In today’s electronic age, large numbers of us carry numerous electronic devices on assignment. This equipment can be accessed, jammed, hacked or intercepted easily by correctly trained personnel. Therefore, it is of extreme importance that we take advice and put in to place, basic security measures to prevent or at least decrease the chances of this occurring and provide ourselves with a basic level of IT and Communications personal security.

Below are some basic methods to assist you.

If using Satellite phones

a. If possible, only have it switched on when you require the use of it

b. Attempt to only use SMS text messages to communicate with people wherever possible

c. If using the phone to make a voice call, try to keep it short and concise and then power down the phone(If you are making a long call and the connection stays live, the longer you on the phone, the easier it is for interception and direction finding).

d. Remove the battery when not in use

e. Thuraya requires the use of GPS to register and function, whereas Iridium does not.   Iridium calls and data transfer are inherently more secure than GSM, Thuraya or Inmarsat traffic.

f. Use a PIN to lock the phone whenever possible

g. Store the SIM separately wherever possible

h. Delete unwanted SMS

If using BGAN

a. Attempt to only have the system switched on when you actually require the use of the equipment, again the longer it is transmitting, the easier it is for interception and direction finding.

b. If you need to have the link up for a long amount of time, ensure you move locations if applicable. Again, due to interception and direction finding methods, the signal is extremely easy to locate, but by moving locations you lessen your chances of setting a pattern.

c. If you have a wireless BGAN, attempt to connect any laptops via a Ethernet connection rather than wireless as wireless networks are easier to hack.

d. Use traffic encryption and low bandwidth IT security measures wherever possible

e. Any laptops used to connect to a BGAN should be ideally dedicated communications laptops, at a minimum password protected, and ideally encrypted

If using GPS

a. Remember, GPS hand helds are only a receiver; therefore it is not transmitting and should not be an issue.

b. Loss of GPS signal may be an indication of localised jamming activity

c. Do not store particularly sensitive locations on the GPS as memory or waypoints

d. Delete previous locations prior to deploying to a new area or country

e. Use tracks rather than overlayd mapping wherever possible

If using mobile phones

a. Extremely easy to jam, intercept and direction find

b. Cell towers can be jammed quite easily, however as one cell only covers a particular area, they other cells in the area may not, therefore if safe to do so, attempt to locate a different cell tower.

c. Keep your voice calls to a minimum, if you require to make a call, keep it short and concise to minimise transmission time

d. Keep phone switched off and battery removed if applicable

e. Keep the phone locked with a password

f. Store the SIM separately wherever possible

g. Delete unwanted SMS

h. Do not pin point secure or safe locations through speech or text – use code word/s or phrase to identify them rather than real world locations

If using Laptops

a. Keep antivirus software up to date

b. Keep Operating systems up to date

c. Use Ethernet connections rather than wireless networks

d. Ensure you enable a password to access your laptop

e. Keep important documents safe

f. If possible use a secure method of accessing data, for example, SECURE EDGE

g. Encrypt contents wherever possible

h. Use separate, dedicated communications laptops wherever possible

By implementing basic security measures, you will increase your knowledge and decrease the chances of a perpetrator accessing, hacking or intercepting your electronic devices.

If you have any questions relating to IT or Communications security please get in touch!

1 day Working in Hostile Environments Medical Refresher Course on the 10th June 2012 in Beirut

4 day Working in Hostile Enviornments Course (Media) on 12th – 15th June and 18th – 21st June 2012

Places are limited!

For further information or to book your place on a course, you can get in touch with us via the contact form, or call us on +44 (0)20 3239 5257.

Firstly you have to consider what it is you want to achieve – a process we call requirement definition. Do you want to enable operators on the ground to have a navigation tool with fringe benefits of knowing where they are at the control centre or a bespoke, dedicated panic button that starts to track when activated as a safety tool? Or do you want to deliver a real time situational awareness tool to coordinate assets on the ground in a wide area and ensure they work together? Or do you simply want to ensure that your vehicles or aircraft are being run as environmentally efficiently as possible as a fleet and keeping your overheads to a minimum? Maybe you need to keep tabs on a high value asset from the warehouse to the drilling rig at the bottom of the ocean floor. The potential applications are endless, and our approach is to sit down with you and take the time to understand your business and potential requirement fully prior to offering any form of solution.

There is a huge range of technological solutions available depending on the application and planned use. Aircraft, vessels, people, assets in a warehouse, phones, vehicles – even underwater – there is pretty much a device or software solution to meet most tracking needs. It normally comes down to the following factors:

1. What you want to track
2. What you want to achieve by knowing where that asset is
3. Communications bearers available
4. Power sources
5. How often you want to ‘see’ the asset being tracked

These form the fundamental basis of any tracking consultation – once you get this right, the rest is on the right track to getting you the right solution.

TYR and Green Bay have worked closely to design a suitable Hostile Environments Course to cover all of the subjects that are relevant to their assignment. Along with training and support, TYR have also provided satellite communications support to ensure the team deployed has constant communications with their UK based office.

“They approach situations with a “can do” attitude and no negativity. They are very practical and affable and I would trust them implicitly in any environment. I have no hesitation in recommending this professional, committed company” 

For further information on how TYR can assist and support your documentary,  you can get in touch with us via the contact form, or call us on +44 (0)20 3239 5257.

Please get in touch for further details.

An hours drive from Prague Airport, accommodation is located in a large Chateau, which is 15mins drive to the ranges and 25 mins to the airfield (training area).

The training area consists of bunkers, buildings and runway as well as surrounding woodland and open fields. We can also offer tanks in various configurations, Quad bikes, 4×4′s and other various eastern bloc vehicles and uniforms.

An off road driving course is also available along with vehicles at additional costs, along with  a Mi8 helicopter hired by the hour is required.

Dedicated firing ranges are professionally run and include various weapon options for the individual.

We can conduct one of our standard courses or run a bespoke course dependant on your requirements to enable you to achieve your aims and objectives.

Please get in touch for further details

As such we now offer an additional option to our 4 day Working in Hostile Environments Course (Media). An introductory 1 day 4×4 driving course on the Friday after the main course has finished which consists of a 1 hour classroom based lecture, followed by the student putting the practical skills demonstrated to the test on our off road driving course which is located on our 5000 acre training facility.

Please either get in touch for further information on how we have redefined Hostile Environment Training or visit our training section on our website for further details.