The rise of cybertheft and electronic eavesdropping through high-security office building windows has become an alarming trend both in the Faraday cage federal government and private sector. Although there are many ways to swipe classified and sensitive information electronically, the ability to steal data from cell phones and computer screens using devices to penetrate clear glass office building windows is not a difficult task.

Cyber thieves often stay one step ahead of authorities as their technical knowledge allows them to keep coming up with new ways to steal critical information – usually for financial gain.

The act of electronic eavesdropping requires a special skill set, as the thieves utilize the latest technology to penetrate clear glass and steal vital information from cell phones and computer screens.

So widespread has cyber theft and electronic eavesdropping become, the FBI has created its own cybercrime unit totally dedicated to stopping cyber thieves.

Solutions: Electromagnetic Shielding

When building owners or property managers discover they have an electronic eavesdropping issue they know it has to be dealt with quickly. Tenants who are victims of the cyber theft attacks will firmly request that the problem be solved.

Some building owners and property managers assume the best solution is the replace the windows with a type of glass with electronic radio frequency shielding components. This is a costly solution.

More viable and far less expensive is the installation of radio frequency shielding film, also known as RF film. The concept of electromagnetic shielding involves reducing the electromagnetic field in a space by blocking the field with barriers made of conductive or magnetic materials. Typically, shielding is applied to enclosures to isolate electrical devices from their surroundings. It also can be applied to cables to isolate wires from the environment through which the cable runs. Electromagnetic shielding that blocks radio frequency electromagnetic radiation is also known as RF shielding.

The shielding can reduce the coupling of radio waves, electromagnetic fields and electrostatic fields. A conductive enclosure used to block electrostatic fields is also known as a Faraday cage. The amount of reduction depends very much upon the material used, its thickness, the size of the shielded volume and the frequency of the fields of interest and the size, shape and orientation of apertures in a shield to an incident electromagnetic field.

As a result, it takes experienced radio frequency [RF] shielding film installers to know what type of film to install to match a particular cyber security issue involving office building windows.

5 Things to Know About RF Shielding Film

There are many misconceptions about radio frequency [RF] shielding film. Among them:

It’s too expensive

As discussed earlier, compared to installing glass with electronic shielding capabilities, RF shielding film is a bargain. The most important thing to consider in budgeting for RF film is to include it in the design phase of construction or a buildout. It’s always more expensive when a cyber theft issue occurs after-the-fact and you have to consider RF film as a way to solve the problem. There is no one solution – or film type – for a problem, as each one is different and has to be handled accordingly.

There’s no such thing as government or corporate espionage

In a word: False. As mentioned earlier, The FBI created its Cyber Crime department specifically to handle the tremendous spike in electronic eavesdropping and other cyber theft activity. The criminals can come from anywhere. For this reason, companies who protect their windows with RF shielding film can be assured of working in a safe and secure environment.

A company with firewalls, an encryption system and strong IT department need not consider installing RF shielding film

Simply, it’s not enough. Any astute techie who can locate a signal can hack his way into your system or steal information via electronic eavesdropping.

There’s only one way to create the perfect RF shielded environment

In fact, each problem area is a unique situation and requires its own solution. Within one floor of a building, each office space can present a different problem and require a different type of RF shielding window film. There’s also a significant difference between urban and rural buildings, which require totally different solutions when it comes to installing RF shielding window film.

Unexpected issues requiring RF shielding film can appear without warning

RF shielding film is not used just to prevent electronic eavesdropping and cybertheft. For instance, tech hubs have popped up all over the country, in cities like Atlanta, Austin, Raleigh/Durham and San Jose. When you have a building filled with tech companies, that often can create a chaotic situation in which the WiFi signals in each office space become scrambled. One solution is to install RF shielding film on the exterior windows of each office space. This effectively separate each WiFi system into its own entity, keeping other nearby systems at bay.