NSTISSAM TEMPEST/1-92 [12/15/1992]

TEMPEST (Telecommunications Electronics Materials Protected from Emanating Spurious Transmissions) is a stringent U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) specification and NATO standard (SDIP-27) governing emission security. In highly secure environments, standard electronic devices unintentionally emit electromagnetic radiation and radio frequency (RF) signals that adversaries can intercept and decode to steal sensitive data. TEMPEST standards dictate the rigorous shielding, filtering, and design practices required to suppress these compromising emanations and mitigate the risk of electronic eavesdropping.

To achieve TEMPEST compliance, equipment is categorized by the proximity of the threat and tested against classified attenuation requirements. The NSA (NSTISSAM) and NATO classify these into three primary security levels:

• Level I (NATO Level A / Zone 0): The strictest standard, requiring the highest containment of classified signals. It protects equipment from immediate eavesdropping attempts from approximately 1 meter away, assuming the attacker has near-direct access.

• Level II (NATO Level B / Zone 1): Provides moderate containment, protecting equipment from threats approximately 20 meters away, typically within a controlled facility perimeter.

• Level III (NATO Level C / Zone 2): Referred to as "Tactical," this baseline level provides protection from approximately 100 meters in unobstructed conditions or through walls.

Additionally, TEMPEST protocols strictly enforce RED/BLACK Separation. This dictates the physical and electrical isolation of "RED" equipment (handling classified national security information) from "BLACK" equipment (handling unclassified data) to ensure secure signals do not couple onto unclassified cables or infrastructure.

ProCustom Group’s TEMPEST Modification Capabilities Standard COTS (Commercial Off-The-Shelf) rugged computers are not inherently built to contain classified electromagnetic emanations. At ProCustom Group, we specialize in the advanced engineering and retrofitting necessary to elevate premium rugged platforms, such as the Getac X500, to full TEMPEST compliance.

Our proven emission security and TEMPEST ruggedization methodologies include:

• Advanced RF/EMI Shielding: Custom-engineered internal enclosures, conductive coatings, and specialized optical display meshes designed to absorb and block unintentional radiated RF emissions.

• High-Performance Power Filtering: Integration of robust, hardened TEMPEST power line filters to prevent conducted emissions from traveling out of the equipment along power cables, grounding wires, and signal lines.

• RED/BLACK Architecture Integration: Precision internal layout modifications to ensure strict physical and electrical separation between secure classified processing components and unclassified output interfaces.

• Conductive Enclosure Sealing: Installation of specialized electromagnetic shielding gaskets, beryllium copper finger stock, and military-grade connectors to eliminate RF leaks at chassis seams and access doors without compromising environmental durability.

Navigating NSA and NATO emission security standards requires exact engineering tolerances. Whether you are fielding secure workstations for intelligence facilities or mobile tactical nodes, the ProCustom Group engineering team provides the bespoke customization and TEMPEST retrofits needed to keep your secrets secure.