Comm 35-36 Secure communications Flashcards
Access to Information
3
Employees and members of DND/CF shall NOT be afforded access to information unless the following three mandatory criteria are apparent:
- Demonstration of Need to Know
- Possession of appropriate security screening level
- Access has been authorized by the Releasing Authority
Security Classification
Unclassified: no injury to national interest
Confidential: injury to nation interest
Secret: serious injury to the national interest
Top secret: exceptionally grave injury to the national interest
Security Clearance
Level 1 – is required to view/handle Confidential information
Level 2 – is required to view/handle Secret information
Level 3 – is required to view/handle Top Secret information
Security Designation
Security Designation is determined by the level of injury outside of National Interest if a compromise of the information was to occur.
PROTECTED A – Low sensitive information usually involving personal information
PROTECTED B – Particularly sensitive information usually involving personal information
PROTECTED C – Extremely sensitive information usually involving personal information
COMSEC
“Protection resulting from applying cryptographic, transmission and emission security measures to telecommunication emission and information handling equipment.”
- COMSEC also includes the instruction required to effect this protection.
- There are numerous types of COMSEC material that are required for various types of missions such as codes and daily changing call signs
- Commanders, commanding officers and persons in charge shall ensure that an establishment is divided into progressively restrictive zones in order to control and limit access to classified and designated information and sensitive or valuable assets.
Secure zones
Public Access Zone – An area to which the public has unrestricted access
Reception Zone – An area located at the entrance of a facility where initial contact between the public and the Department occurs. Public access may be limited within this area
Operations Zone – An area to which access is limited to personnel and to properly escorted visitors
Security Zone – An area to which access is limited to authorized personnel and properly escorted visitors. An area that is continuously monitored and to which access is controlled by personnel working in the area and by a security system.
High-Security Zone – An area that is continuously monitored and to which access is limited to authorized, appropriately screened personnel and authorized, properly escorted visitors.
Physical security
- TOP SECRET information shall be stored in a security zone, as a minimum
- SECRET and CONFIDENTIAL information shall be stored, as a minimum, in an Operations Zone.
- Security zones on a wing/base are located on the operational side and material is stored in a vaulted room.
Physical security - aircraft
- Only publications specifically authorized in their Letter of Promulgation or Foreword, by other instructions, or by higher authority, may be carried for use in aircraft
- The aircraft commander, or the flight custodian to whom COMSEC material is issued, is responsible for its safekeeping until the material has been returned to the home base or station COMSEC custodian
- Security requirements for COMSEC equipment in aircraft are contained in CIS 01300 series publications
Destruction procedures
aircraft
ships
Destruction Procedures
- Unit COMSEC custodian will brief all personnel “signing” out the material on the proper destruction methods.
- ACSOs are usually issued the COMSEC materiel, responsible for the safekeeping and if required, destruction of all
Destruction Procedures – Aircraft
Classified Waste shall be:
- Clearly marked “CLASSIFIED COMSEC WASTE”
- Returned to the home base COMSEC custodian at the same time the crypto package is returned.
When landing on airfields other than their home base:
- Shall destroy waste by an approved method at the first opportunity
- Provide Handling Instruction Disposition Record (HI/DR) cards to their home base COMSEC custodian at the first available opportunity.
Destruction Procedure – Ships
- Ships shall be fitted with an approved shredder
- Shall shred all classified and unclassified waste accumulating in all communication spaces
EMCON
EMCON = Emission Control Selective control of emitted electromagnetic or acoustic energy. AIM – Minimize the enemy’s detection of friendly emissions and exploitation of the information granted. Reduce electromagnetic interference thereby improving friendly sensor performance. - Defence against interception and direction finding. Protective Measure: - Radio Silence - Electronic Silence - Avoiding unnecessary transmissions - Transmission length - Procedure - Changing Frequency - Alternative Means of Communications
EMCON – 1 CFFTS
Radar EMCON Restrictions
HF Silent Periods
Authentication
Authentication
- Authentication is a security aid designed to protect Allied communications against deception from fraudulent transmissions by unauthorized persons
- Can be done using tables or word of the day methods
Authentication Procedures
“AUTHENTICATE….” The station called is to reply to the challenge which follows (logged as INT ZNB)
“AUTHENTICATION IS….” Or “I AUTHENTICATE….” The transmission authentication of this message is… (logged as ZNB)
Ex.
K OKM GBQ LYT ZAW
N XMP RHV ING LTQ
E BHI UJY KAC NFX
“Gonz04 de Gonz05, authenticate K-G”
“Gonz05 de Gonz04, I authenticate B”
Electronic Jamming
- Deliberate radiation, re-radiation or reflection of electromagnetic energy with the object of impairing the effectiveness of hostile electronic devices, equipment or systems
- Match the target signal’s frequency/wavelength
- Sufficient masking power
- Continuous coverage
Search Jammer – An intercept receiver and jamming transmitter system which searches for and jams signals automatically which have specific radiation characteristics
Barrage Jamming – Simultaneous electronic jamming over a broad band of frequencies
Repeater Jammer – A receiver transmitter device which amplifies, multiplies and retransmits the signals received, for purposes of deception or jamming
Spot/Selective Jamming – The jamming of a specific channel or frequency
Sweep Jamming – A narrow band of jamming that is swept back and forth over a relatively wide operating band of frequencies
Taboo Frequency – A friendly frequency on which jamming or other intentional interference is prohibited
Electronic Deception
- Deception against communications that is normally accomplished by inserting misleading information to confuse the enemy’s Essential Elements of Friendly Information (EEFI)
- Combines one or more noise jamming techniques with a deception signal to stray the enemy from the desired information signal
- The signal may be either manipulative or imitative in nature, attempting to deceive or confuse the recipient
Tones/Gaussian Noise
- Tone modulation changes the jamming waveform to mask noise jamming as voice communications
- Gaussian noise sounds like background noise in the receiver
Recognizing Jamming
Covert Jamming
- Jamming during which no sound is heard on the receiving equipment
- Radio does not receive incoming signals yet everything seems superficially normal to the operator
- These are often technical attacks on modern equipment, such as “squelch capture”
Overt Jamming
- Easy to detect
- Types of noise such as stepped tones (bagpipes), random keyed code, pulses, music, erratically warbling tones, highly distorted speech, random noise, and recorded sounds
Jamming Countermeasures
Frequency Diversity
- Simultaneous or nearly simultaneous operation of electronic systems performing similar functions but using widely different frequencies
- Effective against narrow band jamming
- Frequency diversity represents a strong EP capability that will reduce jamming densities appearing at each receiver
Operator
- A trained operator is often the best countermeasure
- Authentication
