and confidential information leaks.

The need for efficient in-place monitoring – According to the Commission on Theft of American Intellectual Property, the cost of stolen trade secrets is between $180 to $540 billion per year for the US economy alone.

Technical surveillance counter measures involving sweeps are almost entirely ineffective against modern surveillance devices. Furthermore, they are highly disruptive, intermittent, and time and human resource consuming. Cutting-edge surveillance technologies can record sensitive information in a mostly dormant state and pass data through a high-speed connection. Employees can quickly deactivate and reactivate any exfiltration equipment around sweep teams, even under a sporadic procedure.

Overt AI monitors its space 24/7/365. It detects the briefest, weakest signals amongst conflict and interference, analyses data in real-time while recording and locating the activity. Integrated into wider, autonomous security systems such as CCTV, identifying the individuals behind the breach becomes much more accessible. Not only does this solution offer a much more reliable level of security, but it’s also unintrusive and saves human resource expenditure.

Centralised computing and storage infrastructure such as cloud storage has peaked over the last 2 years with the uptake of individuals working from home. In direct correlation, pressures are increasing on data centre’s ability to ensure security and reliability to these users.

These data centres house personal and business-critical information. Successful physical breaches result in significant detriments to future performance and trust in these services. While many data centres have resilient cyber and physical security, they are still vulnerable to wireless and physical threats, even if they are under air gapped security measures.

Overt AI provides constant, highly detailed wide-band monitoring on any component malfunctions, infiltration or data exfiltration attempts through radio frequency. Instant awareness allows for investigation before an attack is carried out, not after.

Corporations and consumers trust the finance sector with vast amounts of money and private data. To its extent, policy allows regulators to hold these institutions financially liable for monetary loss and theft of sensitive information. Even if a breach is not directly their fault, they can still be held accountable if authorities determine that security measures were not comprehensive or sufficient in minimising hazard.

The financial sector would benefit from an enhanced oversight of radio frequency activity, in and around their facilities. Overt AI is an intelligent, invisible, always present sweep team. Human technical surveillance counter measure teams are costly, intrusive, and insufficient in preventing infiltration and exfiltration in the modern day. Manual sweeps are simple to evade and detecting cutting edge surveillance or transmitting technologies is harder than ever before.

Once installed, a network of finely calibrated sensors and deep-learning artificial intelligence will analyse, record and report on the activity of the space in real-time and in the finest detail. Any suspicious behaviour in the area is investigated and located in seconds before alerting security guards. Overt AI’s open-source API allows for third party integration, creating a seamless protective measure.

To find out more about Overt AI Counter-Surveillance, and to view a demonstration, please get in touch.