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2023-04-28 08:18:41 -04:00
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2023-04-28 08:18:41 -04:00
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<p>NEW <span class="ORG" title="ORG">FBI</span> ATTEMPTS AT SECURE COMMUNICATION</p>
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<p>COPYRIGHT (C) 1991 BY FULL DISCLOSURE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.</p>
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<p>The <span class="ORG" title="ORG">FBI</span> has spent many millions of dollars attempting to obtain secure
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communications by various voice encryption methods, with limited success.</p>
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<p>The GAO Report of March 8, 1988, "<span class="ORG" title="ORG">FBI</span> Voice Privacy, Cost, Status, and
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Future Direction'' provides much insight into the difficulties the <span class="ORG" title="ORG">FBI</span> has
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had establishing a secure communications system.</p>
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<p>The <span class="ORG" title="ORG">FBI</span>'s original estimate for establishing a digial voice protection system
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was $79.3 million.</p>
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<p>The March 8th report indicates that "[b]ecause the <span class="ORG" title="ORG">FBI</span>'s estimated savings
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cited in the table are very preliminary and are not supported by formal field
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surveys or other documentation, we continue to believe that the $204.4
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million and the latest $205.8 million estimate for the nationwide voice
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privacy program appear to be unrealistic.''</p>
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<p>A big part of the major cost overrun was a lack of technological review of
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what they were getting into.</p>
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<p>"Our Feburary 1987 report explains that the technological impact of range
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loss on the DVP system was one factor that increased the <span class="ORG" title="ORG">FBI</span> cost estimates
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from $79.3 million to $204.4 million. In the report, we say that 'the <span class="ORG" title="ORG">FBI</span>
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recognized in its 1979 to 1981 research that the communications range of DVP
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technology was less than the range of the old, unsecure system, but it did
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not consider the impact of this reduction.' The <span class="ORG" title="ORG">FBI</span> says that this statement
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is 'totally in error because we did recognize range loss and did consider its
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impact.</p>
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<p>"In a follow-up discussion, a key <span class="ORG" title="ORG">FBI</span> official who is knowledgable about the
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voice privacy cost estimate process told us that the <span class="ORG" title="ORG">FBI</span> did not consider
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range loss in the $79.3 million estimate and emphasized that an engineering
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consultant firm developed the estimate as part of a comparison of analog
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versus digital voice privacy technologies. According to this official, range
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loss was not serious considered until the <span class="ORG" title="ORG">FBI</span> prepared the $132.4 million
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estimate. The <span class="ORG" title="ORG">FBI</span> says that its methodology for developing the $132.4 million
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estimate included doubled the number of repeaters to compensate for the DVP
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range loss.</p>
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<p>However, a 1984 from the Deputy Assistant Director, Technical Services
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Division, the following range loss problems were described: "The Motorola
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DVP/DES [Data Encryption Standard] system has a loss in range as a penalty
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for the effectiveness of the digital voice privacy. Experience in the six
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cities has demonstrated that to equal the existing geographic coverage, there
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is an 80%-100% increase in so called fixed station equipment (e.g. repeaters,
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cross band sites, and backbone equipment).''</p>
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<p>Much of the <span class="ORG" title="ORG">FBI</span>'s difficults seems to be from a lack of proper management.
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According to the GAO report, "[d]uring our review, we could not find any
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evidence that a long range plan for the nationwide DVP program had been
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prepared, and <span class="ORG" title="ORG">FBI</span> officials confirmed that a written plan did not exist. The
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<span class="ORG" title="ORG">FBI</span> contends that it was not feasable to prepare a formal plan for the DVP
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program, within time and manpower constraints. In follow-up discussions about
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their response to our report, <span class="ORG" title="ORG">FBI</span> official emphasized that DVP is a threat
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driven system and told us that it was a management decision to go full speed
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ahead rather than plan.</p>
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<p>Now, the <span class="ORG" title="ORG">FBI</span> is trying to solve the problem with frequency hopping radios.
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According to Daniel Miller, Contracting Officer for the <span class="ORG" title="ORG">FBI</span>, 45 PH-26
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(portable frequency hopping radios) and 20 MH-26 (mobile frequency hopping
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radios) along with numerous accessories, including 2 repeaters were purchased
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on September 24, 1990.</p>
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<p>These radios are not FCC approved radio equipment and the <span class="ORG" title="ORG">FBI</span> has a
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sole-source contract for them with Transcrypt International, Inc., 1440
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Buckingham Dr, Lincoln, NE 68506, Phone: (402) 483-2961, Fax: (402) 435-6780,
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Telex: 466146.</p>
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<p>According to Transcrypt's brochure, "encryption insures that no outside
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party can understand radio transmissions, an encrypted radio signal has a
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very distinctive sound; and with the right equipment, it can be jammed,
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intercepted, or the source located.''</p>
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<p>Transcrypt refused to provide Full Disclosure with pricing information and
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that information was not available from the Government by press time. The
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going rate for this type of equipment, however is said to be approximately
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$10000 per radio. Transcrypt will only sell the radio within the United
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States to law enforcement agencies.</p>
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<p>Even though their brochure claims that both the public and private sectors
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outside the United States have the need for this type of secure
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communications (no mention is made that the private sector within the United
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States has such needs), a company spokesman seemed skeptical that the State
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Department would approve the radios for export.</p>
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<p>The idea behind frequency hopping radios is that rather than transmitting
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constantly on one frequency, the frequency is changed many times per second
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in a pseudo-random fashion. These radios switch from 12 to 50 times per
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second, between any channels in a programmable window of the 148-174Mhz band.
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The window size is programmable between 100Khz and 1.6Mhz. Therefore, if the
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window size was set to 1.6Mhz and the window was located at 165.000mhz, the
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transmissions would occur only on frequencys between 165.000mhz and
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166.600mhz.</p>
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<p>Therefore, with a standard scanner one would not notice the existence of such
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transmission, nor be able to pin point them. Monitoring one of the
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frequencies it used in its hopping sequence would result only in a burst of
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noise 1/12 to 1/50 of a second in duration.</p>
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<p>Another brochure from Transcrypt quotes from Communications Africa a claim
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that "there are very few countries in which the equipment and expertise are
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available to try to break these systems.''</p>
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<p>Finally, the <span class="ORG" title="ORG">FBI</span> has a solution to is desire for secure communications or
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does it? The first glimpse to a line of attack is in the same brochure that
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quotes from Communications Africa. It explains how other (in use) frequencies
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in an urban environment gives the transmissions extra cover. Any kind of
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transmission made in an urban environment gets extra cover from all the other
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surrounding transmissions.</p>
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<p>The fact that the transmissions need or gain from having "cover'' indicates
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that they are not invisible.</p>
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<p>Technical sources suggested the following as a method of detecting use of
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frequency hopping radios in the area. Hook a cable ready TV set to an
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appropriate antenna and tune it to the federal band (160-172mhz). Cable
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channels G, H and I. Each channel will display a 5mhz spectrum of the federal
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band. The complete frequency range of the radio would be cable channels A
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through I and 7.</p>
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<p>The sources indicated that operation of a frequency hopping radio in the area
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will show a distinct pattern on the screen. To test this theory, Full
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Disclosure hooked up a low power programable RF oscillator to switch
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frequencies 15 times per second in the 160mhz range and powering the unit on
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showed a distinct change (unique unsynchronized horizontal lines) in the
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display on a TV set tuned to that frequency.</p>
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<p>Because of the narrow window the units use, after locating the frequency of
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the window, jamming the unit could be accomplished with a wide bandwidth
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transmitter. (1.6mhz isn't real wide, compared to a 5mhz video transmitter).
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If a little used portion of the VHF band was selected for operation by the
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frequency hopping radios, jamming could be accomplished with little
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interference to other transmissions. </p>
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<p>There is some dispute over the effectiveness of using a spectrum analyzer to
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spot the use of frequency hopping radios. One technical source aptly pointed
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out "why worry about whether a spectrum analyzer works when a $100 TV set
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does?''</p>
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<p>As with any new surveillance technology, there is a gap between its
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introduction and the availablity of countermeasures. Unlike spread spectrum
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radios that switch frequencies over the entire RF spectrum, frequency hopping
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radios operate in a very small window making detection, jamming, and
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direction finding a much simpler task.</p>
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<p>The following are selected specifications for the PH-26 and MH-26 radios.
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Figures in ()'s are for the MH-26 when different.</p>
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<p>Frequency Programming Range: 148-174MHz. Frequency stability: .0005%.
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Frequency spacing: 5, 6.25, 12.5, 15, 25 or 30KHz. Transmitter: Power Output:
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1 or 5 watts (30 watts). Modulation: FM. Receiver: Sensitivity 12 db. Sinad:
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.25uv. Selectivity @30Khz: 70 db. Audio Output: 500mw (5 watts). Frequency
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Agil Mode: Number of channels: 4096. Frequency series: Pseudorandom (PR).
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Dwell time: 20 to 100 milliseconds. Synchronization: Continuous digital.</p>
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<p>The above is reprinted from Full Disclosure Newspaper. Subscribe today and
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get interesting articles like the above, plus more... pictures, graphics,
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advertisement, and more articles. Full Disclosure is your source for
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information on the leading edge of surveillance technology. Print the
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following form, or supply the information on a plain piece of paper:</p>
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<p>Please start my subscription to Full Disclosure for:</p>
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<p>[ ] Sample issue, $2.00</p>
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<p>[ ] 24 issue subscription, $29.95
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With 24 issue susbcription include free one of the following:
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[ ] Directory of Electronic Surveillance Equipment Suppliers
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[ ] Maximizing PC Performance</p>
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<p>Also available separately:</p>
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<p>[ ] Directory of Electronic Surveillance Equipment Suppliers, $6.00</p>
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<p>[ ] Citizen's Guide on How to Use the Freedom of Info/Privacy Acts, $5.00</p>
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<p>[ ] Maximizing PC Performance, $6.00</p>
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<p> Illinois residences, add 6.5% sales tax on above 3 items.</p>
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<p>Return to: Full Disclosure, Box 903, Libertyville, Illinois 60048
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