New products on the information security market.
New products on the information security market
At the Security Technologies forum held from 1 to 5 February 2000 at the All-Russian Exhibition Centre, Information Protection presented information protection technology from the American companies Research Electronics Inti and Information Security Associations (REI). REI products are well known to Russian consumers and rightfully enjoy well-deserved popularity. Several publications in the Security, Communications and Telecommunications Systems journal (1996, No. 4; 1999, No. 24; 1999, No. 26) were devoted to REI devices. This article provides a brief overview of the company's new products. First of all, these are new versions of software and a software key for working with the OSCOR spectral correlator, as well as the MDC-2100 converter, the ORION nonlinearity locator, the ECR-2 spectrum analyzer, and the ECR-Smart Scan software interface
ОРС-50003.0
At the end of 1999, REI introduced a new version of the software product ORS5000 3.0 for OSCOR. Unlike the previous version 2.3, the new software allows full control of the correlator from a personal computer, saving user settings, as well as graphical spectral images of selected frequency bands.
| The new product makes it possible to obtain a spectral picture in real time on the personal computer screen, as well as the result of its comparison with a previously saved frequency panorama (Fig. 1). |
Fig. 1 |
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In addition, the new product implements a method of additional digital correlation (Fig. 2), which allows determining whether a given signal belongs to a listening device or not. In case of a positive result, the distance to it can be determined (Fig. 2a).
All these operations can be performed either manually by the operator or automatically. The source of the reference sound signal for correlation is either natural room noise (office equipment, speech) or a white noise signal emitted by a special generator. REI also offered a new version 3.0 of the software key for working with OSCOR. It allows operating not only with signal databases, as was implemented in previous versions, but also storing graphic spectral images of frequency panoramas in the device's memory. During the search, the operator can receive the result of comparing the real spectrum with the previously saved panorama on the OSCOR screen and, accordingly, quickly select new signals. The new version of the software key assumes operation on devices with the OEM-5000 extended memory module installed. When using OEM with version 3.0, the resolution of the spectral band from 5 MHz to 3 GHz saved in the device's memory is 50 kHz, and without it, 100 kHz. The signal database has a capacity of 7168 and 3072 signals, respectively. |
MDC-2100 Converter
REI is completing work on the release of the MDC-2100 converter, which will expand the OSCOR operating range to 21 GHz. The new device is designed to work only with the OSC5000, is controlled by its processor and does not require any hardware changes to the OSCOR. The MDC-2100 has three divided operating bands:
•3-9 GHz:
•9-15 GHz;
•15-21 GHz.
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These ranges will be displayed by OSCOR independently or continuously during fast search. The converter has three built-in active antennas for each of the bands. Information Security plans to demonstrate the MDC-2100 (Fig. 3) at the MIPS-2000 exhibition in April 2000. |
ORION Nonlinearity Locator
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The ORION nonlinearity locator with 2nd and 3rd harmonic analysis from REI, which appeared on the market in early 1999, has already found its consumer. The ergonomic design (no connecting wires and weight less than 2 kg) made the complex electronic device simple and convenient to use. All the advantages of ORION (Fig. 4) were covered in detail in an article by REI CEO Thomas Jones in the journal «Security, Communications and Telecommunications Systems» (1999, No. 26). |
OSC-5000 Spectral Correlator
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OSCOR (State Technical Commission certificate No. 81) is a multifunctional device or, rather, several devices in one (Fig. 5). |
Firstly, OSCOR is a spectrum analyzer of the frequency range from 10 kHz to 3 GHz with the best resolution of 50 Hz. On its screen, you can observe the signal spectra of both LF and HF modulated transmitting devices, estimate their deviation, amplitude (the dynamic range of the device is 90 dB).
Secondly, OSCOR is a tunable sensitive (0.8 μV in a band of 15 kHz) wideband receiver with a set of demodulators, which allows the user to select an informative audio signal even in difficult interference conditions. The maximum tuning speed is 93 MHz/s with a band of 250 kHz.
The receiver has several analysis inputs:
• the radio channel covers the range from 10 kHz to 3 GHz and has three types of antennas (loop, pin and disc);
• the infrared detector is sensitive in the range of 0.85-1′,07 µm;
• a network detector for examining wire lines with voltage up to 300 V — in the range of 10 kHz-5 MHz.
Thirdly, OSCOR — is a digital correlator, which, when the device is operating in automatic mode, allows you to determine whether the analyzed signal is a signal from a listening device or not.
The functionality of OSCORa is quite broad:
• radio analysis; in a wide frequency range to search for eavesdropping devices;
• telephone and landline monitoring;
• IR channel analysis.
The proposed additional options significantly expand the capabilities of OSCORa. Thus, the OVM-5000 option, included in the OSC-5000 Delux kit, is designed to analyze video signals when searching for video transmitters.
ECR-2 Spectrum Analyzer
The ECR-2 spectrum analyzer from ISA allows you to search for eavesdropping radio transmitting devices in the frequency range from 10 kHz to 1 GHz, as well as examine wired power and low-current lines. When using expansion modules, this range increases to 3 GHz (with MDC-5) or 7 GHz (with MDC-4). Unlike most similar devices, the ECR-2 is a calibrated device and allows you to measure the signal level in dBm, dBμV/m or dBμV.
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The ECR-2 cathode-ray display can display spectrum sections with a width from 100 kHz to 1 GHz. This device has built-in amplitude and frequency demodulators with a variable band, which allow you to listen to audio signals, an output for analyzing video signals. The device's removable memory card allows you to store information about user settings and 40 graphic images of frequency bands, which can later be easily called up from memory by the operator. Using the built-in plotter, you can quickly record a spectral image (Fig. 6). |
| ECR-Smart Scan software interfacesignificantly simplifies the operator's work. It allows you to create databases and spectral images, perform subtraction operations with them, highlighting new signals. ECR-2 (Fig. 7) can operate in three modes. |
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• Signal search. The device automatically tweaks the frequency, detecting all signals, and determines their frequency and power. Then it automatically tunes to each signal and demodulates it, allowing the operator to recognize the signal of the eavesdropping device. All signals are saved on the computer hard drive for subsequent analysis.
• Comparative analysis. During scanning, the current spectrum is continuously compared with the previous one and only new signals or signals with increased power are displayed.
• Automatic detection. In this mode, each signal is automatically demodulated. The computer analyzes it and compares it with the acoustics of the room being examined. When a transmitter is detected, the operator is given an alarm signal.