Kevin's Security Scrapbook

Spycam Story #642 - The Epidemic Continues

2012-01-26T16:35:00.000-05:00

CT - A man from South Windsor accused of secretly taping people getting undressed is due in court Thursday. Police said Paul Zajac, 20, hid cameras in bathrooms and bedrooms at his home and his ex-girlfriend's house. He is being charged with 24 counts of voyeurism. (more)

FL - A 24-year-old man was arrested Monday on suspicion of using his iPhone to take an upskirt video of a woman using a Redbox outside a Walmart in Lake County. Lorenzo Adan Ramirez, a landscaper and father of two from Tavares, was arrested in Mount Dora on charges of video voyeurism. (more)

Canada - A former Merritt radio personality will go to jail for nine months and be forbidden from being around children for five years after pleading guilty to possessing child pornography and voyeurism. Jamie McDerment, a small and slightly built 24-year-old man, was led away in handcuffs by two sheriffs Friday afternoon after being sentenced in provincial court... Police also found covert images he admitted to taking of young boys partially naked in a bathroom at Riverside park in August. (more)

I mention incidents like this to raise public awareness of the increase in optical surveillance, and to encourage new laws to address the situation.

Spycam Story #641 - The Church Sleepover

2012-01-26T16:14:00.000-05:00

TX - Charges have been upgraded against the Haughton man arrested Sunday after law-enforcement officers learned he placed video cameras in a bathroom used by teenage girls over the weekend.

Paul E. Holmes, 55, of the 700 block of Opal Circle in Haughton, has now been charged with 16 counts of video voyeurism and four counts of production of child pornography.

Police learned Sunday that Holmes had positioned video cameras in one the bathrooms of his house that was used by teenage girls during a sleepover as part of a local church youth activity.

When one of the girls was in the bathroom, she noticed a camera, told her parents, who then provided the information to the Haughton Police Department. When questioned by police, Holmes admitted that he owned the video cameras that were placed in the bathroom that the girls were using. (more)

Spycam Story #640 - Epiphany Party at My Place!

2012-01-26T16:05:00.002-05:00

Sault Ste. Marie, MI - Investigation Services officers arrested 48 year-old Emmanuel De Melo of 7 Elmwood Avenue on the 24th of January at 11:10 am at the police station and charged him with one count of voyeurism.

It is alleged that between the 1st to the 12th of January 2012, the accused used video cameras to record a number of persons that used his bathroom area while they were at gatherings at his residence.

The victims were unaware that the recordings were occurring. (more)

Quik! Hide the Bloodhound

2012-01-26T15:45:00.000-05:00

Switzerland - Lawyers for anti-globalization activists at ATTAC went head-to-head with Nestlé lawyers for a second day in the civil spying trial in Lausanne. Nestlé admits it hired a Securitas agent to spy on activists at ATTAC.

The company says it is a symbol of globalization that is vulnerable to attacks and the victim of an “ideological war.” Nestlé attorneys argue that it was within its rights to know what was happening in activist circles...

Both sides now await a judgment. (more)

Chucky is Back... and He Owns Your Cell Phone!

2012-01-26T15:31:00.000-05:00

Minh Uong/The New York Times

Chuck Bokath would be terrifying if he were not such a nice guy. A jovial senior engineer at the Georgia Tech Research Institute in Atlanta, Mr. Bokath can hack into your cellphone just by dialing the number. He can remotely listen to your calls, read your text messages, snap pictures with your phone’s camera and track your movements around town — not to mention access the password to your online bank account.

And while Mr. Bokath’s job is to expose security flaws in wireless devices, he said it was “trivial” to hack into a cellphone. Indeed, the instructions on how to do it are available online (the link most certainly will not be provided here). “It’s actually quite frightening,” said Mr. Bokath. “Most people have no idea how vulnerable they are when they use their cellphones.” (more)

Kessler Investigates Cell Phone Spy Apps

2012-01-25T15:39:00.000-05:00

In a six month investigation of illegal spying Kessler International’s forensic team found that most smartphones can be used for conducting unlawful spying and assisting criminals obtain information to conduct identity theft.

In order to test how dangerous your smartphone has become with a simple installation of readily available software from the Internet, Kessler International’s staff purchased a variety of smart phones and installed a variety of popular cell phone spy apps to discover what dangers the software posed and if traces of the apps could be detected by mobile forensic engineers to reveal their existence.

Kessler’s experts tested the products of the major smartphone spyware software providers on BlackBerry, iPhone and a variety of the Android devices. The team of forensic experts then reverse engineered the installation of the software to see how covert the app would be. In every case Kessler found telltale traces of the spyware in every product tested.

Michael G. Kessler, President & CEO of Kessler International stated, “Despite the best efforts of the developers to make their spyware as furtive as possible, my team determined that in every case not one spy app tested could make itself completely invisible. That gives the victims of spyware an important edge in proving their suspicions that their privacy has been invaded.” (more)

Wiretapping Uncovered In The Mexican Congress

2012-01-25T15:11:00.000-05:00

Mexican lawmakers said they would formally complain to the attorney general's office Tuesday after finding hidden microphones believed to have been used to spy on the lower house of Congress.

The listening devices were found "in quite a lot of offices, listening to and checking the activities of lawmakers," said Armando Rios Piter, president of the house's political coordination committee, on Televisa channel.

It was unclear who was responsible but lawmakers would release further information when possible, a statement from the lower chamber said. (more)

Google Oggle is in your Face-book

2012-01-25T14:09:00.000-05:00

In a move that could make it harder for its users to remain anonymous, Google said it would start combining nearly all the information it has on its users.

This could mean, for instance, that when users search via Google, the company will use their activities on sister sites like Gmail and YouTube to influence those users' search results. Google has not done that before.

Google's move -- which was disclosed in a privacy policy that will take effect on March 1 -- is a sign of the fierce competition between Google and Facebook over personal data. Facebook has amassed an unprecedented amount of data about the lives of its more than 800 million members -- information that is coveted by advertisers. (more)

Supreme Court Rules Trackers Require Warrant

2012-01-23T11:19:00.001-05:00

The Supreme Court ruled unanimously Monday that police must get a search warrant before using GPS technology to track criminal suspects.

Associate Justice Antonin Scalia said that the government's installation of a GPS device, and its use to monitor the vehicle's movements, constitutes a search, meaning that a warrant is required.

"By attaching the device to the Jeep" that Jones was using, "officers encroached on a protected area," Scalia wrote.

All nine justices agreed that the placement of the GPS on the Jeep violated the Fourth Amendment's protection against unreasonable search and seizure. (more)

FutureWatch: Civilian use of trackers to be outlawed. Like electronic eavesdropping, what can be done naturally becomes illegal when electronically enhanced.

On-line Spies - Affordable, and easy to find.

2012-01-23T09:56:00.000-05:00

...documents filed in two civil cases suggests just how simple and affordable online espionage has become. Computer forensic specialists say some hackers-for-hire openly market themselves online. "It's not hard to find hackers," says Mikko Hyppönen of computer-security firm F-Secure Corp.

One such site, hiretohack.net (ignore log-in), advertises online services including being able to "crack" passwords for major email services in less than 48 hours. It says it charges a minimum of $150, depending on the email provider, the password's complexity and the urgency of the job. The site describes itself as a group of technology students based in Europe, U.S. and Asia.

Mischel Kwon, who runs a security-consulting firm and is the former director of the U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team, a government organization known as US-CERT, says the hacker-for-hire industry is well established. Some are one- or two-person outfits, but there are also larger "organized crime" groups," she said. She and other specialists note that it is also easy to find tools online that assist in hacking into someone's email. (more)

Security Director Alert: Eavesdropping via Video Teleconferencing

2012-01-23T09:33:00.001-05:00

Covertly eavesdropping on boardroom chit chat using the teleconferencing system is not new. We've been demonstrating (and correcting) this problem for our clients for years. The vulnerability, however, has finally received some publicity.

Result: Expect more attempts to access video teleconferencing systems.

Recommendations: Turn off the autoanswer feature on your teleconferencing system. Make sure your system is behind a firewall.

FREE offer: The full Murray Associates Video Teleconferencing Security Checklist is available to corporate security directors (only) at no charge. Contact me here.

via The New York Times...

One afternoon this month, a hacker took a tour of a dozen conference rooms around the globe via equipment that most every company has in those rooms; videoconferencing equipment...the hacker was HD Moore, a chief security officer at Rapid7, a Boston based company that looks for security holes in computer systems...Mr. Moore has found it easy to get into several top venture capital and law firms, pharmaceutical and oil companies and courtrooms across the country...

“These are literally some of the world’s most important boardrooms — this is where their most critical meetings take place — and there could be silent attendees in all of them.”

New systems are outfitted with a feature that automatically accepts inbound calls so users do not have to press an “accept” button every time someone dials into their videoconference. The effect is that anyone can dial in and look around a room, and the only sign of their presence is a tiny light on a console unit, or the silent swing of a video camera.

Two months ago, Mr. Moore wrote a computer program that scanned the Internet for videoconference systems that were outside the firewall and configured to automatically answer calls. In less than two hours, he had scanned 3 percent of the Internet.

In that sliver, he discovered 5,000 wide-open conference rooms at law firms, pharmaceutical companies, oil refineries, universities and medical centers. He stumbled into a lawyer-inmate meeting room at a prison, an operating room at a university medical center, and a venture capital pitch meeting where a company’s financials were being projected on a screen.

Among the vendors that popped up in Mr. Moore’s scan were Polycom, Cisco, LifeSize, Sony and others. Of those, Polycom — which leads the videoconferencing market in units sold — was the only manufacturer that ships its equipment — from its low-end ViewStation models to its high-end HDX products — with the auto-answer feature enabled by default. (more)

More NOTW Phone Hacking News

2012-01-20T18:06:00.000-05:00

According to a report Friday in the British newspaper The Telegraph, a News Corp. division in the UK faces an investigation by the FBI into whether the now-defunct Murdoch tabloid News of the World hacked into a phone on U.S. soil. (more)

Personal Security: How To Avoid Being A Victim, Anywhere, Any time.

2012-01-20T13:37:00.000-05:00

via Peter Shankman - NYC street kid, with cred. (abridged version)

• Don’t develop a pattern of behavior.
• Know your surroundings
• DO NOT IGNORE YOUR GUT. If something doesn’t seem right, it probably isn’t.
• Have your keys in your hands
• Wherever you are, have a small powerful flashlight.
• Instead of yelling “HELP” when something goes wrong, yell “FIRE!”
• Have a buddy system
• Know the people in your neighborhood.
• Don’t look like a Victim. Walk down a street with your head up and looking around.
• Don’t stare (it can be taken as a challenge) but don’t be afraid to look at people.
• Don’t be clueless

Read the whole article here.
Really, read it. Pass it on.

How to Bug a Germ

2012-01-20T10:56:00.000-05:00

The world's smallest ear doesn't belong to any animal. Instead, it's a tiny piece of gold suspended in a laser beam. It can hear sounds a million times fainter than any human ear can, making it a powerful acoustic microscope.

The nano-ear is the work of Jochen Friedmann and Andrey Lutich of Munich's Ludwig-Maximilians University. The setup is a progression from the 1986 development of so-called "optical tweezers", which use laser beams to trap microscopic particles inside the most powerful part of the electric field. This effectively suspends the particle so that it no longer moves on its own - the only way it can move if something nearby disturbs it...

FutureWatch: The nano-ear would be hugely useful in bacteria, viruses, and other microorganisms, as being able to "hear" the sounds they make could provide vital new data on what distinguishes different strains. (more)

Illegal Eavesdropping Costs NOTW 1 Million...

2012-01-20T10:46:00.000-05:00

...and that doesn't include the lawyers fees, and the lost revenue from having to shut down the paper.

UK - Rupert Murdoch's media empire has agreed to pay large payouts to 37 phone-hacking victims, including British actor Jude Law, football player Ashley Cole and former deputy prime minister John Prescott.

The High Court in London heard details of new settlements totaling about $1 million for illegal eavesdropping by Murdoch-owned tabloids on celebrities' phone conversations...

Law said he launched his case to find out the truth about the intrusion into his private life between 2003 and 2006. He said he changed his phones and had his house checked for bugs, but that the information continued to appear in the press. (more)

SpyCam Story #639 - The House Guest

2012-01-20T10:33:00.000-05:00

CT - A Manchester man was charged Wednesday with 24 counts of voyeuristic recording of another person. Police said Paul Zajac, 20, of Union Street, was charged after a forensic examination of his computer turned up 24 images of people using a bathroom or changing in a bedroom in a home in South Windsor where he used to live. (more)

SpyCam Story #638 - The Hole in the Wall Gang

2012-01-20T10:25:00.000-05:00

WA - A 33-year-old Renton man is accused of attempting to spy on his estranged wife by drilling a hole in her bedroom wall and inserting a tiny camera to record what was going on inside, according to King County prosecutors.

Michael James Halvorson, who was originally arrested Dec. 28 for violating a protection order, was charged earlier this month with residential burglary domestic violence, according to court records.

Halvorson and his wife of nine years separated in the spring and are in the middle of a divorce, according to charging papers. But they shared a duplex — he lived in one unit with his father, and she lived on the other side... A wall separated Halvorson's bedroom from his wife's...

...at 4 a.m., his wife was "woken up again by the sound of something drilling through her bedroom wall"...a "snakelike camera" equipped with a flashlight came through the wall, extending about 6 inches into the room... officers later found a home-inspection camera with a flashlight in Halvorson's bedroom, but were unable to locate Halvorson... Crumbled drywall was found on both sides of the hole, papers say. (more)

Security Director Tip: Kill Crime Around Your Executives' Homes

2012-01-19T15:57:00.000-05:00

Better than 10 Bobbies blowing their whistles.

Turn their neighborhoods into networks of awareness.

A company called Village Defense provides neighborhoods with a real-time communication system that connects your executives with their neighbors.

Here's how it works when you are part of the Village Defense group...
"With one phone call, you have the ability to notify all your neighbors when a crime or suspicious activity is in progress, through a text message, home phone call, and cell phone call. Now, everyone knows exactly what's going on and what to look out for. Transition from living in isolation to connectivity by bringing your neighborhood into the 21st century."

Does it work?
"Sims Estates, a once-struggling neighborhood in northwest Atlanta, has experienced a 73% reduction of crime due to the Village Defense real-time crime alert system." (more)

FutureWatch - Watch for this concept to spread from crime alerts, to alerts of all kinds (lost pets, door-to-door salespersons alerts, neighbor needs help, road conditions, for sale items, etc.). This would be an especially valuable service if local government joined in (recycle pick-up reminders, police news, posting town events, etc.). Think of it as a micro-Internet.

007 Rocks!

2012-01-19T11:36:00.000-05:00

UK - In a television program aired on Russian state television in 2006, Russia's FSB security service accused Britain of using the gadget for top secret communications in Moscow, but London did not admit to the charge at the time.

Now Jonathan Powell, who was chief of staff to then Prime Minister Tony Blair, has confirmed the Russians were correct.

"They had us bang to rights," Powell says in a BBC documentary to be aired on Thursday...

A combination of video grabs from footage broadcast by Russian state-run television in 2006 allegedly shows a man, said to be a British spy, in a park outside Moscow collecting a fake rock being used as a high-tech version of the spy's traditional letter-box or dead drop in which agents can anonymously deliver or retrieve information. (more)

Russian television claimed there was proof British spies used electronic equipment hidden inside a fake rock to exchange information between agents and embassy staff.

An agent would pass by and download data from his portable computer, while a diplomat would later collect it in a similar way. Four Britons involved in the spy ring have been identified by the Federal Security Service.

Christopher Pierce, the diplomat who was said to have installed the secret link, was also responsible for financing Russian non-governmental organizations with British grants, and so was one of the other alleged spies, Mark Doe...

Britain expressed “concern and surprise” over the allegations at the time. The “spy rock scandal” was taken with skepticism by many people, including Russians. They said it was either a scam or simply blown out of proportion in what was described as a Kremlin assault on NGOs. (more)

Click to enlarge.

Security Director Tips: Tell Employees about these Safety Apps

2012-01-19T09:10:00.001-05:00

via Techlicious...

If you’re concerned that someone you care about could be in danger, or if you worry about safety yourself, here are a handful of apps that can help...

bSafe
This free app lets users select personal Guardians, the people who will be notified when help is needed. All users’ guardians are alerted with an emergency SOS message that includes the sender’s location, while a direct call is placed to one specified contact.

StreetSafe
Unlike other safety apps that alert friends or family who may not be able to help in the event of an emergency, this iPhone app features a silent alarm that, when triggered, dispatches emergency help to your exact location. If you are feeling uneasy and want someone to stay on the phone with you until you arrive safely at your destination, you can also activate StreetSafe’s Walk With Me feature, which connects you with a trained Safety Advisor

MyForce
Before using this one you need to complete an online profile that includes your photo and any medical issues you may have. Then when MyForce receives an alert from you, it dispatches the nearest emergency responders and transmits to them your profile information. MyForce also records audio coming from your phone and reports any updates or movement to the authorities.

SecuraFone
This free iPhone and Android app provides free GPS tracking and monitoring that can be helpful when dealing with children, aging parents or employees. Once the app is downloaded to a phone, the SecuraFone account creator can log in to locate any phone registered to the account. (more)

And, of course, one featured here recently, Help!

SpyCam Story #637 - Games at the Party Store

2012-01-18T17:40:00.000-05:00

MA - A business owner was arrested after he was caught watching his female employees via a video camera in the restroom. Police said Marco Silva, 40, of 1028 Rock St., Fall River, installed a covert video camera in the bathroom of Kolby Rentals, 2452 GAR Highway.

A female employee made a complaint to Swansea Police. She reported to Det. Marc Haslam that every time she and other female employees went to the restroom, Silva would go to his office and shut the door. The employee then noticed the bathroom view on Silva’s computer monitor in his office and notified police.

Police seized a covert camera in the bathroom during the search along with a VCR and monitor from Silva’s office. (more)

SpyCam Story #636 - "Just puttin' out personnel fires, Chief."

2012-01-18T17:13:00.000-05:00

OH - The second in command in the fire department has been placed on administrative leave following accusations that he spied on the department through webcams...

...the investigation began after complaints ''that fire department personnel believed their personal activities and conversations while working at the department were being subject to video and / or audio surveillance.''

Firefighters told the chief and trustees that they believed that cameras on fire department computers were configured to remotely video and or audio record departmental personnel without their knowledge. (more)

Business Sports Espionage: 4th Olympic Arrest

2012-01-18T16:58:00.000-05:00

UK - British police arrested a fourth man on Wednesday as part of an investigation into allegations of spying during a fiercely contested bid process to select who will move into London's Olympic stadium after the 2012 Games.

A 45-year-old man was detained in south London by officers from the Economic and Specialist Crime Command on suspicion of fraud. Material was seized during a search of a house, Scotland Yard said in a statement.

It is the fourth arrest since November following allegations by soccer club West Ham United and the public body the Olympic Park Legacy Company (OPLC) in respect of the unlawful obtaining of information.

OPLC chairwoman Margaret Ford has accused Premier League soccer club Tottenham Hotspur of putting all her 14 board members under surveillance. (more)

Wiretapping and Divorce Advice from a Lawyer

2012-01-18T16:51:00.000-05:00

You think your wife is cheating on you?

You remember the password to her Gmail account because you set it up for her?

You log into her account and discover emails between her and her new lover?

Think that’s legal?

Think that’s admissible evidence in court?

Not so fast.

Before you log onto your spouse’s email account or intercept any messages whatsoever whether email, voicemail, etc., consult with a lawyer about wiretapping laws. In your passion to discover what your spouse is doing, you might just violate federal wiretapping laws. This could backfire on you and could be more costly to you than the information you would otherwise discover is worth. Again, talk to a lawyer about this. (more)

Shawn L. Reeves is a Columbia, SC family lawyer. His office is located at 1201 Main Street, Suite 1980, Columbia, South Carolina.

Business Sports Espionage: KC Chiefs - Wiretaps & Bugs

2012-01-18T16:42:00.000-05:00

KS - Buried amidst the hoopla of the divisional playoffs last weekend was an eyebrow-raising report in The Kansas City Star detailing some very serious accusations about life behind closed doors at Chiefs headquarters.

According to a report, Todd Haley was one of many ex-employees who thought the Chiefs' facility was bugged. (John Rieger/US Presswire)

According to the report, a culture of fear and paranoia has developed since Scott Pioli was hired as general manager in 2009, including claims of wire-tapping and room bugging. The suspicions were held by many former employees of the organization, including former coach Todd Haley.

One former high-ranking staffer said the level of paranoia "was probably the highest that I had ever seen it anywhere." Haley -- who wasn't quoted in the story -- reportedly stopped talking on his personal cell phone during the past year -- fearing it to be bugged -- and repeatedly checked his office for listening devices. (more)

P.S. The original headline for this report is: League not investigating bugging claims at Chiefs headquarters.
Can you think of any good reason why?
Can you think of any nefarious reason why?
Credit to Todd Haley who had the sense to conduct TSCM (debugging) inspections.

Sneak Peak - Cell Phone Spying for the Everyman... and women, too!

2012-01-16T11:31:00.000-05:00

Coming soon to a spy store not necessarily near you...

"Recover It utilizes forensic quality data recovery of over 25 different types of files and works on most devices with flash memory including cameras, SD cards, and Smart Phones - including iPhone, Android and Blackberry. Plug the external device into a computer to have the Recover It scan it. Retrieve deleted data at any time even if the recycle bin has been emptied.

Search for illicit use of a PC including online chatting and visits to pornographic sites. Search your entire computer for chat logs from the most used messaging sites. Uncover the source of porn site visits and locate suspected pornographic images. This stick even scans deleted images and Internet cache files. Create a report in an easy to read format so you can see what your kids or employees are saying to people online." (more)

Why do I mention it?

So you will know what you are up against.

Security Alert: Time to Update Your HP Printers' Firmware

2012-01-15T10:29:00.000-05:00

Not a real HP fire. Just shown to get your attention.

HP announced that the potential existed for a certain type of unauthorized access (info-theft, fiery sabotage, etc.) (more) to some HP LaserJet printers and confirmed it has received no customer reports of unauthorized access. HP has issued the following statement:

HP has built a firmware update to mitigate this issue and is communicating this proactively to customers and partners. No customer has reported unauthorized access to HP. HP reiterates its recommendation to follow best practices for securing devices by placing printers behind a firewall and, where possible, disabling remote firmware upload on exposed printers.

The firmware update can be found at www.hp.com/support and selecting Drivers.

Additional printer security information is available at www.hp.com/go/secureprinting.

FREE - Mobile Security V6.0 - Android Security Software

2012-01-15T10:10:00.000-05:00

Now available as a free download, Mobile Security V6.0 offers Android users several new features to protect their privacy and financial information, as well as significant improvements to the user interface.

Mobile Security 6.0 detects and deletes viruses, malicious URLs, and other threats before you even know they exist. With newly enhanced features including GPS-based anti-loss/theft features, backup and restore tools for your contacts, complete privacy protection, traffic monitoring, and more...

Version 6.0 includes the following features that enhance the already extensive capabilities of 5.0:

Anti-eavesdropping protection: With anti-eavesdropping, users can be sure their calls are not being recorded by third party apps or viruses.

Financial security protection: When users access financial websites via their system browser or start e-bank/securities apps, NQ Mobile Security V6.0 automatically scans all running apps to determine if any active apps pose a security risk.

Mobile Security: Fights malware, spyware, phishing, viruses, hacking, and more.

Privacy Protection: Protects the data stored on your phone, ensuring that your social networking, email, and financial accounts can't be hacked and your personal calls can't be recorded.

Anti-Theft/Anti-Loss: Remotely locates, locks, or deletes information from a lost or stolen mobile device, and sounds an alarm to help you find it.

Backup and Restore: Safely and seamlessly stores your contacts so you can easily access them from any Web browser.

System Optimization: Provides control over running apps and power consumption.

Traffic Monitoring: Provides real-time updates on data usage and caps on maximum data usage.

NQ Mobile Security V6.0 for Android can be downloaded for FREE at: http://www.nq.com/mobilesecurity or from the Android Market. (more)

SpyCam Story #635 - Stock(boy) Photography

2012-01-15T09:56:00.000-05:00

IL - Madison County prosecutors have charged a Troy man with spying on a woman in a restroom in a store in Troy on July 16.

Police Sgt. James Newcombe said police believe 21-year-old Jonathan D. Spotanski used a mobile phone to make a video recording in a public restroom at the Schuette SuperValu market, 523 Troy Road. Newcombe said Spotanski resigned shortly after he was spotted trying to retrieve the phone from a dropped ceiling. (more)

Mandela Spy Camera Probe Continues

2012-01-15T09:33:00.000-05:00

South Africa - A probe was still under way into the spying on former South African President Nelson Mandela by two Western news agencies, authorities said on Friday.

A completed docket against British news agency Reuters and US Associated Press (AP) have been handed over to prosecutors, Eastern Cape police said. Meanwhile, national police confirmed that the probe was still under way.

Reuters and AP reportedly had installed at least three closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras spying on Mandela's house in Qunu in the Eastern Cape. (more)

Business Espionage: Arrest for Unsportsmanlike Conduct

2012-01-15T09:28:00.000-05:00

UK - A third person has been arrested by police investigating allegations that people acting for Premier League soccer club Tottenham spied on officials during the club's failed bid to take over London's Olympic Stadium after the Games.

Tottenham has been accused of ordering surveillance on the London Olympic executives who eventually chose the bid of rival London club West Ham to take over the stadium.

Since August, London police have been investigating allegations of wrongdoing in the bidding process that were made by West Ham and the Olympic Park Legacy Company, whose board members decide the future of venues on the site of the Games. (more)

SpyCam Story #634 - The Busted Busman

2012-01-15T09:01:00.000-05:00

NH - The former Provider bus driver charged with sexually assaulting two boys riding his school bus allegedly filmed those assaults with hidden cameras, according to recently unsealed court documents.

The documents, an affidavit and inventory regarding a Sept. 28 search at the home of John Allen Wright, 45, of Milton, allege Wright used a number of cameras hidden in pens and a pair of sunglasses to film encounters, both sexual and not, on his bus... a pair of spy-camera sunglasses and directions on how to use them were found in Wright's living room, along with a number of pens containing hidden cameras. (more)

SpyCam Story #633 - "A big troop cheer for the FBI!"

2012-01-14T11:38:00.001-05:00

MI - Scott Allan Herrick, 40, of Twin Lakes, Michigan, was sentenced to serve 95 years in prison, U.S. Attorney Donald A. Davis announced today. Herrick surreptitiously videotaped boys as they were dressing in the boys’ locker room in the YMCA in Muskegon and kept a massive collection of 100,000 images of child pornography with him at the Gerber Boy Scout Camp in Twin Lakes, Michigan. He was convicted at trial of three counts of attempting to produce child pornography. On the first day of trial, Herrick pleaded guilty to two counts of distributing child pornography and one count of possessing child pornography...

The Honorable Paul L. Maloney, Chief U.S. District Judge, presided over the trial and sentencing... sentencing Herrick to 1140 months (95 years) of incarceration...

Herrick was the camp director for Gerber Boy Scout Camp in Twin Lakes, Michigan. Herrick also worked as a pool safety instructor for third grade children at the YMCA in Muskegon, Michigan. Herrick was trading child pornography and was discovered during a series of undercover FBI operations. On July 1, 2010, FBI and Homeland Security Investigations-Immigration and Customs Enforcement (“HSI-ICE”) agents executed a search warrant on the Gerber Boy Scout Camp and discovered evidence of child pornography. Herrick was arrested on July 8, 2010, and has been held in custody since. (more)

Peter Shankman on Situational Awareness - A Cautionary Tale

2012-01-14T10:51:00.000-05:00

How One Bit of Stupidity Could Have Brought Down a Multi-Million Dollar Media Company - An (abridged) true story, by Peter Shankman, who has a better grasp of business espionage than most executives.

Everyone is always concerned about digital espionage. “My account was hacked!” “I clicked on a bad link!” “Fifty million credit card numbers were stolen!” The fact is, however, that digital espionage is the least worrisome thing for the majority of companies. The chances of your company getting “hacked” and information being stolen is minimal, compared to getting in trouble due to the stupidity of your employees.

I was flying home this past weekend from Florida. I got into my seat and got settled. My seatmate sat down, an older gentleman in a suit and tie...

I happened to look over to my left, and this man was reading a huge binder. Had to be at least 100 pages, if not more. He was on the first few pages. I looked over, and in giant letters, it said “KEY INVESTMENT HIGHLIGHTS.” That caught my interest, as it would anyone. Within five words, I realized that he was reading an overview of a very large media company – In another thirty seconds, I’d put it together – This guy worked for a company that was hired to help this very large media company sell themselves. In other words, a company that produces both online and offline properties, that you probably read every week, was up for sale.

My seatmate couldn’t have been more clueless. He had his headphones on, enjoying his silence, while flipping pages in this binder, taking notes, not looking up, not aware of his surroundings in the slightest...

He spent an hour of the flight on several pages that were titled “Liabilities” – It was all proprietary information about problems the company was having, and how they planned to fix them. Unreal...

...the man sitting next to me was reading proprietary information, information that could be very, very damaging to this company if in the wrong hands, and he couldn’t have cared less about it. When I landed, I confirmed it. This was extremely private information.

I’ve often said that privacy doesn’t exist, that we all need to be smarter, that instead of working on new ways to gain more fans, perhaps we should take a day and work on situational awareness!

I decided to see how out of it he really was, and also prove a point. Check this out.

Heavily Redacted by Me

This is one of a handful of photos I took with both my iPad and my Droid. Just to see if I could, which obviously, I could.

The man next to me caught a break that day. I’m not a dick. I’m not going to name the company, nor the company he works for (which was on the bottom of every page of the report.) But I have a feeling I’m in the minority here.

Guys, we have to be smarter than this. We simply have to. We can’t afford not to. Here are four tips on how to be:

1) Assume you’re always being watched. Assume everything you do can be watched, and probably is. You have to assume this for everything, from your work life to your personal life. It means you’ll be seen doing anything stupid that could get you in trouble, from doing drugs with people you assume are friends, to meeting someone for insider information in a parking lot. It’s too easy to get caught nowadays.

2) Assume most people are much less nice than me. I knew immediately what I was looking at, and also that I’d never go public with the information... I’m not saying don’t be nice to people you meet – But don’t start sharing information with people until you truly trust them. In other words, enter every interaction with a healthy dose of cynicism. That’s not a bad thing. It’s a smart thing.

3) It’s always little things that will nail you. You have any idea how many times I’ve been in an airport or hotel lounge, when I’ve heard someone spouting off their credit card to the person they’re talking to? Or explaining, step by step, their entire itinerary, while their home address sits on their luggage?... We need to pull our heads out of our collective smart-phone asses and start realizing what the hell is going on around us!

4) As always, alcohol comes into play. Some of the most fun I’ve ever had in my life has come at events where I’ve stayed sober... I still say the best way to get drunk is with a trusted friend, in your own home. Anything else just asks for trouble.

I’d suggest that we make 2012 the year we become smarter – But I’ve been suggesting that for years. And it never seems to happen.

We need to be smarter. (unabridged version)

From our "You Can't Make This Stuff Up" files...

2012-01-13T10:15:00.000-05:00

A Polish military prosecutor has shot himself in the head during a break in a press conference at which he was defending his office against allegations of illegal wiretapping. (more)

SpyCam Story #632 - Darwin Award to Video Voyeur

2012-01-13T10:06:00.000-05:00

Australia - A man who secretly filmed his housemate showering is ashamed and embarrassed about what he did, a Northern Territory court has been told.

20 year old Jayden Trevitt, 20, cried in the Darwin Magistrates Court as he was given a two-month jail sentence, which was then suspended.

Trevitt had pleaded guilty to filming his housemate on his phone while she was showering. He secretly filmed her from outside a bathroom window on five separate occasions last year. (more)

SpyCam Story #630 - The Road to Woodinville

2012-01-13T09:55:00.000-05:00

WA - The husband of a Juanita High School (girl's) volleyball coach has been charged with voyeurism in a case involving many of the coach's players.

Kirkland resident Steve C. Meeks, 23, is accused of videotaping five victims while in a restroom during a non-high school sanctioned team sleepover on Nov. 5, according to charging documents...

Meek's wife, who was a coach for the Juanita High School volleyball team and a former coach of the Kamiakin Junior High volleyball team, arranged for the Rebel volleyball players to have a sleepover at her father's Woodinville warehouse...

During the evening, a hidden video camera was spotted in the ceiling tile of the woman's bathroom by a 17-year-old high school student as she was using the toilet. (more)

Why mention these incidents?

To give show the depth of the problem. (Remember, these are only the failed attempts.)

To give you clues as to where people hide spycams, so you can protect your own privacy.

P.S. King County detectives later found there were actually more than one camera. "We found two hidden cameras – one hidden above the toilet and the other in the ceiling tiles," said Cindi West, a spokesperson for the King County Sheriff's Office, noting the cameras were not wireless and were part of a retail home security system. "There were wires running through the ceiling and it was connected to a DVR (digital video recorder) in another room … There is quite a bit of investigation involved with this case."

P.P.S. Not fur nottin', but... If the warehouse is owned by Ms. Meek's father, and the cameras were part of a hard-wired, overall security system, lawyers might want to check the old man's pockets for depth, and him for culpability. Just a thought.

Hey, ever see The Road to Wellville? Some things never change, do they?

SpyCam Story #631 - Pfuhl Hides SpyCam at Work

2012-01-13T09:34:00.000-05:00

NM - A businessman from Rio Rancho, in jail, accused of using a hidden camera to watch his workers go the bathroom. Richard Pfuhl owns Fine Line Home Inspection...

Back in November, two women who worked for him say they saw a camera behind a vent and called the cops. They say they also found recording equipment inside Pfuhl's bedroom and DVD's of women using the bathroom. (more)

Pocket 3G Spy Car (Yes, it rhymes with noodle.)

2012-01-13T07:00:00.001-05:00

This just in...

Click to enlarge.

from the seller... "See live video on your Mobile phone from anywhere in the world. No time limit no distance limit No internet or IP address needed. Just simply call your 3G camera and see live video of your home, office, car, or even your Nanny." (more)

Why do I mention it?

So you will know what you're up against.

Social Engineering Attacks on the Enterprise in 2012

2012-01-12T12:22:00.000-05:00

Amit Klein, CTO for security company Trusteer has just published his predictions for cybercrime trends in 2012... The following is one of his observations for the year ahead:

• Personal information, disclosed on social networks, will be used in social engineering attacks against the enterprise. Fraudsters, all too aware of the valuable intelligence freely available on social networks, are starting to mine these data sources, capturing the personal details needed to successfully complete social engineering attacks. Trusteer predicts this will manifest itself over the coming year as an enterprise issue.

Example: The "mark" might receive an email from someone who claims to be an old high school classmate. The email has a link to an invitation to a class reunion, except that the link really goes to a website that surreptitiously drops a keystroke logger on the unsuspecting person's computer.

Criminals are finding it easier than ever to create a pretext using the unprecedented amount of personal information that people willingly publish about themselves on Facebook, LinkedIn and scores of other social sites...

In the case of attacks against enterprises, every employee is a viable target, from the people in the mailroom to the ones in the corner offices...

Security Tips...

• Train employees to recognize and avoid phishing and other social engineering attacks. Good educational products are available from PhishMe and Wombat Security Technologies.

• Restrict the use of company email addresses for business use only. Encourage employees to use a personal email account for everything that isn't related to company business.

• Implement strict security rules to filter out spam and phishing messages. Wombat has an anti-phishing tool called PhishPatrol that specifically catches phishing and spear-phishing emails. (more)

iSnitch, ilLumiaNaughty & RIMshot Cell Out

2012-01-12T09:41:00.000-05:00

India - Apple, Nokia and Research In Motion (RIM) gave Indian intelligence agencies secret access to encrypted smartphone communications as the price of doing business in the country, according to what appear to be leaked Indian government documents.

The purported documents, if they are real, indicate that the smartphone giants gave India's Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Indian military intelligence "backdoor" tools that would let the Indian agencies read encrypted emails sent to and from RIM's BlackBerrys, Apple's iPhones and Nokia smartphones...

A "decision was made earlier this year to sign an agreement with mobile manufacturers (MM) in exchange for the Indian market presence," the military intelligence document reads. (more)

The Spy Who Helped Us - RIP

2012-01-12T08:38:00.000-05:00

Gevork Vartanian, a Soviet intelligence officer who helped prevent a Nazi assassination plot on the leaders of the U.S., the U.K. and the Soviet Union, died yesterday at the age of 87, Russian state television Vesti 24 reported...

At the age of 19, Vartanian was among the officers responsible for blocking a plot by Adolf Hitler to assassinate Soviet leader Josef Stalin, U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill at the Tehran Conference in 1943, Vesti reported on its website. (more)

SpyCam Story #629 - Holy Water Cam, Batman

2012-01-12T08:30:00.000-05:00

UK - A church youth leader has admitted spying on a young man while he was in the shower during a visit to a faith camp.

Mark Pennell, 37, admitted filming the man when he attended the East of England Show with other members of the church in August. The court heard how the victim became suspicious of Pennell, a youth leader, after he repeatedly showered next to him... the victim noticed a glow coming from a mobile phone... in a gap between the floor and the cubicle. (more)

How to Handle a Web-site Hack Attack Gracefully

2012-01-11T11:03:00.000-05:00

As you may have heard, Stratfor (a respected global intelligence web site) was the victim of an embarrassing hack attack last month. They are now getting back on their feet.

An e-mail I received from them this morning began, "We are happy to announce that our website is back online, and temporarily free for everyone. Visit Stratfor.com..." What followed was a sincere full disclosure and apology from their CEO, George Friedman via print and video.

Take some time today to make sure your web site is locked down. But, should you have a problem some day, this is the way to handle it...

SpyCam Story #628 - How to Push a Perv's Hot Button

2012-01-10T10:10:00.001-05:00

An on-line review via The Nerd Gereration

"This is the coolest spy gadget I have ever used. This tiny keychain fob poses as an automatic door unlock/panic for a car. In actuality it is a tiny albeit powerful camera capable of snapping photographs at 640 x 480 resolution and recording video in AVI format. I figured the photos and video I got with this little device would be blurry and useless in real world spying practices.

I took the camera out on a couple secret missions and compiled a plethora of photographs and video files. When I arrived at my home base I plugged the device into my computer and downloaded the files from the 4 GB micro SD card (a small cable allows xfer without worrying about a card reader).

I was absolutely floored with the quality of images and video this camera took!

I figured the video would not have any audio, but there it was! Crisp and clear! How is this possible? Technology my friends… and it’s awesome." (more)

Security Director Alert — Use of these inexpensive, yet high-quality devices in restrooms, employees showers and changing areas is now a serious workplace issue. The lawsuits are just beginning to roll out.

You are the deep pockets in this scenario, and just one spycam can spawn dozens of employee lawsuits.

Solution — Your organization needs to show pro-active due diligence. Conduct periodic inspections of your facilities. Call us for further advice and pricing.

Spycam Story #627 - SpyCam Incident Settlements Top $600,000.00

2012-01-10T09:53:00.000-05:00

PA - A suburban Philadelphia school district has settled another lawsuit over its alleged spying on students through laptop webcams.

A lawyer says Joshua Levin has settled his lawsuit against the Lower Merion School District. Lawyer Norman Perlberger tells The Philadelphia Inquirer (http://bit.ly/uihP4S ) the 2009 Harriton High School graduate will get more than the $10,000 offered to some other students, but says he can’t specify the amount.

The district has paid more than $600,000 to resolve litigation over software that allowed school employees to remotely activate webcams to track missing computers. (more)

SpyCam Story #626 - The Slime of the Ancient Sub-Mariner

2012-01-10T09:42:00.001-05:00

A 40-year-old man has pleaded guilty in the Perth Magistrates Court to covertly filming more than 40 women while they were showering in backpacker hostels across Perth.

Allyn Wilson Fitzgerald used his iPhone to record 70 video clips of women in showers over a 12 month period.

The court heard Fitzgerald was a former serviceman with the Australian Navy and was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. He had been a submariner for 12 years. (more)

Top German cop uses spyware on daughter, gets hacked in retaliation

2012-01-09T15:46:00.000-05:00

A top German security official installed a trojan on his own daughter's computer to monitor her Internet usage. What could possibly go wrong?

Nothing—well, at least until one of the daughter's friends found the installed spyware. The friend then went after the dad's personal computer as a payback and managed to get in, where he found a cache of security-related e-mails from work. The e-mails, in turn, provided the information necessary for hackers to infiltrate Germany's federal police.

Wait, it gets worse...

The hackers got into the servers for the "Patras" program, which logs location data on suspected criminals through cell phone and car GPS systems. Concerned about security breaches, the government eventually had to take the entire set of Patras servers offline. (more)

Cellphone Spying Getting Easier for Abusers, Stalkers

2012-01-07T14:31:00.000-05:00

NJ - “You could now listen in 100% completely undetected” — that’s the promise one company makes on its website to anyone who wants to eavesdrop on someone else’s cellphone.

Spy technology is now available to the average person who wants to glean cellphone information, read private emails, and track someone’s location using global positioning systems. And increasingly, experts say, the technologies are being used by spouses and partners to track, harass and stalk...

“Any time you have technological advancements, you also have the downside that comes along with it as far as privacy is concerned,” said Kevin D. Murray, a consultant on eavesdropping detection and counterespionage services, based in Oldwick, NJ.

Murray, who advises business and government, said people who are concerned about privacy or who transmit sensitive information should know that smart phones are vulnerable. Someone with access to a smart phone can load spyware on it within minutes.

He urges wary individuals to restrict access to their phones by using a strong and unique password and by always keeping their phone in sight. Another form of protection, he said, is to use an old-fashioned phone without Internet capabilities. Phone companies, he said, aren’t likely to improve security because it’s not in their financial interest, since they make money from transmissions.

Many of the companies that sell spyware are based outside the country, making them tough to prosecute, Murray said. (more)

Killers who shot dead debt collector jailed after he 'bugged' his own murder

2012-01-07T14:09:00.000-05:00

You can't make this stuff up...

UK - Two lovers were jailed yesterday after their murder victim 'bugged' his own clothing (apparently using a cell phone) before his brutal death. Scott Davidson, 23, was sentenced to life imprisonment whilst his 19-year-old girlfriend Rachel Horton will serve eight years in a young offenders' institution.

Martin Ithell, 49, was shot and stabbed in the neck eight times after he was invited round by the pair to collect an outstanding £26,000 loan with the pair oblivious to the recording device he had strapped to his body.

As Ithell’s friends eavesdropped round the corner from the couple’s house, they heard Mr Ithell ask them: 'Hi, have you been doing some painting?' before a shot rang out and the line went dead. (more)

Home SpyCam Success Story

2012-01-07T12:56:00.000-05:00

PA - The man who was arrested after police said surveillance video caught images of him breaking into a Brookline home on New Year's Day told detectives Thursday that he also broke into the home in the fall.

Raymond J. Walsh, 50, of Brookline, now faces additional charges of burglary and theft. Mr. Walsh was arrested Sunday after a woman's surveillance system sent her electronic alerts that included time-stamped photos of a man walking through her home in the 1400 block of Bellaire Place.

When detectives interviewed Mr. Walsh Thursday, he admited the New Year's break-in and also said he broke into the home at the end of September and stole $100, according to a criminal complaint filed in court. (more)

One Man Makes the Corporate Security World Less Secure Today

2012-01-05T13:20:00.001-05:00

Mark Cheviron didn't come into work today. He retired yesterday, after 30+ years as Corporate VP - Director Corporate Security & Administrative Services at ADM (a Fortune 39 company with 30,000 employees).

In some respects, corporate security everywhere is less secure today for losing his leadership and innovations, which he freely shared with the community.

On the other hand, he single-handedly re-invented the modern corporate security department and left us a model for future generations to follow.

Mark was the first security director ADM hired. Immediately, his one-man department began to grow. Today, the security department has many specialized sub-departments, each staffed with some of the best investigators I have ever met. They handle cases all over the world, and have personnel permanently stationed overseas.

I've had the chance to watch the growth of this security department from almost Day One. Here are the secrets to Marks' success from my vantage-point. I am sure there is more to it, but you'll have to ask Mark.

1. Make sure the security department is a company profit-center, and document your profitability. There were several years where I saw millions of dollars returned to the company due to Mark's efforts. For all I know, he did this every year.

2. Employ honest, talented, hard-working people to assist with the task. Inspire them, and hold them to account.

His inspiration was infectious. Accountability to him was a welcome part of the package. He made you want to be your best, at all times.

During these last two years at ADM, he made a concerted effort to get his team ready to carry on successfully once he retired. Why? Because, from Day One, right up until the end, he had pride in his work and he cared.

That's it. Two secrets to corporate security department success. Simple, right?

After my first five years with Mark, I understood his methods and vision. I told him, "You have the hardest working, most productive security department I have ever seen." Today, I can still say, "You have the hardest working, most productive security department I have ever seen," without anyone thinking I am being self-serving. Feels good.

I don't know if Mark is interested in acting as a consultant to corporate security departments looking to restructure and become profit-centers, but if he does, open the corporate vault. It will be worth every million you pay him to get what he knows.

~Kevin

FutureWatch: Help! - A security app to record your demise.

2012-01-05T12:01:00.000-05:00

via gizmag...

Help! Users of the app would activate it simply by touching an icon on their home screen, whenever they found themselves in what could become a dicey situation - such scenarios could include being at a protest that is threatening to become a riot, being followed on the street at night, getting into an altercation with another person, or anything else that could escalate into a problem.

When the icon was pressed, the smartphone would surreptitiously begin recording audio and video, and sending it to a remote server. Once the connection to the server was broken (by the app being turned off, the phone's battery dying, or perhaps by the phone being violently smashed), an email would be sent to up to five preselected personal contacts. This email would tell them that the user possibly needed help.

Care to help Help!?

The developer of Help!, Joseph Reilly, is currently raising development funds for his app on Kickstarter. He plans on starting out with a version for Android devices, with an iOS version soon to follow, if funds allow. (more)

PI excuse 2012: "I lost the guy in the crowd." 2020: "What crowd?"

2012-01-05T09:26:00.000-05:00

Scientists have made an entire event impossible to see. They have invented a time masker.

Think of it as an art heist that takes place before your eyes and surveillance cameras. You don't see the thief strolling into the museum, taking the painting down or walking away, but he did. It's not just that the thief is invisible - his whole activity is.

What scientists at Cornell University did was on a much smaller scale, both in terms of events and time. It happened so quickly that it's not even a blink of an eye. Their time cloak lasts an incredibly tiny fraction of a fraction of a second. They hid an event for 40 trillionths of a second, according to a study appearing in Thursday's edition of the journal Nature. (more)

"Is that an ear mullet, or are you just happy to record her?"

2012-01-05T08:42:00.000-05:00

Bogartski all you see with this Bluetooth Headset Camera! Lightweight and easy-to-use. The Bluetooth Headset Cam has the ability to record video or take still photos. Recorded images will always look sharp even if the user is in motion or using the camera in low light. 4GB internal storage and rechargeable Lithium battery. (more)

Why do I mention it?

So you will know what you're up against.

Joe Finder asks, "Who's Listening In?"

2012-01-04T17:59:00.000-05:00

via Joe Finder - author who introduced the “private spy” — who finds out things powerful people want to keep hidden — in the New York Times bestselling novel VANISHED.

Now, in BURIED SECRETS, Nick Heller returns, finding himself in the middle of a life-or-death situation that’s both high-profile and intensely personal.

"I found Kevin Murray’s website, Spybusters.com, while doing research for VANISHED about surveillance techniques. Kevin’s spent more than 30 years helping corporations and individuals protect themselves from eavesdropping and information theft, and has even written a book on the subject: Is My Cell Phone Bugged?

He’s answered a lot of questions for Nick Heller, and was kind enough to answer a few more for the newsletter." Read the interview with Kevin Murray.

'Cheaters' Spy Shop: TV Show Opens Online Store

2012-01-03T13:39:00.000-05:00

via the Huffington Post...
"Cheaters," a syndicated reality series that investigates cheating spouses and records the often-violent confrontations that ensue...now series creator Bobby Goldstein thinks he's found a better product for his corporate brand: A website that sells spy goods.

It's called Cheaters Spy Shop, and sells all sorts of surveillance gear for suspicious minds, including recovery sticks that can pull up anything currently on the iPhone and even recover deleted information; mobile software that will send a person all texts and pictures being sent, web history, call logs, and GPS location every 30 minutes; and even motion-activated hidden cameras that record any movement and activity in high resolution. "We also sell audio recorders that look like pens," Allen Watson, president of the Cheaters Spy Shop, told HuffPost Weird News...

Meanwhile, Kevin D. Murray, who does eavesdropping audits and counterespionage consulting, says that the idea of doing your own investigation of a suspected cheat may sound appealing, but often causes more problems than it's worth.

"Private electronic eavesdropping and stalking is illegal on both a federal and state level," he told HuffPost Weird News. "Conducting electronic surveillance oneself can create far more problems than it solves. A person with a legitimate concern should hire a licensed private investigator to collect the facts. Do-it-yourselfers lack the experience and emotional detachment to conduct successful investigations."

Murray also thinks that, even if the Cheaters Spy Shop offers its share of disclaimers on the use of the product, they could still be risking legal problems.

"Any person who assists another with illegal electronic surveillance is equally guilty," said Murray, author of the e-book, Is My Cell Phone Bugged?. "For example, a guy might ask the guy at Radio Shack, 'How can I secretly record my wife?' and that guy might say, 'Just buy this voice-activated recorder and hide it under the dashboard of her car.'"

"When it hits the fan, guess who the lawyers come looking for? Big-pockets Radio Shack," he said. "There have also been similar cases where private investigators just dispense advice like this. They get prosecuted, and the spouse who actually did the bugging gets off due to 'matrimonial immunity.'"

Murray says modern electronic surveillance has been regulated by law since 1968, but due to benign neglect and more pressing crimes, enforcement is rare. However, he said that on a few occasions, when the marketplace has become a little too hot, there is enforcement.

"From what I see, the pot is about to boil over again. Look for laws about spyware on cell phones, and raids on 'spy shops' in 2012," he warned.

But while he thinks the Cheaters Spy Shop could be putting itself at risk, Murray doesn't seem that concerned. At the end of the interview, he hinted he may contact the shop about carrying his book.

"It's a yin-yang thing," he explained. (more)

Dilbert vs. The Recycling Bin

2011-12-30T10:35:00.000-05:00

...which can lead to some crafty employee solutions to sensitive wastepaper security.

This blue bin was discovered recently by Murray Associates information security consultants...

It's enough to straighten Dilbert's tie.

Spybusters Security Tip # 512: Never store confidential materials awaiting shredding in an unlocked container. If there is an on-going need to shred small amounts of materials daily, buy a deskside crosscut shredder... and be sure to use it.

Make "I'm taking back my privacy!" a News Years Resolution

2011-12-30T09:34:00.000-05:00

Suppliers of the best-known anti-tracking tools — Ghostery, Adblock Plus and TrackerBlock — all reported big jumps in usage in the second half of 2011. Ghostery, for instance, is being downloaded by 140,000 new users each month, with total downloads doubling to 4.5 million in the past 12 months, says Scott Meyer, CEO of parent company Evidon.

Meanwhile, the goal of newcomer Abine, supplier of Do Not Track Plus, is to make anti-tracking as common as anti-virus for personal computing devices, says CEO Bill Kerrigan, who formerly headed anti-virus giant McAfee's global consumer business.

Abine projects the number of Internet users in North America using anti-tracking tools and services will be 28.1 million by the end of 2012, up from 17.2 million today. "We want to drive the next level of adoption," Kerrigan says. "No one is suggesting don't use Facebook or Google. At the same time, we are suggesting there is a better way for consumers to experience those type of products without necessarily being tracked at every step they take in their digital life." (more)

Hacker Justifies Exposing Wireless Security Weakness. Wait... in 1903!

2011-12-28T15:47:00.000-05:00

A century ago, one of the world’s first hackers used Morse code insults to disrupt a public demo of Marconi's wireless telegraph

LATE one June afternoon in 1903 a hush fell across an expectant audience in the Royal Institution's celebrated lecture theatre in London. Before the crowd, the physicist John Ambrose Fleming was adjusting arcane apparatus as he prepared to demonstrate an emerging technological wonder: a long-range wireless communication system developed by his boss, the Italian radio pioneer Guglielmo Marconi. The aim was to showcase publicly for the first time that Morse code messages could be sent wirelessly over long distances. Around 300 miles away, Marconi was preparing to send a signal to London from a clifftop station in Poldhu, Cornwall, UK.

Yet before the demonstration could begin, the apparatus in the lecture theatre began to tap out a message. At first, it spelled out just one word repeated over and over. Then it changed into a facetious poem accusing Marconi of "diddling the public". Their demonstration had been hacked...

The stream of invective ceased moments before Marconi's signals from Poldhu arrived. The demo continued, but the damage was done: if somebody could intrude on the wireless frequency in such a way, it was clearly nowhere near as secure as Marconi claimed. And it was likely that they could eavesdrop on supposedly private messages too.

Fleming, fired off a fuming letter to The Times of London. He dubbed the hack "scientific hooliganism", and "an outrage against the traditions of the Royal Institution". He asked the newspaper's readers to help him find the culprit.

He didn't have to wait long. Four days later a gleeful letter confessing to the hack was printed by The Times. The writer justified his actions on the grounds of the security holes it revealed for the public good. Its author was Nevil Maskelyne, a mustachioed 39-year-old British music hall magician. (more)

VoIP Phone Eavesdropping Prevention Tips

2011-12-27T11:56:00.000-05:00

via Mike Chapple, Network Security

Every organization considering a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) telephone system deployment hears the same dire warnings: “Routing voice calls over a data network exposes calls to eavesdropping.”

While it’s certainly true that any telephone call carries a certain degree of eavesdropping risk, is it true that VoIP calls have an inherently higher degree of risk? In this tip, we explore the ins and outs of VoIP eavesdropping.

VoIP eavesdropping is possible
First, it’s important to be clear about one thing: It is absolutely possible to eavesdrop on a VoIP telephone call. It’s also possible to eavesdrop on a telephone call placed using the traditional public switched telephone network (PSTN). The difference lies in the tools and skill set needed to conduct the eavesdropping. (more)

Is encryption alone, the answer?

Eavesdrop on the boss to aid promotion chances? Probably not a good idea, especially if your boss is the police commissioner.

2011-12-27T11:17:00.000-05:00

S. Korea - On Wednesday a Cyber investigation team at Daejeon Metropolitan Police Agency sought a warrant for the arrest of “Jeong,” a 47-year-old superintendent at the same agency, on suspicion of secretly installing a recording program on the agency commissioner’s computer and recording his conversations and telephone calls.

Jeong is suspected of entering the commissioner’s office, on the seventh floor of the DMPA headquarters building, in the evening of December 14, installing recording and remote control software on a computer connected to an outside network and setting it up to automatically create recorded files, then using the computer in his own office to connect to that of the commissioner and downloading 320 files recorded up to December 17. “It appears that Jeong, who was promoted to the position of superintendent in 2006, did this in order to learn of the newly-appointed commissioner’s tendencies and personal relationships when Jeong became a candidate for promotion to senior superintendent next year.”

Police stated that, on December 16, the commissioner found it strange that his computer ran slower. He gave an order to his secretary’s office to inspect it. The main body of the computer was replaced, but Jeong entered the commissioner’s office again on the same evening and installed the remote control and other software again. (more)

Security Quote of the Day - Smartphones, the Next Target

2011-12-27T09:05:00.000-05:00

“We’ve gotten to that perfect crossing point where all of the things which have prevented criminals from leaping into the wireless space have been eroded,” —Gareth Maclachlan, COO of security firm AdaptiveMobile

The bottom line: It’s now easier than ever for spammers to make money off wireless devices.

Why the concern?

“If I can infect your device by getting you to download an app, or push you to a link that cracks your phone and infects your OS, I can get your phone to make extra calls to a premium rate number which I own, or send an premium SMS or short code I’m renting through a shell company, and start taking money out of your pocket,” he says.

Criminal groups release malicious apps that get devices to send out calls and texts to premium numbers without the user’s knowledge. The charges may go unnoticed or a customer may contest the fees and the operator has to eat the charge, leaving the spammers with a neat profit. (more)

Security Tips from the book: Is My Cell Phone Bugged?

• Don't jailbreak your smartphone.

• Password protect your smartphone.

• Don't click on links sent by email spammers.

• Never loan your phone.

• Don't load an app unless you appsolutely need it, and know it is safe.

VoIP Phone Tap Taps

2011-12-26T20:17:00.000-05:00

Tapping a VoIP phone line isn't difficult... via Janitha

Here's a quick background on what's going on. In 10/100 twisted pair ethernet networks, only two of the four pairs of wires are actually used for data transmission. From a computer's perspective, the orange pair is for RX and the green pair is for TX. The passive splice tap works by connecting a sniffer's RX to either the RX or TX of the wire being sniffed. By having two RX interfaces on the sniffer, you can capture full duplex traffic on the wire.

Recipe
Before starting, you will need the ingredients for a passive splice tap. Two punch down type 8P8C (aka RJ45) IDC connector jacks, A punch-down tool, Two regular pass-though ethernet cables, a sharp knife, clear tape, and an alibi. You also need a laptop to log the data with two ethernet interfaces (two usb to ethernet adapters will do the job). Now for the instructions.

First take the cable you want to tap and cut the casing long ways a few inches to expose the 4 pairs of wires inside. Isolate the green and the orange pair of twisted wires.

Next, take one of the jacks and find the orange and orange-white connectors (will look like two blades with a gap between). Put the jack perpendicular to the orange pair of wires. Now punch down the orange wire in to the orange connector, and the orange-white wire in to the orange-white connector. Take the another jack and repeat the process, but this time punch the green wire in to the orange connector, and the green-white in to the orange-white connector.

At this point, the tap it physically done. Yes, It's that simple. Now connect each of the jacks to the ethernet interfaces on the laptop using the two regular ethernet cables. The sniffer laptop will be like 'wtf mate' and fail at auto negotiating a link since only the RX wires are hooked up. So bring the two interfaces up manually in promiscuous mode (if in *nix, use ifconfig with the promisc switch).

Finally fire up wireshark or your favorite packet sniffer. If you are using wireshark, select capturing on the 'Any' interface as we want to capture data on both ethernet adapters at the same time. If the sniffer app does not have an 'any' interface, simply start two instances and capture the two interfaces separately. Further more, you can bond the two interfaces so you can treat the full-duplex as a single interface if you have that much free time.

Or, you can make one of these.

Why do I mention it?

Because I too often hear, "Can they really tap a digital phone?"

A Merry Christmas, Valentine - Good Work

2011-12-25T07:00:00.001-05:00

UK - A Norfolk animal rights campaigner is taking turkey producer Bernard Matthews to court claiming she was harassed and intimidated by the company.

Wendy Valentine of Hillside Animal Sanctuary, Frettenham, also claims her car was "bugged" by security firm Richmond Day and Wilson Limited (RDW), which was working for the firm.

Bernard Matthews has confirmed its use of RDW but "emphatically denies" Ms Valentine's allegations.

Hillside Animal Sanctuary investigators went undercover at one of Bernard Matthews' turkey farms in 2006 and filmed two poultry workers using a bat to play baseball with the birds. Two people were later prosecuted...The following year, staff were again videoed abusing turkeys at Bernard Matthews, by undercover workers from Hillside.

A spokesperson for Hillside said: "We felt we had no option but to resort to legal proceedings after Hillside's founder, Wendy Valentine, had her car bugged with an electronic tracking device earlier this year." (more)

Business Espionage: 7 Million Dollar Man Sentenced for 7 Years

2011-12-24T10:34:00.000-05:00

IN - An ex-Dow AgroSciences LLC researcher who stole trade secrets from his former employer to benefit a Chinese university was sentenced to seven years and three months in prison, prosecutors said.

Kexue Huang, 46, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge William T. Lawrence in Indianapolis, according to an e- mailed statement from U.S. Attorney Joseph Hogsett’s office.

Huang, a Chinese national, pleaded guilty in October to economic espionage. He also admitted to stealing trade secrets from the Minneapolis-based grain distributor Cargill Inc., the U.S. Justice Department said in October. Financial losses from his conduct exceed $7 million, the U.S. said. (more)

Walkie Talkie Law

2011-12-24T10:22:00.000-05:00

The Honduran Congress has passed bills allowing authorities to wiretap the telephone conversations, emails and bank accounts of suspected criminals, and temporarily banning motorcycles from carrying passengers. (more)

"Whaaaadt?!... Hey, why don't you go see where you gotta go."

2011-12-24T10:17:00.000-05:00

The CIA said Friday its internal watchdog found nothing wrong with the spy agency’s close partnership with the New York Police Department.

The agency’s inspector general concluded that no laws were broken and there was “no evidence that any part of the agency’s support to the NYPD constituted ‘domestic spying’,” CIA spokesperson Preston Golson said. (more)

"Al, we hardly knew you."

2011-12-24T09:55:00.000-05:00

Russian Spy Chief Resigns

The chief of Russia’s military intelligence (GRU), Col. Gen. Alexander Shlyakhturov, resigned from his post on Saturday, the Kommersant business daily reported... Shlyakhturov has led the GRU since April 2009. The public knows nothing about General Shlyakhturov's biography and service record. Such tight secrecy implies that he is a career intelligence operative... The name of the future chief of Russia’s military intelligence is not known yet. (more)

"So, how often do journalists hack voicemail?"

2011-12-24T09:42:00.001-05:00

Phone hacking appeared to be a "bog-standard tool" for information gathering, a former journalist for the Daily Mirror tabloid told the UK inquiry into media ethics overnight.

James Hipwell, who was jailed in 2006 for writing stories about companies in which he owned shares, told the Leveson Inquiry that phone hacking had taken place on a daily basis during his time at the paper.

He also threw doubt on former Mirror editor Piers Morgan's claim in evidence on Tuesday that he had no knowledge that hacking went on there.

"I would go as far as to say that it happened every day and that it became apparent that a great number of the Mirror's show business stories would come from that source. That is my clear memory," Hipwell said. (more)

The Cone of Silence is Coming... no, really!

2011-12-23T12:27:00.000-05:00

FutureWatch - The Cone of Silence...

Many of the current experimental "invisibility cloaks" are based around the same idea - light coming from behind an object is curved around it and then continues on forward to a viewer. That person is in turn only able to see what's behind the object, and not the object itself. Scientists from Germany's Karlsruhe Institute of Technology have applied that same principle to sound waves, and created what could perhaps be described as a "silence cloak."

For the experiments, Dr. Nicolas Stenger constructed a relatively small, millimeter-thin plate, made of both soft and hard microstructured polymers. Different rings of material within the plate resonated at different frequencies, over a range of 100 Hertz.

When viewed from above, it was observed that sound wave vibrations were guided around a central circular area in the plate, unable to either enter or leave that region. "Contrary to other known noise protection measures, the sound waves are neither absorbed nor reflected," said Stenger's colleague, Prof. Martin Wegener (speaking from his secret lab in the South Pacific on "Nuthing Atoll"). "It is as if nothing was there."

While the plate is a small-scale proof-of-concept, the principles at play in it could perhaps ultimately be used to shield people in a "cloaked" area from loud background noises, or to keep eavesdroppers who aren't in that area from hearing those peoples' private conversations. (more)

North American Business Espionage Warnings

2011-12-23T11:24:00.000-05:00

US - House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers (R-Mich.) said computer hacking aimed at stealing business secrets has "reached an intolerable level, and it's getting worse," in an interview with ABC News on Wednesday night.

Rogers made the comments after The Wall Street Journal reported that Chinese hackers had gained access to the computers of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

He introduced a bill last month that would make it easier for companies to share information with the government about threats and cyberattacks. (more)

Canada - Corporate espionage - ranging from Dumpster diving for industrial secrets to plying vulnerable employees of competitors with booze, drugs and sex in exchange for information - is a common tactic in Canada for companies to get ahead, says a former CSIS spy and private investigator.

Tuesday, at the Canadian Industrial Security Conference, Ron Myles said Canadian companies often perceive corporate spying and infiltration as something out of Hollywood and insists the number of cases that are exposed is but a mere fraction of the problem in this country.

"I don't think even the tip of the iceberg is showing. (Corporate espionage) is more prevalent in small-and medium-sized companies because they're often just starting up and don't have massive (security) budgets." (more) (video)

Workers Warned to Keep Smartphones Safe at Christmas Parties

2011-12-23T11:12:00.000-05:00

A new survey conducted by STS Digital has found that staff are risking data breaches by not taking care of their smartphones and tablet computers.

The poll found that Christmas parties are particularly dangerous for staff as they are leaving themselves open to corporate espionage.

A massive 98% of workers admitted to taking their smartphone devices to a bar and when asked about access to corporate data and sensitive information, 98% of respondents were able to access corporate information using a mobile device.

An alarming 91% of respondents revealed it was possible to access all corporate data including documents, contracts, emails and sensitive information regardless of location using the mobile device. (more)

Spybusters Tip # 645: Never loan your smartphone. It only takes a short time for a co-worker to load spyware onto it for their own evil purposes.

When Spy Worlds Collide - It's a Paranoia Ride - Hackers Stop to Shop

2011-12-23T10:30:00.000-05:00

The intelligence operative sits in a leather club chair, laptop open, one floor below the Hilton Kuala Lumpur’s convention rooms, scanning the airwaves for spies.

In the salons above him, merchants of electronic interception demonstrate their gear to government agents who have descended on the Malaysian capital in early December for the Wiretapper’s Ball, as this surveillance industry trade show is called.

As he tries to detect hacker threats lurking in the wireless networks, the man who helps manage a Southeast Asian country’s Internet security says there’s reason for paranoia. The wares on offer include products that secretly access your Web cam, turn your cell phone into a location-tracking device, recognize your voice, mine your e-mail for anti-government sentiment and listen to supposedly secure Skype calls.

He isn’t alone watching his back at this cyber-arms bazaar, whose real name is ISS World.

For three days, attendees digging into dim sum fret about losing trade secrets to hackers, or falling prey to phone interception by rival spies. They also get a tiny taste of what they’ve unleashed on the outside world, where their products have become weapons in the hands of regimes that use the gear to track and torture dissidents. (more)

Did You Get Your Favorite Spy a Gift Yet? (Hint: International Spy Museum Store)

2011-12-22T12:25:00.000-05:00

It's not too late.

How about a nice set of books?

Secret Code: 17568

Product Facts: The perfect gift book set for curious, experimental, creative masterminds - - think cool science experiments, multi-function gadgets, computer science and other high- and low-tech inventions. In total you’ll be equipped with 250+ solutions, bonus applications, and resources at your disposal and be ready for almost any situation. Detailed step-by-step instructions and diagrams enable you to complete projects in just minutes.

A sample by volume of what you’ll be able to make amaze your friends with; Volume 1 (Sneaky): Craft a Compass and Make a Sneak Detector, Door Opener, and Power Ring/Room, Volume 2 (Sneakier): Make Invisible Ink, Sneaky Pockets, and a Metal Detector, Volume 3 (Sneakiest): Learn Scroll Message Encryption and Make Robots, Sneakbots, and Electrical Motors. This 3-volume book collection is a fun and valuable resource for transforming ordinary objects into the extraordinary. And as a bonus, you’ll be seen as a super-hero by your friends with the new and amazing, sneaky things that you can do!

Technical Data: Books are soft cover with B/W illustrations. Resource, recommended reading lists, and websites included, 157, 141, and 170 pages respectively, 5”W x 7”H. (more)

Seasons Greetings spies, where ever your are.

World's Smallest USB Stick, nah... Shtik

2011-12-22T11:31:00.000-05:00

Psst... It's the thingy on the right.

Think it's hard to stop USB stick info-espionage now? Just wait. And, wait until they come as promotional give-a-ways. The urge to use them will be uncontrollable. Gee, what if they are pre-loaded with spyware? Losing them will be equally uncontrollable. What more could the spies of 2012 ask for?

The new 19.5 x 14.5 x 2.9 mm USB stick will be available in 4, 8 or 16GB capacity versions when it's launched. (more)

BTW, do you have a program to deal with USB vulnerabilities?

Security Director Alert: Law Enforcement Spied Upon Using Police-Level Surveillance Tactics... The Business Espionage Crowd Does It Too

2011-12-21T12:06:00.000-05:00

Canada - Workers with the Canada Border Services Agency and Citizenship and Immigration Canada were spied on during an employee-appreciation event in June, according to a government intelligence alert issued the following month.

Sample Room Bug

"While the true purpose of the surveillance is unknown," such spy tactics are often used by organized crime groups to "better know their adversaries, as well as to target individuals believed to be susceptible to co-option," according to the memo, issued by a CBSA intelligence officer... "It's not just a bunch of thugs trying to force their way in," he said. "They can employ tactics or equipment that match the level of sophistication that law enforcement can employ."

...The method of surveillance was not specified, nor was it clear how the government came to learn about it. (more)

What does this mean to you?

• Adversarial surveillance is very real.

• This is a rare case of it being exposed.

• Expect to be "sized up" before an espionage attack.

• Expect the attack to use sophisticated techniques; including advanced electronic surveillance eavesdropping.

• Realize that during this extended intelligence collection phase, you have an opportunity to detect and deflect, before the harm is done... if you conduct regularly scheduled TSCM inspections.

Anatomy of a Chinese Hack Attack

2011-12-21T09:33:00.000-05:00

A group of hackers in China breached the computer defenses of America's top business-lobbying group and gained access to everything stored on its systems, including information about its three million members, according to several people familiar with the matter. The break-in at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is one of the boldest known infiltrations in what has become a regular confrontation between U.S. companies and Chinese hackers. (more)

How did they do it?

Click to enlarge.

Security Director Tips: On Checking Your Electronic Privacy Rights at the Border

2011-12-21T09:22:00.000-05:00

"Our lives are on our laptops – family photos, medical documents, banking information, details about what websites we visit, and so much more. Thanks to protections enshrined in the U.S. Constitution, the government generally can’t snoop through your laptop for no reason. But those privacy protections don’t safeguard travelers at the U.S. border, where the U.S. government can take an electronic device, search through all the files, and keep it for a while for further scrutiny – without any suspicion of wrongdoing whatsoever."

Thus begins the Electronic Frontier Foundation's new paper, Defending Privacy at the Border - A Guide for Travelers Carrying Digital Devices which is full of good tips for protecting your electronic information while traveling. Keep in mind, although the paper focuses on the United States border crossings, you will also be dealing with the country you are visiting. And, some of them are a whole lot more aggressive.

Random Tip #1 - Before your trip, mail your laptop to a trusted person at your final destination. Password protect your drive. Encrypt the data on the drive. Only have essential information on the drive. Wipe the drive before you return home.

Random Tip #2 - "On the most modern laptops, it’s possible to use an SD card like a hard drive; thus, you can choose to use an SD card in place of a conventional hard drive and keep your entire operating system and all your data on on it. (You should still use disk encryption for the data on the SD card.) Since you can keep the SD card in your pocket or wallet when it’s not in use, it’s considerably harder for someone to take it from you without your knowledge or tamper with it (although, since it’s so tiny, it’s much easier to lose)... it’s easier to send them in the mail or even easily erase or destroy a card when you no longer need it... You can even use the same SD card in a digital camera for taking photos, so that a single card serves both as your camera storage medium and your encrypted hard drive."

Safe travels. ~Kevin

Cautionary Tale: Sabotage by Wiretap - What if it were your phone call?

2011-12-20T14:26:00.000-05:00

Russia - Boris Nemtsov, one of Russia's main opposition leaders has accused Kremlin agents of illegally bugging his phone after a newspaper released embarrassing recordings of his private phone calls.

The material was potentially damaging for Mr Nemtsov, one of the principal organisers of a recent spate of anti-Kremlin protests, as he can be heard insulting his fellow opposition leaders in obscene terms and belittling his own supporters as "internet hamsters" and "scared penguins."

A deputy prime minister in the 1990s and a founder of the opposition Solidarity movement, Mr Nemtsov claimed the release of the recordings was a cynical Kremlin attempt to sabotage a big opposition protest planned for Christmas Eve by triggering internal squabbling among its organisers.

"Parts of these conversations are really genuine," he wrote in his blog. (more)

Tip: Periodically check for bugs and taps. (more)

Surveillance Quote of the Day - By 2020 You Will Be Archived for 25 Cents

2011-12-20T11:25:00.000-05:00

"...by 2015 it will cost only two cents to store all phone calls made by the average mobile phone user. Now picture this, a city with a population of 12 million which has about 500,000 video cameras, one video cam for every 24 people. By 2020, the declining costs for digital storage will make it possible to store all of that video acquired, in high resolution, for about a quarter per person. As for other types of digital communication, don't count on encryption not to be cracked." ~ Darlene Storm (more)

FutureWatch: Big Brother's Ubiquitous Surveillance Circus

2011-12-19T13:21:00.000-05:00

As the price of digital storage drops and the technology to tap electronic communication improves, authoritarian governments will soon be able to perform retroactive surveillance on anyone within their borders, according to a Brookings Institute report.

These regimes will store every phone call, instant message, email, social media interaction, text message, movements of people and vehicles and public surveillance video and mine it at their leisure, according to "Recording Everything: Digital Storage as an Enabler of Authoritarian Government," written by John Villaseno, a senior fellow at Brookings and a professor of electrical engineering at UCLA.

That will enable shadowing people's movements and communications that took place before the individuals became suspects, he says. (more)

"We all prisoners, Chicky babe. We's all locked in."

'Fake Sheik' appears at UK phone hacking inquiry

2011-12-18T19:52:00.000-05:00

UK - The star undercover reporter for the now-defunct News of the World tabloid told Britain's media ethics inquiry Monday that he duped celebrities only to expose criminality, immorality or hypocrisy.

The original "Fake Sheiks"

Mazher Mahmood, who worked for the Rupert Murdoch-owned newspaper for 20 years, said he had not been aware illegal phone hacking was going on until the newspaper's royal reporter, Clive Goodman, was arrested in 2006. Goodman was later jailed for eavesdropping on the mobile phone voice mails of members of the royal family staff.

Mahmood is a controversial figure, nicknamed the "Fake Sheik" after his signature ruse of pretending to be a rich Gulf businessman to trap celebrities, politicians and suspected criminals. (more)

Why Hack a Hotel's Internet Provider?

2011-12-18T18:42:00.000-05:00

Google and Intel were logical targets for China-based hackers, given the solid-gold intellectual property data stored in their computers. An attack by cyberspies on iBahn, a provider of Internet services to hotels, takes some explaining.

iBahn provides broadband business and entertainment access to guests of Marriott International and other hotel chains, including multinational companies that hold meetings on site. Breaking into iBahn's networks, according to a senior U.S. intelligence official familiar with the matter, may have let hackers see millions of confidential emails, even encrypted ones, as executives from Dubai to New York reported back on everything from new-product development to merger negotiations.

More worrisome, hackers might have used iBahn's system as a launchpad into corporate networks that are connected to it, using traveling employees to create a backdoor to company secrets, said Nick Percoco, head of Trustwave's SpiderLabs, a security firm...

The networks of at least 760 companies, research universities, Internet service providers and government agencies were hit over the last decade by the same group of China-based cyberspies. (more)

FBI Announces Theft of Trade Secrets Indictment

2011-12-18T18:24:00.000-05:00

Tung Pham, 46, formerly of Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, currently residing in California, was charged today by indictment with theft of trade secrets and wire fraud, announced United States Attorney Zane David Memeger. Pham was charged with stealing trade secrets regarding pastes used in the manufacture of solar cells from his former employer. (more)

Here is how it started, back in 2009...

The Photovoltaic Materials Business Unit of Heraeus has selected Tung Pham to fill the position of research scientist for the organization. Reporting to Dr. Weiming Zhang, Heraeus' Global PV research and development manager, Pham will work primarily in the North American research and development lab located in West Conshohocken, Pennsylvania.

Pham has an extensive background in developing metallization pastes and thick film conductors for the microelectronics and photovoltaic industries. He has authored numerous technical presentations on materials and the construction of silicon solar cells. Pham earned his bachelor's degree in Engineering from California Polytechnic University.

According to Dr. Zhang, Pham will be working on advancements to Heraeus' current paste platforms and developing the next-generation of PV materials to meet the growing worldwide demand for solar cells. (more)

"Yes, and they have 2-way radios, too!" Dutch parliament gets clued in.

2011-12-18T16:53:00.001-05:00

The Netherlands - Eavesdropping software that can be installed from a distance on the computers of suspects is available to the police, justice minister Ivo Opstelten told parliament on Monday evening. (more)

Fun Fact...
The Netherlands sanctions more phone taps per head of population than any other country in the world.

Pizza Mobster Wiretaps... Himself

2011-12-15T20:09:00.000-05:00

MA - A city man has been charged with illegally taping two phone conversations he had with a man who wanted to arrange the robbery of a company in Lawrence, police said.

Charles "Dino" Manjounes, 48, of 94 Keeley St., was arrested Friday at 3:45 p.m. at his work place, Riverside Pizza, 181 Groveland St., and charged with extortion by threat or injury and two counts of unlawful wiretapping...

Manjounes had put an employee of Colony Foods in contact with a person identified merely as "Death," according to Schena's report. "Death'' told the employee the robbery would cost $20,000. When the employee protested, Death said the cost would be $30,000 — and that he would drag him out of his work place and kill him if he failed to pay, the report said. (more)

Nelson Mandela 'spy' cameras confiscated by police

2011-12-15T17:02:00.000-05:00

South African police have confiscated cameras they say were illegally filming Nelson Mandela's house in his home village of Qunu in the Eastern Cape.

Police spokesman Vishnu Naidoo told the BBC that two media groups were being investigated.

The cameras were found in a neighbour's house and had been constantly filming the ex-president's residence, he said. (more)

Security Quote of the Day

2011-12-15T11:39:00.000-05:00

"The Android platform is where the malware action is. I believe that smart phones are going to become the primary platform of attack for cybercriminals in the coming years." ~ Bruce Schneier, author of the best sellers "Schneier on Security," "Beyond Fear," "Secrets and Lies," and "Applied Cryptography," and an inventor of the Blowfish, Twofish, Threefish, Helix, Phelix, and Skein algorithms.

Industrial Espionage Gang Sends Malicious Emails

2011-12-15T09:52:00.000-05:00

A cybercrime gang that primarily targets companies from the chemical industry has launched a new series of attacks that involve malware-laden emails purporting to be from Symantec, the security vendor responsible for exposing its operation earlier this year.

Dubbed the Nitro attacks, the gang's original industrial espionage efforts began sometime in July and lasted until September. The attackers' modus operandi involved sending emails that carried a variant of the Poison Ivy backdoor and were specifically crafted for each targeted company...

"The same group is still active, still targeting chemical companies, and still using the same social engineering modus operandi," security researchers from Symantec said in a blog post on Monday. (more)

Cell Phone Spyware Scam Accusations

2011-12-12T19:47:00.000-05:00

"Ever get the feeling you've been cheated? Now you can find out the truth."

That's a banner on the website for SMS Privato Spy, which advertises smartphone spyware that allows customers to secretly monitor a spouse or co-worker's phone and collect that person's calls, texts and GPS locations.

According to security experts, however, the truth is that customers have been getting nothing for the $50, $75, $100 or $125 they paid for one of Privato Spy's four packages. (more)

Electronic chip in bath soap raises huge stink

2011-12-12T10:42:00.000-05:00

India - Expatriate Indian consumers have become suspicious of a brand of bath soap manufactured by a multinational company after consumers back home complained about an electronic chip embedded in the soap.

Reports from India suggest that a bathing soap-related survey being conducted for Britain-based organisations in Beemapalli near Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, was called off after residents, who had earlier agreed to the survey, panicked...

The survey was being conducted for the stated purpose of finding out the health and hygiene habits of the people living in coastal areas, to which the residents of Beemapalli consented. However, once the realization of an embedded chip in the bathing soap dawned upon the locals, they feared that the soap might 'eavesdrop' on them or even film them in the shower. (more)

The chip was a motion sensor. The survey participants agreed to use the soap for five days and return it, at which point they would be paid money for being part of the survey.

The Latest Video Enhancement Trick: De-Blurring

2011-12-10T11:36:00.000-05:00

About a year ago I looked at work by two video enhancement specialists; Doug Carner, CPP/CHS-III of Forensic Protection and Jim Hoerricks - author of Forensic Photoshop, a comprehensive imaging workflow for forensic professionals.

Today, Doug advised me of a trick that every security professional should have up their sleeve, de-blurring. He explained how he de-blurs motion this way...

"Light originates and reflects from objects in very predictable ways. As the camera and object move, they distort the captured image. These distortions can be reversed using a filter that acts like mathematical eye glasses.

For this example, we used the bent light streak seen at the far right of the license plate. The process could have just as easily been applied to the mud flaps or tires."

Wow, major difference!

This got me thinking. How good will this technology become?

Just two months ago, Adobe gave the world a sneak peek.

When you view this video, set it to HD and go full screen. The magic begins about 2 minutes into the clip and continues with several photos being blur corrected.

Unfortunately, this was only a sneak preview. It is not available to the general public in Photoshop yet.

Just to re-cap, here are some of the things Doug can do to enhance your crummy videos...

• High-resolution video and audio extraction or capture
• Adaptive military-grade video jitter stabilization
• Video de-interlace, de-sequence and de-multiplex
• Intelligent temporal noise and artifact suppression
• Fast-Fourier compression and camera age reversal
• Sub-pixel shift fusion over time, space and frequency
• Adjust video brightness, contrast, saturation and size
• Color channel isolation and focus/motion blur correction
• Audio noise suppression and speech amplification
• Video zoom, trim, crop and speed adjustments
• Multiplex to original with event highlight for court exhibit
• Image extraction, cropping, enlarging and printing

Want to conduct your own experiments with de-blurring?
Visit the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at The Chinese University of Hong Kong. Play with their GPU Blur Removal Software v2.0 just released last month. (Windows Trial Version)

Business Telephone Systems Still Vulnerable to Toll Fraud

2011-12-09T12:11:00.000-05:00

A Compilation of Phreaking Evidence from 2004-2011 - 25 pages .pdf (download)

Phreaking is a slang term coined to describe the activity of a culture of people who study, experiment with, or explore telecommunication systems, such as equipment and systems connected to public telephone networks. They are often mistakenly lumped in with criminal phone hackers. It is also a mistake to think that this was only a 1970's - 1980's phenomena.

Just in case you thought your business phone system was safe, read on...

• PABX/PBX hacking (phreaking) is common. It's organized crime and big business.

• Telephone systems everywhere are targets and telecommunications bandits know how to gain access to your phone system by reconfiguring it to route their own calls through it.

• Phreakers can hack phone systems, voicemail boxes and PINs in a few seconds to gain illegal access to your extensions.

• Most toll fraud is generated after hours and on holidays when it's least likely to be detected.

• Phreakers can gain the most by routing expensive international calls through private phone systems.

• Terrorist organisations use telecommunications fraud to generate funds by illegally gaining access to private phone systems and then re-selling the service.

• Many businesses leave their phone systems completely unprotected.

• You will end up paying the bill after they've hijacked your phone system and extensions to make illegal calls anywhere they choose - often at a huge cost... (more)

Ask your counterespionage consultant to look into this for you. Specifying the correct controls, procedures and security hardware to protect your communications is their specialty.

Don't have a counterespionage consultant?!?! Contact me for a referral.

"I'm Dreaming of a Spy Christmas"

2011-12-08T14:30:00.000-05:00

Toy helicopter with a built-in 1.3Mp camera for sneaky aerial snapping.

Specifications:
• Take up to 3 minutes of video (at resolution 640 X 480) or take hundreds of photos (at resolution 1280 X 960).

• 3-Channel control allows flying up and down, forward & backward, left and right

• Stabilized by sophisticated built in gyroscope for the clearest pictures

• Use the remote transmitter button to take the pictures and video

• Plug in computer to download the video and photos

• User friendly Graphic Unit Interface on PC to adjust the photo or video setting.

• Real time capturing to see the effect on screen.
White color LED to indicate photo capturing or video recording.

• Download videos and photos through USB
Charging through transmitter or USB (more)

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Fei Lun Full Function Radio Control Spy Video Car

• Audio & Video (with Night Vision Transmitter)
(more)

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Using Spy Gadgets: The Definitive Guide to Finding Out Anything About Anyone Using Spy Tools, Spy Gear, Spy Equipment, Spy Cameras, Spy Toys, or a Spy Bug From a Spy Shop
By Dick Peplowski

Are you constantly wondering about certain people and wondering about their real past or present lives? You’ve surely thought, “That guy just seems to have something “off”” as we all have and want to know the truth. So how do you find the truth? Sadly, to find out the real dirt on someone, you’ve had to pay a fortune for a private investigator to get it for you. The good news is that is no longer the case! You can literally become your own Sherlock Holmes and find out all the dirt on people that you want. The best part is that you are going to be learning how to do this through the use of awesome spy tools that you can easily obtain. These will give you the power of Inspector Gadget when it comes to finding out the real dirt on someone. You learn about all the spy tools you could ever want to use plus many more in Dick Peplowski's "Using Spy Gadgets: The Definitive Guide to Finding Out Anything About Anyone Using Spy Tools, Spy Gear, Spy Equipment, Spy Cameras, Spy Toys, or a Spy Bug From a Spy Shop." This is all broken down in an easy to understand and easy to apply system for personal surveillance success. (more)

Town Clerk Allegedly Testifies to Electronic Eavesdropping

2011-12-07T16:31:00.000-05:00

MI - Augusta Township Clerk Kathy Giszczak allegedly testified in a deposition that she electronically eavesdropped on a conversation between the township's deputy treasurer and supervisor.

That allegation surfaced as part of an Open Meetings Act lawsuit pitting one half of the board against the other half.

Electronic eavesdropping is a felony punishable by up to five years in prison, though no criminal charges have been brought against Giszczak. A hearing on the OMA lawsuit is scheduled for Dec. 13. (more)

Albanian Ex-Spy Chief Disappears

2011-12-07T12:03:00.000-05:00

UK - Scotland Yard today issued a nationwide appeal to track down a former Albanian spy chief who is on the run after failing to attend an extradition hearing.

Ilir Kumbaro, 58, was due to appear at Westminster magistrates' court, where he faced being sent back to Albania on charges of kidnapping and torturing three men.

When he failed to show up last Thursday, police checked his home in Forest Hill, other addresses and hospitals. All ports and airports were alerted but there has been no sign of him.

Detectives, who say he may be using his skills as an ex-head of the Albanian secret police to evade capture, suspect he could still be in London, living under a false identity. One of Eastern Europe's most wanted men, he lived on benefits with his wife and one of his two sons on a Fulham council estate for 12 years before he was discovered...

Police say Kumbaro, who is about 5ft 7in, bald and stout, is likely to be with his wife. He speaks English with an Eastern European accent. Anyone who has seen him is asked to call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. (more)

Yet Another 'News of the World' Phone Hacking Arrest

2011-12-07T10:50:00.001-05:00

UK - British police said Wednesday they have arrested another suspect in their investigation of phone hacking by the News of the World tabloid.

London's Metropolitan police said they arrested a 41-year-old man on suspicion of conspiring to intercept voice-mail messages and pervert the course of justice. The man's name wasn't released. Police said he was being held at a police station in south London. (more)

Twitter - The Stool Pigeon

2011-12-07T10:09:00.000-05:00

If you were thinking that tweet you just sent would soon disappear into the ether, you couldn't be more wrong.

It will soon be stored alongside Thomas Jefferson's draft of the American Declaration of Independence and a Gutenberg Bible.

That's because every public tweet sent since Twitter was launched five-and-a-half years ago is to be be archived by America's national library.

The Library of Congress announced the deal with Twitter last year, but yesterday its digital initiatives manager shone more light on the project. (more)

I understand the anthropological argument. Perhaps, several centuries from now someone will find value in researching old tweets. I suspect they will view tweets as we view graffiti on the walls of Pompeii. But, given the current economic conditions should we really be spending our tax dollars on archiving moronic celebrity tweets? /Rant

Kevin's Security Scrapbook

Spycam Story #642 - The Epidemic Continues

Spycam Story #641 - The Church Sleepover

Spycam Story #640 - Epiphany Party at My Place!

Quik! Hide the Bloodhound

Chucky is Back... and He Owns Your Cell Phone!

Kessler Investigates Cell Phone Spy Apps

Wiretapping Uncovered In The Mexican Congress

Google Oggle is in your Face-book

Supreme Court Rules Trackers Require Warrant

On-line Spies - Affordable, and easy to find.

Security Director Alert: Eavesdropping via Video Teleconferencing

More NOTW Phone Hacking News

Personal Security: How To Avoid Being A Victim, Anywhere, Any time.

How to Bug a Germ

Illegal Eavesdropping Costs NOTW 1 Million...

SpyCam Story #639 - The House Guest

SpyCam Story #638 - The Hole in the Wall Gang

Security Director Tip: Kill Crime Around Your Executives' Homes

007 Rocks!

Security Director Tips: Tell Employees about these Safety Apps

SpyCam Story #637 - Games at the Party Store

SpyCam Story #636 - "Just puttin' out personnel fires, Chief."

Business Sports Espionage: 4th Olympic Arrest

Wiretapping and Divorce Advice from a Lawyer

Business Sports Espionage: KC Chiefs - Wiretaps & Bugs

Sneak Peak - Cell Phone Spying for the Everyman... and women, too!

Security Alert: Time to Update Your HP Printers' Firmware

FREE - Mobile Security V6.0 - Android Security Software

SpyCam Story #635 - Stock(boy) Photography

Mandela Spy Camera Probe Continues

Business Espionage: Arrest for Unsportsmanlike Conduct

SpyCam Story #634 - The Busted Busman

SpyCam Story #633 - "A big troop cheer for the FBI!"

Peter Shankman on Situational Awareness - A Cautionary Tale

From our "You Can't Make This Stuff Up" files...

SpyCam Story #632 - Darwin Award to Video Voyeur

SpyCam Story #630 - The Road to Woodinville

SpyCam Story #631 - Pfuhl Hides SpyCam at Work

Pocket 3G Spy Car (Yes, it rhymes with noodle.)

Social Engineering Attacks on the Enterprise in 2012

iSnitch, ilLumiaNaughty & RIMshot Cell Out

More Video Voyeurism Laws Coming

The Spy Who Helped Us - RIP

SpyCam Story #629 - Holy Water Cam, Batman

How to Handle a Web-site Hack Attack Gracefully

SpyCam Story #628 - How to Push a Perv's Hot Button

Spycam Story #627 - SpyCam Incident Settlements Top $600,000.00

SpyCam Story #626 - The Slime of the Ancient Sub-Mariner

Top German cop uses spyware on daughter, gets hacked in retaliation

Cellphone Spying Getting Easier for Abusers, Stalkers

Killers who shot dead debt collector jailed after he 'bugged' his own murder

Home SpyCam Success Story

One Man Makes the Corporate Security World Less Secure Today

FutureWatch: Help! - A security app to record your demise.

PI excuse 2012: "I lost the guy in the crowd." 2020: "What crowd?"

"Is that an ear mullet, or are you just happy to record her?"

Joe Finder asks, "Who's Listening In?"

'Cheaters' Spy Shop: TV Show Opens Online Store

Dilbert vs. The Recycling Bin

Make "I'm taking back my privacy!" a News Years Resolution

Hacker Justifies Exposing Wireless Security Weakness. Wait... in 1903!

VoIP Phone Eavesdropping Prevention Tips

Eavesdrop on the boss to aid promotion chances? Probably not a good idea, especially if your boss is the police commissioner.

Security Quote of the Day - Smartphones, the Next Target

VoIP Phone Tap Taps

A Merry Christmas, Valentine - Good Work

Business Espionage: 7 Million Dollar Man Sentenced for 7 Years

Walkie Talkie Law

"Whaaaadt?!... Hey, why don't you go see where you gotta go."

"Al, we hardly knew you."

"So, how often do journalists hack voicemail?"

The Cone of Silence is Coming... no, really!

North American Business Espionage Warnings

Workers Warned to Keep Smartphones Safe at Christmas Parties

When Spy Worlds Collide - It's a Paranoia Ride - Hackers Stop to Shop

Did You Get Your Favorite Spy a Gift Yet? (Hint: International Spy Museum Store)

World's Smallest USB Stick, nah... Shtik

Security Director Alert: Law Enforcement Spied Upon Using Police-Level Surveillance Tactics... The Business Espionage Crowd Does It Too

Anatomy of a Chinese Hack Attack