It seems like every day brings a new “ Book of Revelation ” about Allied nations descry on other Allied country . But while friends spying on friends might not be a Brobdingnagian surprise , the US is spend wads of money and brainpower trying to protect its sensible conversations — in part , using portable security department “ tents . ”
https://gizmodo.com/report-the-nsas-been-spying-on-35-world-leaders-1451598576
These Sensitive Compartmented Information Facilities — SCIFs , or Skiffs , as they ’re commonly referred to in the security industry — are plan to hinder “ forced debut , covert entry , visual surveillance , acoustic eavesdropping , and electronic emanations ” using a mixture of architectural particularization and electronic systems to defend against digital attacks .
They ’re also nothing fresh — we’ve known Obama has used one in hotel room and other insecure locations since 2011 , when the White House publish acool photoof POTUS inside a SCIF in Rio . But SCIFs are becoming more and more common amongst governance employee — especially over the past six months , accordingto a New York Times report card .
So , who designs these contraptions ? And how do they work ? Some SCIFs are tents , like Obama ’s , but an increasingly popular option is thistrailer version — which can be truck in and set up within hours . Sometimes , an full building is a SCIF , while others are installed in existing home .
But the eyeglasses themselves are always mandate by a Director of Central IntelligenceDirectivefrom 2010 , which describes how to protect a building , tent , or installation from outside listener or hack . SCIFs supply the first communication channel of defending team for protect “ Sensitive Compartmented Information ” ( a form of top secret security measure clearance ) on smartphones , laptops , tablets , and even state job safe .
Image byClearanceJobs .
Because SCIFs are think to distance tender information from the sleep of the world , the Directive begins with architectural details — like adding a hall and extra interstitial reception space as “ cushioning ” between the SCIF and the outside . If the SCIF is a building ( rather than a tent ) , it has to be reinforce concrete or lined with solid brand . Everything from the depth of the dry wall to the thickness of the insulation is mandated by the document , too .
The first — and most traditional — surveillance threat is sound , so SCIFs are lined with compact acoustic piling . In most lawsuit , noise - dissemble devices like transducer are installed to garble what ’s going on inside , too . agree to theBBC , another character of wave - emitting gadget create a closed chain of electronic signal around the space , blockade other case of electronic surveillance , while a facing of special , transparency - like stuff also blocks more traditional audio surveillance ( similar to an middling Faraday Cage ) .
Image bySCIFSolutions .
Unsurprisingly , metal item like air vents and sprinklers — anything that creates a hole in the concrete box , really — dumbfound a immense job for security . So all emergency systems , ducts , and other systems have to be “ grounded , ” meaning they do n’t connect to any other spaces . It ’s even better if there are none , in which case the SCIF must have its own air supply .
Likewise , all door must close automatically , and hinges must be non - removeable . Any door leading to an loss has to be monitor at all times — and it ca n’t contain any hardware that faces the outside world . All sort of sensor — from motion detective work to fathom detection — give exploiter an alert when anyone get into or exits the space . The ideal SCIF , as you might expect , is a windowless concrete hurdle that ’s far aside from any building .
look-alike viaInsulation.net .
But as intelligence service officers get tricksy and craftier , even the most souped - up SCIF wo n’t be able to stop the leaks . That ’s why , as The New York Times describe yesterday , some government agency are goingone footstep furtherand require that employee not even bring their phones on misstep overseas . After all , loose texts sink ship .
Lead image : Whitehouse / Pete Souza .
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