Traditional Technical Surveillance Countermeasures (TSCM)
CastNet offers advanced Technical Surveillance Countermeasures (TSCM) — also known as “bug sweeps” — to detect, identify, and mitigate unauthorized surveillance threats. These services are designed for executives, legal teams, government partners, and high-value individuals who require secure, uncompromised environments.
Our methodology is based on U.S. federal-level standards and utilizes state-of-the-art equipment, structured search protocols, and deep experience across legal, corporate, and operational threat environments.
When performing TSCM of a location, CastNet’s assessors perform a series of sweeps in the environment, as there is no single procedure that can detect hidden devices at a location. Some sweeps include highly sophisticated and very expensive equipment, others are hands-on. The different sweep procedures include RF spectrum analysis; phone and VoIP endpoint evaluation; network hardware inspection; furniture, lighting, HVAC, fixture inspection, and vehicle sweeps.
The success of any single procedure during TSCM is highly dependent upon the experience and training of the assessors performing the sweeps. CastNet’s assessors have all received the highest level of training available within the US government and have performed countless TSCM engagements over their careers. Our assessors have found some of the most sophisticated recording equipment by nation states and multinational corporations.
Threats We Mitigate
Modern surveillance threats go beyond hidden microphones. CastNet’s TSCM services detect and address:
- RF transmitters and eavesdropping devices (VHF, UHF, GSM, Wi-Fi, BLE)
- Audio and video surveillance devices (wired and wireless)
- GPS tracking devices (active and passive)
- Hostile infrared and laser microphone threats
- Optical surveillance (e.g., pinhole cameras, covert lens systems)
- Electromagnetic emissions from compromised devices
- Social engineering and physical bypass indicators
Common Use Cases
Bug sweeps are performed regularly as part of a mature security program to ensure secure, private conversations can occur. Common use cases include:
- Pre-merger board meetings or investor briefings
- Legal war rooms and settlement negotiations
- Disputes involving IP, trade secrets, or corporate espionage
- Resignation or termination of employees with elevated access
- Journalists, activists, and public figures facing targeted threats
Executive Summary
CastNet provides discreet, expert-led bug sweeps to detect and eliminate covert surveillance threats.
Whether it’s a compromised boardroom, an insecure private office, or a high-risk residence, we help you protect your most sensitive conversations and environments.
Led by former federal agents and equipped with advanced tools, CastNet delivers results you can trust — with full confidentiality and actionable reporting.
Our TSCM services are ideal for executives, legal professionals, high-net-worth individuals, and organizations handling sensitive or proprietary information.
Don’t assume your space is secure. Know for sure.
Benefits of TSCM
Traditional TSCM, in its current state, has been around for decades. While some procedures have evolved and equipment improved, traditional TSCM is a proven process to deter and detect unauthorized recording.
Limitations to Traditional TSCM
From the customer’s perspective, the single greatest limitation to traditional TSCM is the range of capability in TSCM providers and the difficulty in differentiating them. Meaning, not all TSCM providers are equal. The very nature of completing a sweep and declaring an area “clean” is essentially declaring a negative. “Proving a negative” is impossible, so the accuracy of the results comes down to the capability and reputation of the assessors.
From an operational perspective, traditional TSCM can only verify the state of a location at a single point in time. Industry proven practices include physically securing an area after a TSCM sweep has occurred to prevent the installation of recording devices after the sweeps concluded.
The CastNet Approach
Recognizing the limitations of traditional TSCM, CastNet’s founders began developing a concept for persistent monitoring – maintaining a monitoring function at a location year-round. The most obvious limitations to this is the cost and complexity of traditional TSCM equipment. What they sought, and eventually had to invent, themselves, was a persistent monitoring solution. Some procedures simply cannot be automated; physically examining furniture, for example, must be done manually. But, the devices CastNet assessors were encountering in the field were ones that an automated solution could find, given that many covert devices today rely on Wi-Fi or Bluetooth for communications.
We recommend the enhancement of traditional TSCM with our persistent monitoring solution. Having a persistent solution in place to detect the most common bugs found today provides long term protection and makes an annual TSCM sweep easier to complete and more accurate in its findings.
