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COMSEC BRIEFING

COMSEC BRIEFING.

abigail-jacobson
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COMSEC BRIEFING

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  1. COMSEC BRIEFING Having been selected to perform duties which will require access to classified COMSEC information, it is essential you be made aware of certain facts relevant to the protection of this information before access is granted. You must know the relationship between COMSEC information and other classified information; the reason why special safeguards are prescribed for COMSEC information; the directives and rules which prescribe those safeguards; and the penalties which you would incur for willful or inadvertent disclosure to unauthorized persons. UNCLASSIFIED

  2. COMSEC BRIEFING COMSEC material is especially sensitive because it is used to protect other classified information from unauthorized access. Any particular piece of COMSEC equipment, keying material, or even a specific COMSEC technique, may be used to protect a large quantity of other classified material over a number of years. If the integrity of the COMSEC system is breached at any point during its existence all classified information protected by that system may be compromised. The procedural and doctrinal safeguards placed on COMSEC material throughout all phases of its life help to minimize the compromise probability. UNCLASSIFIED

  3. COMSEC BRIEFING Communications security is the term used for the steps taken to protect information of intelligence value which must be derived from the possession and study of telecommunications, or to mislead unauthorized persons in the interpretations of results of that study. COMSEC, the abbreviation for Communications Security, is made up of four main parts: transmission security, physical security, emission security, and cryptographic security. UNCLASSIFIED

  4. COMSEC BRIEFING Transmission Security is that component of COMSEC which is designed to protect transmission from unauthorized intercept, traffic analysis, and imitative deception. Physical Security is that component of COMSEC which results from all physical measures to safeguard classified information, documents and equipment from access by unauthorized persons. Emission Security is that component of COMSEC which results from deriving information through the study of compromising emanations from COMSEC equipments or telecommunications systems. UNCLASSIFIED

  5. COMSEC BRIEFING Cryptographic Security is that component of COMSEC which results from the provision and application of technically sound cryptosystems and their proper use. To assure a sound and secure COMSEC system all four of these components must be considered. UNCLASSIFIED

  6. COMSEC BRIEFING Part of the physical security protection given COMSEC information is afforded by the special handling it receives in distribution. There are two separate channels used for the handling of COMSEC material, depending on its nature: COMSEC channels and administrative channels. The COMSEC channel, called the COMSEC Material Control System, is used to distribute accountable COMSEC information such as keying material, maintenance manuals and COMSEC equipments. This channel is composed of a series of COMSEC accounts, each of which has an appointed COMSEC Custodian who is responsible and accountable for all COMSEC information charged to his account. UNCLASSIFIED

  7. COMSEC BRIEFING The COMSEC Custodian assumes responsibility for the material on receipt, and then controls its dissemination to authorized individuals on a need-to-know basis. The administrative channel is used to distribute COMSEC information other than that which is accountable in the COMSEC Material Control System, including letters, messages, reports, drawings, aperture cards and magnetic tapes. COMSEC information may be handled only by persons with a Government granted clearance and specific need-to-know. UNCLASSIFIED

  8. COMSEC BRIEFING Because access to COMSEC information is granted on a strict need-to-know basis you will be given access to only that COMSEC information necessary in the performance of your duties. You are required to become familiar with the appropriate security regulations that spell out how COMSEC information will be protected. UNCLASSIFIED

  9. COMSEC BRIEFING Especially important to the protection of COMSEC information is an understanding of these security regulations and the timely reporting of any compromise, or suspected compromise, of classified COMSEC information. If a COMSEC system is compromised, but the compromise is unreported, the continued use of the system - under the assumption that is secure - can result in the loss of all information that was ever protected by that system. If the compromise is reported, steps can be taken to change the system and re-evaluation of the information passed over the system may serve to lessen the advantage gained through the compromise of the information. UNCLASSIFIED

  10. COMSEC BRIEFING In short, it is your individual responsibility to know and to put into practice all the provisions of the appropriate publications which relate to the protection of COMSEC information you have access to. Finally, you must know that should you willfully disclose to any unauthorized persons any of the classified COMSEC information to which you will have access, you will be subject to prosecution under the criminal laws of the United States. The laws that apply are contained in Title 18, United States Code - specifically Sections 793, 794, and 798 (Appendix VI, ISM). UNCLASSIFIED

  11. COMSEC BRIEFING This concludes your indoctrination and you are now aware of the penalties involved for willful disclosure of COMSEC information to any unauthorized person. You may be given access only to that COMSEC information for which you have a need-to-know and you may enter into a COMSEC facility only if your official duties so require. UNCLASSIFIED

  12. STE BRIEFING • Classified information shall not be discussed over unsecured telephone lines. The STE is a special telephone instrument that can be switched to a secure mode for discussion of classified information. UNCLASSIFIED

  13. Using the STE • If you need to discuss classified information, you can use the STE in non-secure mode to place a call to another party who also has a STE. After the connection is made, you ask the party receiving the call to "go secure." You and the other party then put your KSV-21 keys into the phone terminal, turn them on and press the SECURE button. It may take about 15 seconds for the secure connection to be established.. UNCLASSIFIED

  14. Using the STE • When the secure connection is activated, the display screen on the unit shows the highest classification level at which discussion is authorized. After hanging up, wait at least two seconds before removing the CIK. UNCLASSIFIED

  15. Using the STE • Rules regarding use of the STE and protection of the KEY that activates the encryption system are much less restrictive and cumbersome than rules governing older encryption systems. In older systems, the code used to encrypt message traffic was loaded into the secure communications device in a physical form such as a punch card or paper tape with a pattern of holes punched in it. • If this type code is compromised, an intercepted message can be deciphered. Any code material that is in physical form is susceptible to compromise. UNCLASSIFIED

  16. Using the STE • Advanced technology now makes it possible to generate a new traffic encryption code electronically at the time each secure call is made. The traffic encryption code only exists in electronic form. Since it did not exist prior to the call and disappears when the call is terminated, it is extremely unlikely that an adversary will be able to obtain the code. Even if that did happen, the code could only be used to decipher that one message, since a new traffic encryption code is generated for each call. UNCLASSIFIED

  17. Using the STE • What is the greatest risk associated with the STE? It is the supposedly unclassified chitchat that goes on before the STE is switched to secure mode. A defector from one of the intelligence services that intercepts U.S. communications reports that the encrypted STE conversations are unbreakable, but the discussions before the STE encryption is activated, and sometimes after it is deactivated, are a bonanza of valuable information. It is not difficult for communications intercept personnel to identify the phone numbers associated with STE. Since the same numbers are also used for unencrypted conversations, these numbers are high priority targets. UNCLASSIFIED

  18. Using the STE • The STE instrument itself is not classified. It may be installed and used in any room in which classified conversations are permitted. Special rules do apply to protecting the KSV-21 that turns the STE from a regular telephone into a secure telephone. UNCLASSIFIED

  19. Using the STE • When the KSV-21 is programmed for converting the STE from a normal telephone to a secure telephone, it should be protected as  follows: UNCLASSIFIED

  20. Using the STE • When the KSV-21 and the STE are kept in the same room, the KSV-21 must be protected at the highest classification level of the information that the STE is authorized to transmit. • When not kept in the same room as the STE, however, the KSV-21 may be protected as you would a high-value item of personal property, such as a credit card.  It may be stored in a locked cabinet or desk. It may also be kept in the personal possession of the authorized holder. UNCLASSIFIED

  21. Using the STE Do not discuss classified information if: 1. Any validity question arises (e.g., the display does not accurately represent the party called). 2. The display indicates that the distant terminal's key has expired. 3. The display indicates that the distant terminal contains a compromised key. 4. The display fails. UNCLASSIFIED

  22. Using the STE • Do not permit a terminal to be taken from the facility for use at a residence or in any unauthorized business environment. • Only KSV-21 custodians and terminal users may use the system in a secure mode. Any exceptions to this condition must be reviewed with the FSO. UNCLASSIFIED

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