Chinese law requires Chinese businesses and citizens, including in academia, to “take actions related to the collection, transmission and storage of data that runs counter to principles of U.S. and international law and policy,” DHS said in a press release.
The department urged U.S. firms to “minimize the amount of at-risk data being stored and used” in China, or in places accessible to Chinese authorities. more
Need help. Click here.
The Bug is a nano-Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) weighing 196g – similar to the weight of a smartphone – with 40 minute battery life and a 2km range.
It boasts a stealthy low visual profile and the ability to fly even in strong winds of more than 50mph...
The teams are now working on the next developments on the nano-UAV, exploring sensing equipment and capabilities which could be added, as well as how the Bug could be integrated with other military equipment. more
Australia - There's something unsettling about the idea of being watched while you and your loved ones kick back on holidays. If you've searched online to find whether holiday rental landlords spy on their guests, there's plenty to feed your paranoia...
Still, if something feels off or you want to sweep the house, there are some steps you can take. Although without professionals and high-tech gear involved, it can't be 100 per cent accurate...
Julian Claxton, a counter-espionage specialist, recommended a hidden camera detector — small devices that project a light that will reflect off the lens of a covert camera... "The reality is, that's how a lot of these cameras can be found — through anomalies. Things that just don't look right within an environment," he explained.
Also, consider taking a one-hour, on-line, video Spycam Detection Training course.
via Rob Acker...
Today, the manufacturing industry promotes innovation, productivity
and trade to capitalize on opportunities created by changing demand and
technological advancements. However, the move towards connected
manufacturing has introduced sophisticated threats to data, intellectual
property (IP) and operations.
Industrial Espionage and IP Theft
Manufacturing organizations invest heavily in IP development. It’s
often an organization’s most valuable asset and its theft is among the
most damaging of manufacturing cyber-threats. Recently, manufacturing executives cited IP protection as their primary concern...
Roger Faligot, an investigative journalist who specializes in studying intelligence agencies, first published Chinese spies in French. It proved so successful that he recently had a significantly expanded version translated into English - Chinese spies: from Chairman Mao to Xi Jinping.
Faligot’s ambitious book spans a century of Chinese espionage, from the beginnings of the Chinese Communist Party to the Xi Jinping era...
Faligot’s ground-breaking book is essential reading for both
intelligence professionals and generalists seeking to understand the
reach of China’s hidden hand. Given rapid technological developments,
one can only hope that Faligot is working on a follow-up volume. more
The 44-year-old opposition leader posed as a senior official from Russia’s National Security Council demanding an urgent debriefing about why the poisoning in August failed, according to a recording shared with CNN.
In a sting where he used a number disguised to look like it was from
the headquarters of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSS), Navalny
tricked Konstantin Kudryavtsev into revealing key details about how he
had been poisoned with Novichok in August, CNN said. more
Named AIR-FI, the technique is the work of Mordechai Guri, the head of R&D at the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, in Israel.
Over the last half-decade, Guri has led tens of research projects that investigated stealing data through unconventional methods from air-gapped systems.
These types of techniques are what security researchers call "covert data exfiltration channels." They are not techniques to break into computers, but techniques that can be used to steal data in ways defenders aren't expecting. more
via Sundance...
This fascinating and visually stimulating documentary examines simulation theory—the idea that this world we live in might not be entirely real. The theory is as old as Plato's Republic and as current as Elon Musk's Twitter feed and A Glitch in the Matrix traces its genesis over the years, from philosophical engagements by the ancient Greeks to modern explorations by Philip K. Dick, the Wachowskis, and game theorists.
A new trailer for the upcoming documentary A Glitch in the Matrix gives a haunting look at the theory that we are all living in a giant simulation. The title alludes to the Wachowskis’ popular Matrix franchise, which is perhaps the most significant cultural exploration of the trippy thought experiment.
A Glitch in the Matrix will premiere at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival in the Midnight Section line-up. After Sundance, A Glitch in the Matrix will be in theaters and on demand on February 5, 2021.
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) is aware of compromises of U.S. government agencies, critical infrastructure entities, and private sector organizations by an advanced persistent threat (APT) actor beginning in at least March 2020. This APT actor has demonstrated patience, operational security, and complex tradecraft in these intrusions. CISA expects that removing this threat actor from compromised environments will be highly complex and challenging for organizations...
CISA has determined that this threat poses a grave risk to the Federal Government and state, local, tribal, and territorial governments as well as critical infrastructure entities and other private sector organizations. CISA advises stakeholders to read this Alert and review the enclosed indicators. more
Note: In addition to cybersecurity, a quality TSCM program is required to protect against multiple other attack vectors.
The satellite beams down a powerful 9.65 GHz radio signal toward its
target, and then collects and interprets the signal as it bounces back
up into orbit...
Possibilities abound. Train two SAR satellites on the same target and they can actually image targets in three dimensions down to minute differences in height. more
via Justin Harper, Business reporter, BBC News, Singapore
I was the hero in my very own spy story, speeding from one checkpoint to another to foil the bad guys.
The plot came from a running app called Running Stories, which casts you as a secret agent in a story playing out with a heart-thumping soundtrack.
It is one of the latest apps designed to make exercise more entertaining, using real-time data that integrates the plot with your surroundings.
Key events in the storyline are triggered when a runner passes specific GPS markers and landmarks.
From being shot at by snipers to racing to catch a speedboat along the river, the plot kept me engaged and burned plenty of calories. more
World's Smallest
Weighing just 1g, Austrian company AMS has announced they have made the world's smallest camera. The NanEyeC has a footprint of just 1x1mm so is smaller than the size of a pinhead.
The 102,000 pixel camera only shoots in black and white, but is designed to be invisible when mounted in wearable devices, such VR headsets – and will doubtless also become the ultimate spy camera. more
Some are simple small cameras that can be placed somewhere that most people won't notice them, while others are disguised as objects like photo frames or USB chargers.
We've even found a camera that's disguised as a light bulb!
As you might imagine, there are loads of creative options in this area. more
Two weeks ago a school district conducted their own "in-house" TSCM sweep for spycams after an employee was charged with 30 child pornography and voyeurism charges. Big fail. Multiple reasons.
This week...
An Illinois dental practice has been sued by 11 employees after an hygienist allegedly hid two cameras in the work bathroom, new court papers show.
That same day, dental hygienist Armani Alexander, 25, “admitted to placing the camera” in the bathroom and was arrested, the court papers say.
The office assured the workers that they swept the premises and didn’t find any more cameras.
Yet Oct. 26, a second camera was discovered in the same bathroom, court documents allege...
Aspen admitted that a background check for Alexander — who had only been with the company for two months — “was flagged for criminal activity,” the court papers say...
The workers — who are each suing for at least $50,000 — have brought claims of negligent hiring and supervision against the practice. more
Why is all this important?
Emotional pain and embarrassment aside... not conducting a professional emergency sweep will have expensive consequences, and may put this dentist out of business.
I can't wait to see what 2030 brings.
A Russian military aircraft designed to allow the country’s leadership to survive and fight a nuclear war has been crippled, the victim of a particularly brazen burglary. Thieves stole 39 pieces of communications equipment from the Ilyushin Il-80 aircraft, nicknamed “Maxdome” by NATO.
The incident took place at the Beriev Taganrog Aviation Scientific and Technical Complex, outside the Russian city of Rostov. Inspectors noticed an open hatch leading inside the plane and soon discovered the equipment was missing. more one sing-a-long possibility? (nsfw)
Private spies reportedly infiltrated an Amazon strike... A union is taking legal action.
Amazon could face a court battle with a Spanish workers' union over a report that said private investigators were hired to infiltrate and secretly surveil a strike outside one of its warehouses. According to a 51-page document obtained by the Spanish news site El Diario, private detectives spied on an Amazon workers' strike at a warehouse near Barcelona, Spain... more
Employers Are Spying on Remote Workers in Their Homes
As the Covid-19 pandemic has forced more people to work from home, employers have begun using digital surveillance technology to increase control and maintain productivity. more
Credit Suisse Spy Agency Was More Global, Inept Than Previously Reported
The most amazing thing about Credit Suisse’s CEO-sinking spy scandal isn’t that the bank’s internal KGB existed at all, but how hilariously, spectacularly shitty it was at the job. The most important thing, after all, about a covert operation is not the information it uncovers, but that it remain covert, undetected by those under its watch. Not only were CS’s Keystone Kops unable to achieve this most basic secrecy over and over and over again, they weren’t able to concoct an effective cover-up of their rare successful operations from the world’s most credulous law firm. more
The main culprits are domestic and/or foreign commercial rivals, start-up companies, foreign Intelligence officers (spies), disgruntled employees (insider threat), or organized criminals.
In the case of Texas fracking companies, employees of drilling firms were targeted when they traveled outside the United States with the contents of their company laptops stolen.
Alternatively, individuals were actively placed inside target companies, or disgruntled employees would simply go rogue and begin collecting and selling trade secrets, mainly as an act of defiance to strike back at their employers. more
U.S. and German investigative and intelligence agencies issued grave warnings in recent months that Chinese government-mandated tax software contains malware, which enables backdoor access into the applications that install it.
If the allegations are true, local units of
foreign companies operating in China as well as global financial
institutions will be exposed to the risk. more
A source familiar with the symptoms told NBC News, which was the first to report on the findings from NAS, that the CIA had determined Russian operatives who had worked on microwave weapons were in the same cities as CIA agents at the time they began experiencing the neurological symptoms.
U.S. diplomats in Cuba began experiencing the symptoms in late 2016, reporting they were hearing strange sounds and experiencing odd physical sensations before becoming sick. Some of those symptoms disappeared, while others lingered.
Cuba has denied any knowledge of the illnesses. more
Canada - Anglophone East School District sweeps Riverview schools for recording devices.
Sweep done after a volunteer basketball coach was charged with 30 child pornography and voyeurism charges.
Anglophone East Superintendent Gregg Ingeroll sent an e-mail to parents... He says the sweep was done by maintenance and IT staff in all Riverview schools, searching for any electronic or recording devices, as well as any areas where recording devices could potentially be hidden.
"This sweep of all areas resulted in no recording devices being found," Ingersoll wrote.
No surprise there. This amateur hour bug sweep was an exercise in negligence, or a whitewash.
FL - A nurse in Florida has been charged with video voyeurism after being accused of planting a hidden camera in a public restroom at the rehab clinic where he worked. more
Canada - The man who recorded people changing and using a staff bathroom at Summerhill Winery was a “raging alcoholic” at the time, according to his lawyer... Leighton's defence counsel Cory Armour said his client had been drinking a 26-ounce bottle of hard liquor and two bottles of wine every day in August 2019, when he hid cameras inside the staff washroom at Summerhill Winery. He was an employee of the winery at the time. more
FL - A man is facing video voyeurism charges while claiming to be on a job interview. The
Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office arrested Che Cunningham, 27, on the
third floor of an unidentified office building... According
to the arrest report, Cunningham said he came to the building for a job
interview but didn't remember the employer's name or office number. He
claimed he had to use the bathroom and accidentally walked into the
women's restroom. more
FL - A Village of Chitty Chatty man has entered a plea in a criminal case in which he is accused of using his phone to shoot video of a man in an adjacent bathroom stall. Sumter County sheriff’s deputies had been searching for a man who had gone to Lowe’s Home Improvement ... and attempted to use his phone to video a man using an adjacent stall in a restroom. more
IN - A Jay County man has been charged with voyeurism after failing to convince authorities his actions had been part of an ill-conceived Halloween prank. Sheriff's deputies said Doublin was visiting the home of a female acquaintance when he tried to use his cellphone to record images of the woman's daughter as she entered and emerged from a shower. The young woman had suspected Doublin of such behavior earlier, and placed a camera in a hallway to record his actions on Oct. 31, according to an affidavit. more
Australia - A woman has shared the sneaky way a man was trying to record her getting undressed in a changing room in a bid to help others stay safe... (The) video shows, the man in the stall next to hers had used this gap to try to record her getting undressed, positioning his camera phone between his feet on the floor to point inside her cubicle and film her getting undressed. more
MS - A Mississippi man has been arrested after police reportedly found a camera he installed in his neighbors bedroom wall. On Friday, Oxford police arrested 44-year-old Gary Morris after officers responded to a residence on Christman Drive where a woman found a camera lens protruding through her bedroom wall. more
Canada - A 37-year-old man faces voyeurism-related charges for allegedly filming an Ottawa woman without her consent during consensual sexual encounters over a two-year period. The Almonte man met the victim on a dating app. more
SC - Agents with SLED have confirmed the arrest of a Laurens County Detention Center officer. Warrants say Tollison on multiple occasions invited a victim into his office to change her clothing in private... During these incidents, Tollison set up a web camera in his office and photographed the victim undressing without her knowledge or consent. more
Borneo - The Magistrate’s Court yesterday handed a four-month jail sentence to a 42-year-old cleaner for recording a video of a woman using the female restroom at a government primary school... The court was also informed that he had been employed for a year as a cleaner at the school. more
Singapore - Earlier this year, Lynn Neo started locking the door of her hostel room whenever she took a nap... She and other friends began taking precautions like these immediately after they heard about a 24-year-old male student at NUS who had mounted two spycams in women’s toilets in their college. more
Learn how to detect spy cameras.
Among the major highlights are that criminal organizations and disgruntled former employees play a trivial role in overall attempts, that the public sector is the preferred target of attackers and that desktops and laptops are far more likely to be breached than phones...
Though there is some market for corporate secrets in the criminal
underworld, the research shows that these figures make up a small amount
of overall cyber espionage incidents: about 4% are from organized
crime, and about 2% are from former employees. An overwhelming 85% come
from state-affiliated groups, with an additional 8% from nation-states. more
The study showed that 43 percent of breach victims were small businesses, and 34 percent of data breached involved internal actors. The same survey showed that 15 percent of companies found millions of files open to every employee. ...The study showed that 71 percent of breaches were financially motivated and 25 percent is due to espionage. more
Sony's always-on PS5 DualSense mics are sparking privacy concerns. The PlayStation 5's DualSense controller comes with a built-in mic that's on by default, and it records what you say to help Sony "analyze" key data points. Here's how to change those settings, and what they mean.Gamers are a bit concerned about privacy on the PS5.
It was recently confirmed the DualSense's mic auto-records anything you say when unlocking an in-game trophy. This is just the tip of the iceberg, really.
As a PS5 owner you can limit the data that Sony collects. But you can't turn data collection off entirely.
Here's how to adjust your data collection settings:
Settings -> Users and Accounts -> Privacy -> Data You Provide more
The report, co-authored by researchers from WESNET, Curtin University and the University of New England, surveyed 442 support workers from around the country who specialise in helping victims of family and sexual violence...
In 2020, nearly one in three frontline workers said they saw victims tracked with GPS apps or devices "all the time". Five years ago, only 8 per cent of workers saw that type of abuse that often.
Surveillance camera misuse was seen "all the time" or "often" by 42 per cent of support workers in 2020, up from 16 per cent in 2015. more
NZ - A soldier based in New Zealand has been charged with spying, the NZ Defense Force confirmed in a statement Wednesday. Why it matters: The soldier allegedly has ties to far-right extremist groups, per multiple local media reports. They're the first person to face espionage charges in New Zealand. more
Iran released a British-Australian scholar, Kylie Moore-Gilbert, detained since 2018 on charges of spying for Israel, in a prisoner swap conducted Wednesday for three Iranian men described by Iran’s official media as businessmen who had been held abroad. more
TX - A Texas A&M employee claims in a federal lawsuit against the university that her former boss secretly recorded her and dozens of other women using the bathroom... The camera was located underneath a counter in the women’s bathroom, facing toward the toilet. more
Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde formally urged Iran to cancel an execution for an Iranian-Swedish professor charged with spying for Israel. more
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has promised Jonathan Pollard, an American who spent 30 years in U.S. prison for spying for Israel, a warm welcome and a comfortable life in Israel now that parole restrictions have ended. more
MA - Betty Cavacco is calling for a special town counsel to investigate alleged email spying by Town Manager Melissa Arrighi, but no one else on the Select Board is supporting that proposal. Following a lengthy executive session that delayed the start of Tuesday’s meeting, board member Cavacco read a statement urging the appointment of an investigator to review this matter, calling the allegations of spying on emails “a disturbing and scary affront to the foundations of the government of this town.” more
Swiss public television, SRF, has found a second company besides Crypto AG was involved in manufacturing manipulated devices allegedly used for spying by foreign intelligence... Of concern are the OC-500 series devices. Devices were sold to several Swiss federal agencies. However, Swiss authorities only noticed the devices weren't secure in the mid-2000s. more
Stacker compiled data on all spy movies to come up with a Stacker score—a weighted index split evenly between IMDb and Metacritic scores. Here are the best spy movies of all time... more
#5 - Duck Soup
Over the past half a year, BlackBerry’s Research and Intelligence team has been keeping a close eye on a cyber-espionage campaign that is targeting individuals around the world. Dubbed ‘CostaRicto’ by BlackBerry, the campaign seems to be run by 'hackers-for-hire', a group of skilled APT actors with bespoke malware tooling and complex VPN proxy and secure shell (SSH) tunneling capabilities...
When it comes to espionage campaigns, outsourcing the whole or even part of the campaign is a compelling proposition, particularly for businesses and individuals who are looking for inside information on their competitors but don’t necessarily have the skills, tools or experience to do this themselves. (and/or want plausible deniability) more
The use of cutouts is a popular and very effective spy tactic. Most corporate espionage (and competitive intelligence) is based on this method.
Pretext'ers, employment moles, buggers, blackmailers, aerial reconnaissance pilots, private investigators, and bribers are just a few of the EaaS types. Now, hackers join the list. The one thing they have
in common is stay invisible and don't get caught.
Thus, the victim never realizes they have been victimized.
Thus, only corporations with smart security directors conduct Technical Surveillance Countermeasures (TSCM) inspections, information security surveys and provide employees with counterespionage training.
“It turns out that to deliver particles, you do not need high-intensity lasers, even low intensity like your laser pointer will be already enough,” Andrey Miroshnichenko, a researcher at the University of New South Wales in Canberra, Australia, told Agence France Presse of the work...
“We can imagine a future where this technology may induce electrical discharge from passing lightning, helping to guide it to safe targets and reduce the risk of catastrophic fires,” co-researcher Vladlen Shvedov from the Australian National University told AFP.
Or you could use it to smite your enemies. Just saying. more
Ewart, of Washington, admitted stalking and was jailed for 18 weeks, suspended. He must wear an electronic tag to keep him away from his ex. more & more
Executive Director Sullivan called the report “incorrect.” She said, “There is no investigation by the State Police and there have been no cameras placed at the Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge facility where there would be a reasonable expectation of privacy such as a locker room or changing room.” more
A lawyer for the former client, a Kazakh mining company called the Eurasian Natural Resources Corp., is asking the judge to toss claims that spying on Dechert partner Neil Gerrard and his wife constituted illegal harassment, Law360 reports.
The ENRC hired Diligence International to surveil Gerrard in the hopes of gathering information for a lawsuit against Dechert and the United Kingdom’s Serious Fraud Office. Toward that end, Diligence planted hidden cameras in a hedge outside Gerrard’s home, Gerrard has alleged.
“Let’s be blunt about it,” de la Mare said. “This type of surveillance used to be common in commercial litigation.” more
Massachusetts' top appellate court said it will review a case over whether a recorded telephone interview between a Barstool Sports podcast host and a local city mayor runs afoul of a law prohibiting secret recordings if one party fraudulently obtains consent for taping...
Having been denied an interview with Curtatone about the mayor's comments on the issue, Minihane tried again, this time claiming to be Boston Globe columnist Kevin Cullen, according to the suit. Minihane, posing as Cullen, was granted the interview, in which he told the mayor he was recording...
Barstool and Minihane's attorney Aaron Moss of Greenberg Glusker LLP said in a statement Thursday that he is confident the SJC will reject Curtatone's arguments and uphold the lower court's ruling.
"The Massachusetts Wiretap Act is crystal clear that it only prohibits secret recordings. If a recording isn't secret, the question of consent is irrelevant," Moss said. more
Interesting question. How would you decided?
It's recommended that organizations change default usernames and passwords on devices so they can't easily be exploited and, if possible, analyze call billings on a regular basis for potentially suspicious destinations, volumes of traffic or call patterns.
And most importantly, organizations should apply the required security patches to prevent known vulnerabilities from being exploited. more
Police in Hong Kong have launched a hotline where residents can report breaches of the national security law imposed by Beijing earlier this year.
The law criminalizes secession, subversion and collusion with foreign forces. It has silenced many protesters since it came into force.
Hong Kong residents can send images, audio and video files to the hotline.
Rights groups say they are concerned the service could be used to target those with opposing political views. more
It is worth remembering that "Citizen Snitch Surveillance" is a tactic of cultures that eventually fail.
About one in 100 East Germans was an informer for communist East Germany's secret police in 1989, according to a new study. Political ideology was their main motivation, both in East and West Germany.
The Stasi kept detailed files on thousands of East Germans
“A Call to Spy” is now available to watch via streaming services and in select theaters across the United States and United Kingdom...
Premiering on June 21st, 2019 -- the 75th anniversary of D-Day -- at the Edinburgh International Film Festival, the film has gone on to win numerous awards...
In the beginning of WWII, with Britain becoming desperate, Churchill orders his new spy agency—the Special Operations Executive (SOE)—to recruit and train women as spies.
Their daunting mission: conduct
sabotage and build a resistance. SOE's "spymistress," Vera Atkins (Stana
Katic), recruits two unusual candidates: Virginia Hall (Sarah Megan
Thomas), an ambitious American with a wooden leg, and Noor Inayat Khan
(Radhika Apte), an Indian Muslim pacifist. Together, these women help to
undermine the Nazi regime in France, leaving an unmistakable legacy in
their wake. Inspired by true stories. more
However, this also means that vast and unusual troves of items will be redistributed to the public, which is the case with an upcoming Julien’s Auctions sale of the entirety of the items within the KGB Espionage Museum in New York City.
Set to take place on February 13, 2021 at Julien’s Auctions in Beverly Hills and online simultaneously, the auction will include the world’s largest collection of authentic KGB spy equipment dating back to the Cold War...
“The KGB Espionage Museum’s collection of Cold War era items is one of
the largest and most comprehensive in the world,” Martin Nolan, the
Executive Director of Julien’s Auctions, told Observer on Thursday.
“We anticipate the auction will attract a wide range
of collectors from museum curators to historians to James Bond fans,
particularly in this election year." more
"Private detectives are brought into projects throughout the entire life cycle of a company’s existence."Maroney seeks to demystify the job of private investigators and debunk myths ingrained from television and pulp fiction. He argues that the modern detective is a vital cog in corporate life and can be a force for good in society. more
Sir Sean died peacefully in his sleep in the Bahamas, having been "unwell for some time", his son said. more
Whistle-blower Edward Snowden will become a father by the end of the
year and his child is eligible to be a citizen of Russia, where the U.S.
citizen has been living since in 2013 after releasing details of the
U.S. electronic-surveillance program. more
A woman from Naples, Florida has been arrested after allegedly hacking into the home camera system of a family member as part of an extortion attempt.
Agents with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement arrested Jennifer Lenell Small on October 26 and charged the 44-year-old with a third-degree felony cybercrime.
A FDLE spokesperson said: "Small sent a short video clip to the victim telling him she had hours of videos that she would use against him in court if the victim did not agree to mediation." more
Spybusters Tip #934: Wipe your devices before passing them on.
With surveillance gear cheaper and easier to use, security experts say checking your environment for cameras and microphones is not a crazy idea.
People worry that Big Brother and Big Tech are invading their privacy. But a more immediate concern may be the guy next door or a shifty co-worker.
The problem is all that gear is not necessarily being used to fight burglars or keep an eye on the dog while she’s home alone. Tiny cameras have been found in places where they shouldn’t be, like Airbnb rentals, public bathrooms and gym locker rooms. So often, in fact, that security experts warn that we are in the throes of a “bugging epidemic.”
It
is not paranoid to take precautions. A lot of spy gear is detectable if you know what to look for, said Charles Patterson, president of Exec Security, a firm in Tarrytown, N.Y... more