SURVEILLANCE DEVICE DETECTION WITH COUNTERMEASURES

• US 20100008477A1
• Filed: 06/29/2009
• Published: 01/14/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hector Vasquez, Martin Kuttner
• Original Assignee: Hector Vasquez, Martin Kuttner
• Inventors: Vasquez, Hector, Kuttner, Martin
• Granted Patent: US 8,340,252 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/7
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/18 Comparators
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/2272 Subscriber line supervision circuits, e.g. call detection circuits

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a method and apparatus for detecting surveillance devices on a telephone line and deployment of countermeasures therefor. The apparatus comprises a line monitoring circuit for evaluating whether the phone is off hook or ringing. A test generation circuit produces a test signal to be injected into a line and issues test commands. A signal response analysis circuit compares a test signal response to a baseline signal response and reports an anomaly when the difference between a test signal response and a baseline signal response exceeds a threshold. Additionally, an anomaly may be reported when an unusual signal is detected, such as a clock. A detection management circuit issues countermeasures to the anomaly based on programmed responses.

Claims

1. An apparatus for detecting surveillance devices on a telephone line comprising:

a case having at least one line input, at least one line output, a communications output, and a controller;

the controller having a central processing unit and a memory storage and configured to;

(a) instruct a test signal to be transmitted to at least one user-selectable line;

(b) compare a test signal response from one of the user-selectable lines with a baseline signal response;

(c) report a change in the line state of one of the user-selectable lines when the difference between the test signal response and the baseline signal response exceeds a threshold; and

(d) issue a countermeasure based upon countermeasure settings.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the countermeasure is selected from the group consisting of alerting a user that one of the user-selectable lines is compromised via a text message, alerting a user that one of the user-selectable lines is compromised via an email message, alerting a user that one of the user-selectable lines is compromised via a wireless display device, and issuing a command to terminate a connection with one of the user-selectable lines.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 comprising a switch matrix, the switch matrix configured to inject the test signal into the at least one of the user-selectable lines, break a connection with at least one of the user-selectable lines, extract the test signal response from at least one of the user-selectable lines, and terminate a connection with one of the user-selectable lines when the controller issues a termination command.

4. An apparatus for detecting a surveillance device on a telephone line and for issuing countermeasures for disrupting a detected surveillance device, comprising:

a line monitoring circuit for detecting a state of a line;

a test generation circuit having a controller for receiving the state of the line from the line monitoring circuit and producing a test signal to be injected into the line and issuing a test command;

a test switch circuit for receiving the test command from the controller, injecting the test signal into the line, and receiving a test signal response;

a signal conditioning circuit for receiving the test signal response from the test switch circuit and measuring the test signal response;

wherein the controller compares the test signal response measurement with a baseline signal response measurement, and issues a countermeasure command when the difference between the test signal response measurement and the baseline signal response measurement exceeds a threshold.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the countermeasure command comprises a message to a user that a surveillance device has been detected.

6. The apparatus of claim 4 which comprises a line interface circuit for breaking a connection on the line, wherein the countermeasure command comprises a test command directing the line interface circuit to break the connection on the line.

7. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the line monitoring circuit reports an IN-USE state when an off-hook state or a ringing state are detected on the line, and the line monitoring circuit reports a NOT-IN-USE state when neither an off-hook state nor a ringing state are detected on the line.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the line monitoring circuit comprises a plurality of arrays which are electrically isolated from the line, a first array from the plurality of arrays detects an on-hook state, a second array from the plurality of arrays detects the off-hook state, a third array from the plurality of arrays detects the ringing state, and a fourth array from the plurality of arrays detects a polarity reversed state.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein each of the arrays are an optoisolator.

10. The apparatus of claim 4 which comprises a memory storage which stores the baseline signal response measurement.

11. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the line is selected from the group consisting of:

a single line;

a line-pair;

or at least two lines that are not a line-pair.

12. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the test command is selected from the group consisting of:

sending the test signal to a CO side of the line when the line is broken;

sending the test signal to a CPE side of the line when the line is broken;

or sending the test signal to both the CO side and the CPE side of the line when the line is connected.

13. A method for detecting a surveillance device on a telephone line and administering a countermeasure for disrupting a detected surveillance device comprising:

monitoring the telephone line to determine a line state;

producing a test signal to be injected into a line;

issuing a test command for directing the test signal to the line;

receiving a test signal response;

comparing the test signal response with a baseline signal response; and

issuing a countermeasure when the difference between the test signal response and the baseline signal response exceeds a threshold.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein a line monitoring circuit is provided for monitoring the telephone line, the line monitoring circuit comprising a plurality of arrays, a respective array from the plurality of arrays for detecting each of the following states:

on-hook state;

off-hook state;

ringing state; and

polarity reversed state; and

the line monitoring circuit reports an IN-USE state when either an off-hook state or a ringing state is detected, and the line monitoring circuit reports a NOT-IN-USE state when neither an off-hook state nor a ringing state is detected.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the test signal is selected from the group consisting of:

a Type 1 test for detecting anomalies in a line extending from the apparatus to a central office;

a Type 2 test for detecting anomalies in a line extending from the apparatus to a customer purchased equipment; and

a Type 3 test for detecting anomalies in a line extending from the central office to the customer purchased equipment.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the Type 1 test is selected when the NOT-IN-USE state is reported, the Type 2 test is selected when the NOT-IN-USE state is reported, and the Type 3 test is selected when the IN-USE state is reported.

17. The method of claim 13 wherein the countermeasure comprises a message to a user that a surveillance device has been detected.

18. The method of claim 13 wherein the countermeasure comprises a test command directing the line to be terminated.