Tempest

Tempest is a NATO-certification that includes both protection against compromising emanations, and methods to eavesdrop upon others to disclose confidential information.

Tempest as a form of protection is normally applied to environments and devices which are considered highly vulnerable. Thus, tempest-certified equipment come with the most severe protection against compromising emanations.

Three levels of Tempest standard NATO SDIP-27

Three different tempest standards can be defined. These are level A, B and C.

Level A
The tempest standard Level A is the strictest NATO-standard and is sometimes therefore referred to as ”Full”.  This standard is thus for devices that are operated within the NATO Zone 0.

Level B
The tempest standard Level B is the next strictest NATO-standard, sometimes referred to as ”Immediate”. This tempest standard is therefore for devices that are operated within the NATO Zone 1. 

Level C
The tempest standard level C is sometimes referred to as ”Tactical”. This standard is applied to environments and devices within the NATO Zone 2.

Tempest levels complete standard list

Standard                          Full                          Intermediate              Tactical
NATO Zones                     Zone 0                     Zone 1                            Zone 0
NATO SDIP-27                  Level A                    Level B                           Level C
NATO AMSG                     AMSG 720B            AMSG 788A                   AMSG 784
USA NSTISSAM                Level I                      Level II                            Level III

More about compromising emanations

Within the Armed Forces, tempest-certified equipment are one of many crucial steps to ensure protection against compromising emanations. As more businesses realize the threats and risks that come with modern information society, the demand for tempest protection around several industries though are increasing notably. Fibersystems can help both small and large organizations to safer operations – nationally and globally.

Read more about electromagnetic emanations and how to protect your data (EMSEC)