Moscows Trojan Horse
The US government is one of the most secure governing bodies today. However, that doesn’t mean they aren’t susceptible to surveillance attacks.
In fact, the opposite is true.
The US government is under constant surveillance by other nations, most notably China, Russia.
The thing about surveillance is that it’s often hard to spot. Good electronic surveillance is designed to be undetectable. It can be hidden in plain sight or in a place where you would never think to look for it: such as in a gift.
The Story of The Thing
In the 1940s, just after WWII, the US embassy in Moscow received a gift from the Soviet Union: a hand-carved replica of The Great Seal of the United States.
The US was pleased with the gesture and put the replica on display in the embassy.
What the US didn’t know was that inside this seal was: The Thing – a hidden surveillance device.
What was The Thing?
Technically speaking, The Thing – also known as The Great Seal Bug – was a ‘covert communications device.’ In other words, it was a way for the Russians to listen in on the US embassy.
The Thing was a thin microphone that was designed as a passive device (a device that did not have its own power source). It worked, instead, by using the sound vibrations in the room to create an electrical signal. This signal was then amplified and sent to a receiver.
The Thing was one of the first examples of modern electronic surveillance, and it’s still considered to be one of the best. What made it so different was that it had to be activated externally by a strong electromagnetic signal. It worked by being ‘tuned’ to the right frequency.
The Russians were able to remotely activate The Thing and listen in on conversations taking place in the room. The US didn’t find out about The Thing until 1952 when a British radio operator picked up confidential chatter.
A full sweep of the embassy was ordered, and no surveillance devices were found. Which meant the Department of State had to get creative to find the bug.
While The Thing was a sophisticated piece of technology for its time, it would be nothing compared to the surveillance devices that exist today. Today’s devices are small, portable, and can be hidden almost anywhere. They can be turned on and off remotely, and they can transmit audio, visual and data.
The Importance of The Thing
The Thing was a wake-up call for the US government. The Russian threat was real, and the US needed to be more vigilant about its security.
In the years since The Thing was discovered, the US has made significant strides in improving its security. The US government is constantly on the lookout for surveillance devices, but they’re not always able to find them. In fact, it’s estimated that the US government finds only a fraction of the surveillance devices that are actually in use. However, the surveillance landscape has also changed dramatically.
As technology advances, so too do the capabilities of surveillance devices. Today, we are more vulnerable to surveillance than ever before. And that is why it’s important to be aware of the dangers of electronic surveillance and to take steps to protect ourselves.
Final Thoughts
The Thing is a reminder that we are all susceptible to surveillance. The good news is that there are ways to protect ourselves, our businesses, and our families.
When it comes to surveillance, knowledge is power. The more we know about the threats we face, the better we can protect ourselves against them. For more information, please contact a security professional at TSD.