In March this year we covered on this blog the use of satellite imagery by activists in the UK. The recent Mumbai attacks may have been the latest incidence of this effective, and increasingly advanced, tool being used by adversary groups. Satellite mapping allows close detail surveillance of terrain, topography and infrastructure and also allows distances and dispositions of personnel to be checked with a good degree of accuracy.Also, the increased availability and capability of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) communications, satellite phones and GPS navigation systems provide such groups with technological agility which greatly enhances their ability to reach targets and communicate with each other.
For most businesses, it must now be assumed that any potential adversary can and will make use of satellite mapping services in their assessment of a site’s weaknesses and strengths. The challenge for the security professional is to ensure that they can optimise protection whilst accepting the fact that they are under satellite surveillance. But remember – although satellites can photograph fences and barriers, approach and escape routes, they cannot assess your security awareness programmes and the effectiveness of your personnel in implementing security procedures. If you can strengthen those, perhaps you can negate the effectiveness of the ‘eye in the sky’!
See a NY Times report on the issue here: NY Times
