"Since intelligence computers are, for security reasons usually not connected to external networks, the original back door was a broadcast signal. The PROMIS software was often sold in connection with computer hardware (such as a Prime computer) using a specialized chip. The chip would broadcast the contents of the existing database to monitoring vans of collection satellites using digital spread spectrum techniques whenever the software was run. Spread spectrum techniques offer a way to mask, or disguise, a signal by making it appear as 'noise' with respect to another signal. For example, one may communicate covertly on the same spectrum as a local TV broadcast signal.

From the point of view of a TV receiver, the covert communication appears as noise, and is filtered out. From the point of view of the covert channel, the TV signal appears as noise. In the case of the PROMIS broadcast channel, the signal was disguised as ordinary computer noise . . ."

Unfortunately, thereafter Grabbe's discussion, which includes correspondence with PROMIS architect Michael Riconosciuto, becomes more technical than is useful to a nontechnical understanding of how PROMIS works.

It is the same with remarks about further criticism from Daniel Brandt, penned by Riconosciuto, that have circulated among conspiracy researchers. For example, Riconosciuto states that, "as far as the requirement of special hardware to transmit data and the example that Mr. Brandt uses that software can only alone supply various combinations of ones and zeros to the CPU, only shows Mr. Brandt's lack of knowledge of what WALSH functions are . . . Brandt's comments start out that computers radiate electromagnetic energy unless they are shielded. This is an insult.

"Anybody who has been around knows what Van Eck hacking is? [Editor's Note: Named after the Dutch scientist Wim Van Eck, who published a Computers and Security journal article (December 1985) on "Van Eck" or "Tempest" phreaking, which he had developed since January 1983. Since computer monitors and other equipment emits faint radiation, Van Eck was able to eavesdrop on these transmissions, scan the information, and display it on a modified television set. He used readily available equipment, including a directional antenna, an antenna amplifier, a variable oscillator and a frequency divider. The technique became popular for industrial espionage and has been reportedly used by various US government agencies. Plans for Van Eck units, and manuals, are commercially available.]

"An active phased array antenna is superfluous at the short distances he describes. A high performance surveillance receiver such as those made for Vatkins Johnson Corporation, Stoddarts/Singer or Fairchild will do the job quite nicely with a standard Biconical antenna . . . Brandt will find that if an arbitrarily small section of a Sine function is known, the function is known everywhere. This feature of sine wave is referenced to sinusoidal waves transmit information at a net rate of zero!

"Mr. Brandt's statement that software can only provide combinations of ones and zeros to the CPU totally misses the point that Walsh functions are inherently suited to binary operations. This is one reason why such tight, compact code can be written around operations with Walsh functions. It is is why it is so difficult find these routines and differentiate them from routines normally used at the register transfer logic level.

"This is at level of programming that is one jump lower than machine language."

Whch is, of course, several steps above the average person's ability to follow. It seems almost inarguable that the PROMIS software has properties and applications to military and industrial skullduggery that surpass the threats it seems to pose to hackers, conspiracy students, and the other riffraff who populate the cybersphere.

In addition to being a bell-ringer for the dangers PROMIS posed to the average person, Casolaro died in part trying to uncover its other, perhaps more sinister capacities. Michael Riconosciuto has been as vociferous as possible about it for someone in his position-in prison on trumped-up drug charges.