Technical Terrorists

[bruce]

After hearing today's news on the radio, on the way home from work I started wondering......

 

The news in question was that Tony Blair had been scheduled to give a speech on power and energy, including nuclear issues, and greenpeace activists disrupted the event by climbing up the venue (the rigging? into the roofspace)? and refusing to leave.

 

Which got me thinking - At events like this, how much planning goes into preventing "technical terrorism"? Apart from the usual door security, searches etc, how much thought goes into preventing activists interfering with the event at a technical level? I've been involved with several high profile events involving royals, senior politicians etc. Each time we've had to be fully rigged hours in advance. Mid afternoon, the police came in, with dogs, searched the building, and sealed it. No more kit came in our out.

 

That's physical security, but not technical.

 

What stops the bad guys scanning, then piggy-backing on your radio mic channels and adding their own commentary? Who makes sure the powerpoint presentation hasn't been hacked and altered? Who makes sure that when the TV crews plug their audio lines into the press distribution amp, they are plugging in to outputs and not the input, so sending a rogue signal to all of the other TV channels?

 

Am I paranoid?

 

Any experiences? Let's not let this ramble around the politics of today's incident, but focus on the technician issues.

 

Bruce.

[Ynot]

After hearing today's news on the radio, on the way home from work I started wondering......

 

Any experiences? Let's not let this ramble around the politics of today's incident, but focus on the technician issues.

Not theatre tech, but communications tech...

Last year there was a fire in Manchester in the underground cable runs for the BT main junction network. There were suspicions at the time, before the cause was established, that this may have been just that - technical terrorism - because at a single swoop the city and many of it's links out to the rest of the country were effectively disabled, causing massive repercussions to major businesses as well as home and mobile comms.

 

As it happens it was not terrorism but a faulty mains panel (I think), but the possibility was there.....

 

[mac.calder]

I suppose there are many things you can do to prevent tech terrorism - like using encrypted wireless, and only using wireless where necessary, but I think physical security is the best way to avoid most technical terrorism.

 

The main weaknesses in any technical infrastructure are physical access to the equiptment, and the connections between different devices within the infrastructure. Physical security removes all of 1 (no access to the equiptment), and part of two (no access to extra inputs and tight monitoring of what occurs arround the equiptment).

 

The weakest link in almost all situations is anything wireless - it is why I get annoyed when people want to use wireless DMX to go 10m, or wireless mics on a lectern etc - although usually it is just for the added work it always creates. If you are worried about tech terrorism, add wires. Someone splicing a mic cable is far more likely to be noticed than someone with a quad band radio, the modern ones being about as big as a pack of 50 cigarets.

 

I am one of those people who whilst running their laptop on a wireless conection at home has a VPN and disables the wireless before I leave the house. If it was not so messy, I would probably run a network cable into my living room.

[Bobbsy]

I've been involved in a number of US Presidential tours of the UK. The topic of "technical terrorism" was never specifically mentioned, but they seem to protect themselves somewhat by sticking to the ultra low-tech.

 

Any mic the president was going to speak into was specifically provided by the White House press office (using some of the most battered SM57s and ancient Shure mixers I've seen. Radio mics were specifically NOT used. Access to the venue was relatively easy until the security lock down but after that only those with White House press accreditation could get anywhere near the distro point.

 

(Interestingly, I could have done what I wanted with the audio being fed by satellite to the rest of the world...)

 

The search after our rig and before any press or dignitaries were allowed in was extremely thorough. We left our cameras on and locked onto useable shots...at one point there was a 15 minute break called so the sniffer dogs could be fed, watered and allowed to answer the call of nature!.

 

Bobbsy

[bruce]

I've just remembered, we had a "prime minister" event a few years back - I'd forgotten all about it.

 

Similar setup - they provided a lectern, mics, mixer etc, which arrived in a sealed shrink-wrapped flight case. It then hooked into our house system.

 

After the event, the lectern, mixer, mics and cabling all went back in the case, it was sealed, and sent on to next venue on his tour.

 

Hmmm - gun/explosive/poison gas or dart in the lectern mic - sounds like something out of "mission impossible". Or something the CIA might use against castro

[Dweeks]

Just got to say, what an interesting topic, Its a totally new one for the BlueRoom and very fascinating to say the least! It's sensible that for "da boss" specialist kit is used, but I'd never have thought of it before.

 

Has anyone got any more information? Ever broken a rule during an important conference? Be quite a thing to put on the CV- "My Wireless Mic ran out of battery during the PM's speech on Terrorism!".

[David Lee]

TV crews plug their audio lines into the press distribution amp, they are plugging in to outputs and not the input, so sending a rogue signal to all of the other TV channels?

 

I only supply feeds from my desk ( Audio DA to multicore run to press area) stops them plugging into the input.

 

Worked with the prime minister - nothing mentioned about not using radio mics, or special lecturns (it was in a secure(ish)govt. venue and had the police give it a good going over.) He just walks up to the lectern and speaks (same with Gordon Brown and most other politicians.)

 

Have radio mic'd some ministers for other events. Remember they are busy people and walk in at the last minute - you may not have time to put a radio on them, and then they leave straight after the speach - you may not have time to get a radio mic back...).

 

Have always thought of wandering around central london with a reciever and see what is being broadcast on radio mic frequencies though..

[Jivemaster]

There are plenty of attempts at security, Has anoyone read the L&SI review of the Buckingham Palace Jubilee concerts. All the probable kit was checked and sealed long before it was needed at the palace. Even new radio mic batteries were a problem after that!

 

A former college for forces personnel in London didn't have a single TV in the building - There was no aerial so that no-one could transmit from there. They were prohibited radio mics in the lecture rooms, to prevent signal getting out.

www.fas.org/irp/eprint/ic2000/ic2000.htm

And that was a year 2000 report.

 

Look out for totally random degrees of additional security after the islington event. I have already had to supply deep personal info for all crew months in advance to be allowed to work in some places. Some places will go HUAC OTT some places will be cool, likely with little correlation to the risk.

 

Several companies may find that employees prior military service gets them benefits.

[charlyfarly]

My husband has done numerous events for the Royal Family and anyone that works on them has to agree to fill in a comprehensive 'security' questionnaire that is checked by, no doubt, by mysterious people working for Her Majesty's Government.

[The Production Midget]

I had to go through a fairly comprehensive security check when working on an event last summer.

[back_ache]

I have a police security clearance from working at an event, but not because anyone important was there (with the exception of Blue Peter's heroic 80's action man Peter Duncan) but because kids where there.

 

I know that at least some of the people working for the major bank/insurer in the UK have to go though police clearance too (as well as credit checks).

 

I wonder how long it will be till this is not unusual.

[Jivemaster]

Never ceases to amaze me where and what security is required, sometimes tight and sometimes lax. Also I've often been surprised to find some of my close colleagues maintained clearances from prior work needs, in fact some were not allowed to relinquish them.

 

Like many things you never find out til you need it.

[djw1981]

Anyone working with children or vulnerable adults should be required to undergo a standard disclosure, while those with eietehr one on one access, or personal care access ahve to udnergo enhanced disclosures. The sad thing is that these are not transferable from one organisation to another. However, a compnay could do them for all its techs - they only need to be updatd every 3 years....

[gareth]

I have a police security clearance from working at an event, but not because anyone important was there (with the exception of Blue Peter's heroic 80's action man Peter Duncan) but because kids where there.

If it was a check to clear you for work with kids, chances are it was a Criminal Records Bureau check, rather than any sort of police security check. Enhanced CRB disclosures are standard practice these days for anyone who has to work with kids (my wife works part-time at the local playgroup, and anyone who helps out there, paid or not, has to go through a CRB check).

[back_ache]

chances are it was a Criminal Records Bureau check

 

that'll be the one