When considering being bugged, we may think of movies and the tales of private investigators hunting down spy criminals. In reality, these situations happen, with individuals planting hard-to-detect bugs to gain access to highly confidential and potentially damning information. Bugging devices are used to spy on anyone in corporate or personal settings to steal their private information, which they may hope to use against the victim or for their benefit. 

The result? Bug sweep services are now in high demand for businesses hoping to improve their protection around valuable data and private information to avoid legal or political chaos. Usually, hackers and spies leak portions of information to the media, which they adapt to support a biased and harmful narrative by coating it with lies and leaving only a glimmer of truth. Bug sweep detection helps prevent this, helping to rescue the company’s reputation. 

A bug sweep service can help you discover if you are being watched or heard without your consent. Below, we discuss the importance of corporate bug sweeping and bug sweep detection. 

What are bug sweeps?

A bug sweep entails identifying unwanted surveillance equipment in your office, home, or vehicle using a counter-intelligence technique. The process is highly technical and requires special skill and experience.

If you get the sense that someone may be monitoring you with either visual or audio equipment, specialists will use a bug sweep to detect any found bugs and remove them effectively as soon as possible.  

What is a bugging device?

Bugs have been around for quite some time, starting as relatively simple devices reliant on audio capture to gain insight into private conversations. They were usually located inside landline devices and would transmit personal calls to the installer. Nowadays, the devices are far more sophisticated, including audio and visual capabilities, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and cellular streaming transmission. 

Manufacturers designed these devices to be very discreet and tricky to detect without the aid of advanced surveillance equipment and specialist experience. When these devices go undetected, there is very little that they cannot do regarding leaking private data and information and leaving companies vulnerable. 

Hackers and leakers may twist information gained to portray the company negatively. Moreover, once that information is out in the public eye, performing damage control can feel near impossible. 

What happens during a bug sweep?

During a bug sweep, the specialist will conduct a thorough visual, physical and electronic inspection of the space. This inspection will include searching floors, ceilings, walls, office equipment, phones, computer lines, phone cables, and other electronic or wires transmitting data. 

Bug-sweeping devices help identify unauthorised wireless systems efficiently. An advanced bug detector works across the board, including non-linear junction detectors, phone wiretap detectors and spectrum analysers, to name just a few. 

What are the next steps after a bug sweep inspection?

Following through with the correct corresponding steps once you have undergone the bug-sweeping process is essential. Complacency is not an option if you hope to avoid potential risk as much as possible, regardless of whether or not a bug was found in your premise.

We recommend putting in place a site surveillance strategy for optimal safety precautions. This strategy entails tracking who enters the space, their arrival and departure times, and what they do while inside the premises. Alongside this process, you should consider installing an advanced surveillance system to track intruders and their activity in real-time. Lastly, you must schedule routine bug sweeps to ensure you are not at risk of any intrusion. 

If the above feels unnecessary, consider the reality of not implementing these precautions. If a bug violates your information, discussions, and data, it can put your entire company at immense risk regarding its reputation, plans, and overall success.

What should I do if I suspect our office has been bugged?

If you suspect your office is bugged, leaving you feeling vulnerable and unsafe, seeking professional assistance as soon as possible is the best route forward. You will require experts in the field to bring their bug sweep detection capabilities and devices to do a full inspection of the space that you suspect has been bugged. This process is thorough and will require an entire search of all computers, walls, ceilings and areas within the setting. Moreover, if you suspect your corporate space has been bugged, do not use wired communication devices from the suspected property. Locate a safe telephone line outside the bugged property, and be cautious when disclosing private information. 

 If you are worried about the safety and security of your office or property, it is best to reach out to professionals to assist. Advanced Protection Plus has the skills, expertise and resources to conduct a full bug sweep service and safeguard your office space. Contact us today to access premium bug sweep detection and corporate bug sweeping services in Perth.

For more information on protecting your business from digital threats, head to the Australian Cyber Security Centre website.