There is no magic box!! Many TSCM equipment vendors will lead their clients to believe that their technology can cover all forms of risk. This is factually incorrect, as most of these technologies will address some, or most of the forms of threat, while ignoring others. As an example, many devices will look for transmitting or recording technical threat, and only indicate the presence of digital transmission sources such including Bluetooth, DECT, or WIFI, without any analysis of these signals. This lack of visibility results in the TSCM practitioner assuming the signal to be classified as legitimate, without knowing where the signal is connected to, or whether it is being used to exfiltrate information.
TSCM is the art of analysing and auditing all modes of information conveyance and needs to be delivered by those who constantly maintain an understanding of these channels. No tool or technology can replace the technical competence required to deliver these services. In many cases, we have seen former law enforcement, or investigators with no technical or communications background spend more than $100,000 on equipment and training hoping to be able to deliver sweep services. Yet, despite this investment, and the false sense of experience, they fail to identify actual threat due to their reliance on the technology without full understanding of the threat complexity.