Unauthorised Access: Physical Penetration Testing For IT Security Teams

8.8. Communications Equipment

Team members on site and back at base should be in constant communication. The most obvious solution is via mobile phones and as a rule this works fine. Any mobile phone is fine for this however there are some advanced considerations. For example, mobile telephone communications are not encrypted per se. Sometimes it may be advantageous to deploy an additional layer of security. The solution I like to go with works like this:

Each team member has a modern mobile phone that supports unlimited broadband access to the internet and a Bluetooth headset. The free internet Voice over IP (VoIP) software, Skype is installed on every phone. Skype is useful because it supports conferencing, allowing all team members to be permanent contact as well as using encryption by default. Its small impact signaling and traffic protocols mean that voice quality is surprisingly good. Also, you don't run up huge mobile bills which is always helpful. There are numerous phones and packages to choose from wherever you live.

Walkie Talkies should be avoided; they are cumbersome and conspicuous. The only time I would recommend their use would be in circumstances where they reinforce your persona i.e. if you're dressed as site maintenance and so on.