What is a Wiretap?
What are the different types of Wiretaps? How many different types are there?
What is a "Bug"?
What are the different kinds of bugs? How many different types are there?
What is a Wiretap?
A Wiretap is the preferred method of obtaining intelligence for quality reasons. The process of wiretapping involves tying into a wire or other conductor that is used for communications. This wire can be a telephone line, a PBX Cable, a
Local Area Network, a
CCTV Video System, an
Alarm System, or any other communications medium. The goal of wiretapping is to obtain a high quality of information while minimizing the possibility of the eavesdropping being discovered. Remember, radiated signals are easy to detect.
What are the different types of Wiretaps? How many different types are there?
A Hardwired Wiretap requires physical access to the section of wire that a signal is traveling on. A second set of wires is attached and the signal is then sent back to a secure location. Once detected, this kind of phone wiretap is fairly easy to trace back and is very popular among police departments throughout the country.
A Soft Wiretap is the preferred phone tap method because it is difficult to locate in the phone company's system. It is sometimes called a REMOBS (REMote OBServation). This type of
phone tap is very popular with large law enforcement agencies, intelligence agencies, and larger corporations who are worried about competition. This kind of wiretap is actually very simple to obtain; however, it requires access to the inner workings on the phone companies’ computers.
A Record Wiretap is nothing more than a tape recorder wired into the phone line and is very easy to find on inspection. This is very popular among private investigators, but this is a risky option due to a long history of eavesdroppers being caught red-handed.
A Transmit Wiretap is a Radio Frequency Transmitter connected to a wire. This kind of
phone tap is very popular, however; the RF energy it produces radically increases the chance that a competent “Bug Sweeping” Specialist will detect it.
What is a "Bug”"?
An Audio "Bug" is a device, which is placed in an area to intercept communications and transmits or conducts them to a listening post. The eavesdropper can be just a few feet away from the victim, hundreds of feet, or even miles depending on the kind of bug used. The eavesdropper can be just a few feet away from the victim, hundreds of feet, or even miles depending on the kind of bug used.
What are the different kinds of bugs? How many different types are there?
There are five main different types of
phone wiretaps: Acoustic, Ultrasonic, RF, Optical, and Hybrid. The first four types (Acoustic, Ultrasonic, RF, Optical) all perform different, specific functions while the fifth type (Hybrid) is simply the combination of any two in the first group.
An Acoustic Bug does not require any technology. It involves placing a water glass, stethoscope, or rubber tube into an area and directly intercepting the communication with the naked ear. This also applies to sections of an area where sound is leaking though soft spots around windows, structural defects, ventilation structures, poorly installed power outlets, etc.
An Ultrasonic Bug is a technique used to convert the sound into an audio signal above the range of human hearing. The ultrasonic signal is then intercepted nearby and converted back to audio. In this case, audio waves are used instead of creating a traditional radio signal.
An RF or Radio Frequency Bug is the most well known type of bugging device. A radio transmitter is placed in an area or in a device. The RF Bug is extremely easy to detect; however, it is cheap, disposable, and difficult to trace back to the person who planted it. A properly equipped TSCM Specialist can actually detect this kind of device at a significant distance, but it does require some time to accomplish.
An Optical Bug is a bugging device that converts sound or data into an optical pulse or beam of light. It is rarely used because it is very expensive and extremely easy to detect.
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