Tektronix Inc., a provider of test, measurement and monitoring instrumentation, announced that Murray Associates, registered as Spybusters LLC, has selected a Tektronix Real-Time Spectrum Analyzer (RTSA) with DPX™ live RF display technology to help the security consultancy identify wireless eavesdropping devices that may be located in clients’ facilities including boardrooms and security trading floors. The RTSA instrument enables the firm to quickly and efficiently spot sophisticated listening devices, even in challenging environments where there are many competing signals.
Corporate espionage is on the rise due to such factors as globalization, decreased employee loyalty and the increasing value of information. In some parts of the world espionage is a common business practice in competitive industries. At the same time, new technologies are making it easier and more affordable than ever to steal information by tapping into private conversations. Given the potential reward, spies are employing increasingly sophisticated technology that can be difficult to detect.
To fight back against this espionage, companies as well as government agencies are turning to firms that specialize in detecting and removing eavesdropping and other surveillance devices. One of the leaders in the segment is Murray Associates. Based in Oldwick, New Jersey, the 30-year-old company, which is registered as Spybusters LLC, is seeing heightened demand for its services. The majority of the firm’s clients schedule regular inspections or sweeps for any form of electronic surveillance technology in sensitive areas such as executive suites, boardrooms, trading floors, vehicles and aircraft as well as executive homes and off-site meeting locations.
To dramatically increase the level of confidence in pinpointing wireless listening devices, Spybusters has begun using a Tektronix Real-Time Spectrum Analyzer with unique DPX live RF spectrum display technology. DPX processes more than 48,000 spectrum measurements per second, which is vital to spotting short duration events, and produces a live RF spectrum display that reveals previously unseen RF signals and signal anomalies. The RTSA provides 100 percent probability of intercepting and displaying signals as short as 24 microseconds in duration. In contrast, conventional swept spectrum analyzers typically don’t exceed 50 spectrum measurements per second, opening the window for a signal to elude discovery.
“With the Tektronix Real-Time Spectrum Analyzer and its live RF display we can immediately see what’s going on,” said Kevin D. Murray, CPP, founder and president of Murray Associates. “Our confidence level is sky high. Some instruments save time. Others increase effectiveness. This one does both. The RTSA has put us miles ahead. There’s no one who can touch us in terms of our ability to identify wireless devices.”
“Discovering unexpected and difficult to detect signals is one of the many applications where the unique capabilities of Tektronix Real-Time Spectrum Analyzers enables our customers to be dramatically more effective in doing their jobs,” said Rick King, vice president, Real-Time Spectrum Analyzer product line, Tektronix. “This application showcases the unique advantages of the DPX live RF display technology by providing an immediate view of everything in the spectrum, including signals with complex modulation that are designed to avoid detection.”