|
A BLOW AGAINST ESPIONAGE
Red Star. October 9, 2003. By Anatoly Dokuchaev
A BLOW AGAINST ESPIONAGE or about some novelties in the sphere of information security.
A new volume of the encyclopedia "Russia's Arms and Technologies. The XXI century Encyclopedia" published under general supervision of Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov has been issued. The volume is entitled "Information Security" and dedicated to one of the most pressing problems of today. It is a common work by competent experts from the Russian defense industry, governmental bodies and agencies, by scientists, historians and journalists of the Publishing House "Arms and Technologies".
Intensive application of information and communication technologies in all spheres of our life is the most important factor defining the evolution of modern society. Information techniques and systems play a key role in functioning of State and public institutes, they become the base for life support control in countries and entire continents. At the same time international competition for leadership in the sphere of information is in progress. Such terms as "information war", "information countermeasures", "information operation" and like become common in international relations. Of course, ensuring the security of Russia's interests in this field becomes the most important factor of the national security as a whole.
We often speak and write about weapons, which will define success on battlefields during conflicts and wars in XXI century, and we do not see that the battle for national interests already takes place on the information front. Consciousness of individuals, groups and masses more and more falls under influence of mass media and mass communications.
In this sense the next volume of the encyclopedia "Russia's Arms and Technologies. The XXI century Encyclopedia" is a real bestseller even among good quality books already published. There were no books in our country with such dimensional work in the sphere of information security. Importance of the book is defined, on one hand, by rapid evolution of informatics and by significantly improved quality of information protection techniques manufactured by Russian enterprises and, on the other hand, by permanently growing threats of information terrorism.
The main content of the book contains details of hardware and software information protection techniques being designed, produced and offered for sale, including export, by our companies. The book presents products and services of more than 120 Russian companies working in the sphere of information protection. Even reading the book content allows extending horizon in this area.
Techniques detecting information leakage channels are widely covered in the volume.
The reader has a possibility to know technical specifications of multifunctional detection instruments ST 031/ST 031P "Piranha", ST 032, and D 008. And there is a non-linear junction detector NR 900K "Korshun", which is able to detect controlled explosives and other equipment containing electronic circuits: remote control receivers, electronic detonating fuses, radio microphones, microphone amplifiers. Its principle of operations is based on non-linear transforms of sounding signals in objects containing semiconductors.
RF monitoring equipment and techniques to evaluate the efficiency of information protection against leakage via technical channels are represented by a universal mobile RF monitoring system "Patrol", by a system for RF monitoring and search for eavesdropping devices "Omega", and by a number of other instruments with great technical capabilities. Thus, the portable radio-monitoring system for detection of eavesdropping devices "RS turbo new" is able to detect, identify and locate eavesdropping devices and other illegal emission sources. There are more than 30 "smart" devices from the Russian defense presented in this section.
Probably, techniques protecting vocal (acoustic) information would cause interest of specialists. 35 models of this type are described in the book. Thus, the acoustic and vibro-acoustic noise injection system "Shelest-4K" protects vocal information circulating in a building against direct listening and listening by means of various microphones, stethoscopes, and laser devices for remote listening. By the way, the instrument is not big: 25x20x8 cm. And this ordinary case is a device called "Storm" designed for countermeasures against radio-electronic industrial espionage equipment. It jams dictaphones, RF bugs and electronic stethoscopes at distances as long as 6 meters.
Russian companies keep in their arsenals such useful devices as dictaphone jammer "Barsetka", mobile phone jammer "Mosaic", equipment for jamming radio lines "Rodiola", autonomous station for noise reduction in audio (speech) signals "Zolushka-micro 3" and other technical novelties.
Protection of wirelines is the most important task in a common system of measures to ensure the information security at any object. It seems, there is equipment in the country able to fulfill this task. The volume presents twenty models of such type. Thus, phone/fax scramblers of the family "Grott" encrypt vocal signals and facsimile information transferred via public phone networks. If some company plans to create a corporate communication network with different protection levels, it would benefit from equipment protecting phone conversations SKR-511 "Referent".
Equipment used to protect information against interception due to compromising emanations help to ensure normal work in institutions of the State control system, at military objects and enterprises of defense industry, in scientific-research institutes. Thus, protected PCs "Obruch" allow processing information of sensitivity classes "Secret" and "Top secret", and noise generators disguise informative compromising emanations of personal computers and workstations. Systems for shielding and combined protection of premises fall into this category. They are unavoidable at command and communication posts, in computing and analytical centers, testing and research laboratories, as well as in rooms for confidential conversations.
Today we use personal computers. And we want to control over access to them, to protect information against unauthorized access, to have equipment for secure information destruction. Such techniques are available. In order to choose a system optimal for you, you should read a corresponding section.
No doubt, the section dedicated to cryptographic information protection techniques will attract reader's attention. Only 20 years ago cryptography was used merely in military and diplomatic communications and by secret services. Now all we have a chance to look into this sphere. Moreover, we can use certified encryption techniques intended to protect information, which does not contain State secrets.
Separate sections cover education and training of specialists, periodic press, exhibition activities and Internet resources in the sphere of information security. Note that basics of a workable system for training and education of specialists in the sphere of information security have been established in Russia by the present time. The system rests upon special training-methodical associations established in 1996 on the basis of the Institute of Cryptography, Communications and Informatics at the Academy of the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation and the Russian State University for the Humanities. Its support nodes include the network of regional training centers in institutes of higher education established by the Ministry of Education together with the State Technical Commission, the Federal Agency of Governmental Communications and Information, and with a number of other federal bodies in 1997 (the leading institute is MIFI).
There are 6 State educational standards and programs developed on their base: "Cryptography", "Computer security", "Organization and technology of information protection", "Complex protection of informatization objects", "Complex information security in automated systems", and "Information security in telecommunication systems".
A special section of the volume is dedicated to licensing, certification, attestation and audit in the sphere of information security. There are widely presented attestation centers and testing laboratories.
Briefly, the editorial has implemented a very interesting idea we could not dream about yesterday.
"The project is intended to promote the popularization of questions related to information protection, make the public informed about these problems…", - writes General Director and Editor-in-Chief of the Publishing House "Arms and Technologies" Nikolai Spassky, - "… as well as form the correct readers' understanding of information security fundamentals". I can only add that the presentation style makes this publication interesting and intelligible not only to specialists (though intended for them, first of all), but also to a wide circle of readers who take an interest in these problems. The book contains conceptual articles: "Information security as a part of the Russia's national security system", "Information society and information security", "Activity of the State Technical Commission in the sphere of information security" and others.
Any leader solving problems of building and improving information security in his company has a great choice for comparison, analysis and selection of optimal protection techniques.
Защита на 100%: Легендарная Альфа
|
