Companies Doing Business in China Need to be Aware of New Espionage Laws

China's updated law on espionage could be the latest point of concern for foreign companies. The amended anti-espionage law broadens the definition of national security. But it falls short of defining what exactly constitutes "National security". 

China's expansive anti-spying law to take effect July 1

Wider scope of national security puts foreigners at greater risk, analysts say. more

China has widened its already sweeping counter-espionage law. Experts say foreign businesses should be worried. more

China widens ‘already breathtaking’ scope to arrest foreigners for espionage
Authorities can swoop over anything they deem relevant to national security in toughening of law already used against expatriates or Chinese contacts. more

Hugh Grant Accuses The Sun Used 'Bugging' to Obtain Private Information

The Sun newspaper used "burglaries to order" and "breaking and entering" to obtain private information through "bugging, landline tapping and phone hacking", Hugh Grant has claimed in court.

The 62-year-old actor made the allegations in a witness statement read out as part of his lawsuit against News Group Newspapers (NGN) - the publisher of The Sun and the now-defunct News Of The World.

The British star attended the final day of a hearing at London's High Court where NGN is bringing a bid to have claims by him and Prince Harry thrown out. more

The Chatbot-Centric Wiretapping Lawsuit Against Old Navy

Court Refuses to Toss Out Chatbot-Centric Wiretapping Lawsuit Against Old Navy

Old Navy cannot escape a lawsuit accusing it of running afoul of the California Invasion of Privacy Act (“CIPA”) by way of its use of a sophisticated chatbot feature on its e-commerce site. Despite Old Navy’s bid to get the case that Miguel Licea lodged against it in August 2022 dismissed in its entirety, Judge Sunshine Sykes of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California sided with the plaintiff, in part, finding that his CIPA Section 632.7 claim against Old Navy for eavesdropping can move ahead. more

ChatGPT Corporate Secrets: Not Made for Each Other

‘ChatGPT Corporate Secrets’ — doesn’t seem to be a healthy combination at all, as the clouds of data breach threats continue to loom large over the brave new world of AI chatbots...

For the uninitiated, this is not the first time that ChatGPT has created a controversy... But this time, the concern is quite grave for businesses, as ChatGPT might expose customer information and trade secrets. There have already been a few cases, enough to raise the alarm bell and send shockwaves across the tech world.

Let’s delve deeper with the story and figure out the important aspects about the Chatbot corporate espionage...

Team8, which happens to be an Israel-based venture firm, has recently published a shell-shocking report which argues that over-exposure to generative AI tools like ChatGPT can cause major problems to businesses by revealing corporate secrets and user data. more

Kim Jong Un Says North Korea’s 1st Spy Satellite is Ready for Launch

Many experts question whether Pyongyang has cameras sophisticated enough to use for spying from a satellite because only low-resolution images were released after past launches.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said his country has built its first-ever military spy satellite and that he planned to launch it on an undisclosed date, state media reported Wednesday.

Previous missile and rocket tests have demonstrated that North Korea can send satellites into space, but many experts question whether it has cameras sophisticated enough to use for spying from a satellite because only low-resolution images were released after past launches. more

Peyton Manning Reveals His Counter-Measures to Avoid Getting Bugged

The New England Patriots had to face a couple of damning scandals during their golden era. While Deflategate is the more popular one, Spygate isn’t far behind. The thought of the Patriots eavesdropping on their opponents may seem like an exaggeration. However, it was enough to convince Hall of Famer Peyton Manning and prompt him to take some rather weird measures.

Allegedly, the Patriots had a very bad habit of recording opposition coaches from non-designated zones. Something for which the team and their coach, Bill Belichick, received heavy fines. However, there were a few, including Manning, who believed the Patriots had installed hot mics in the locker room, which gave rise to some pretty hilarious paranoid outcomes.

During live coverage of the Packers vs Giants game in 2021, Peyton revealed to his brother that he was paranoid about letting his plans get leaked while visiting the Gillett Stadium. “Every time I played against New England, I used to talk to my receivers in the showers,” he said. “Don’t talk about a play next to my locker because I know it’s bugged. Very strange to see seven guys hanging out in the shower.” more

Spies That Don't Come in From the Cold

China Rivals US Foothold In Antarctica, Builds Base With Potential To Eavesdrop On Neighbors

China is looking to expand its presence in Antarctica by resuming construction on the country’s fifth station in the region.

“While the station can provide tracking and communications for China’s growing array of scientific polar observation satellites, its equipment can concurrently be used for intercepting other nations’ satellite communications,” the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) said in a new report. more

Top Harvard Scientist: Alien mothership might be spying on us from orbit...

Prof Avi Loeb claims we shouldn't dismiss the possibility that we have already been visited by extraterrestrial life.

It’s a conspiracy theory so prevalent it has entered the mainstream. Everyone, it seems, has heard of the idea that the US government is sitting on proof that extraterrestrials exist and have been visiting Earth for decades.

It’s easy to dismiss such stories, but seriously, could there be even a small amount of truth in it? Could extraterrestrial probes really be functioning near Earth? We don’t know. But Harvard astronomer Prof Avi Loeb’s Galileo Project aims to investigate... more

Quiz - Would You Make a Good Spy?

Test yourself for fun. Learn what makes a good spy. (Before you hire any TSCM inspection / counterespionage consultant make sure they know what makes a good spy, too.)

This quiz was originally published in, A Handbook for Spies, 1980, Wolfgang Lotz (a real spy), Harper & Row, Publishers, New York, NY and is available at amazon.com.

The following questionnaire has been designed to determine the degree of your suitability as a prospective secret agent. The results of this test will also indicate what type of spy or agent you are likely to become – for example, an informer, a “stinker”, a double agent, a resident, master spy, a spymaster.

These terms will be explained later. For the present you should approach the test with an open mind. You will not have to show your answers to anyone, and therefore you can afford to be absolutely honest in your replies.

There are three to five possible answers to each question. Mark the one that is closest to the truth, and after you have answered all ten questions, award yourself the number of points indicated in the key that follows the questionnaire. An evaluation of your point total and an analysis of each of the questions follows. You may study it at your leisure only after completing the test. (If you want an honest and comprehensive appraisal, don’t look ahead now.) THE SPY QUIZ

Australia urges U.S. to Drop Espionage Case against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange

Australia - A cross-party group of Australian politicians has called on the United States to drop an espionage case against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and allow the Australian citizen to return home.

In an open letter to U.S. Attorney-General Merrick Garland, 48 members of Parliament and the Senate, including 13 from the ruling Labor Party, said the case against Mr. Assange would “set a dangerous precedent for all global citizens, journalists, publishers, media organizations and the freedom of the press.” more 

This Week in Spy News

• FBI arrests 21-year-old Air National Guardsman suspected of leaking classified documents more

• Norway expels 15 Russian diplomats accused of spying more

• China accused of spying to create passenger jet more

• South Korea opposition calls for probe into US spying more

• South Korea says leaked US intel document 'untrue', amid spying allegations more

• Putin Approved Arrest of US Reporter on Spying Charges more

• Ukrainian hackers say they have compromised Russian spy who hacked Democrats in 2016 more

• The ‘nice, ordinary’ family suspected of being Russian spies more

• GCHQ gets first woman to lead UK spy agency more

• Man suspected of being Stakeknife, Britain’s top spy in IRA, dies more

• Malfunctioning Russian Missile May Have Saved RC-135 Spy Plane more

• Israeli Mercenary Spies Attacked iPhones Through Malicious Invitations to Calendar more

The Mail Room Guy and the USB Spy Cable

Someone "lost" a USB charging cable. You found it. Lucky you? Maybe not...

USB spy cables look exactly like legitimate ones... exactly. 

In this example, the competition has paid an inside employee (the Mail Room guy) to drop a few cables around certain parts of the corporate headquarters. They didn't tell him why. And, he doesn't care. Why should he? He gets $50 per cable dropped.

Once plugged in, the cable takes control of your device. (cell phone, laptop, desktop, etc.) All your data becomes accessible. Next, pre-loaded penetration tools spring into action.

The connection can be used as a pivot point to attack other computers on the network. This is controlled remotely by the spy/hacker, via Wi-Fi to the internet, or via their nearby smartphone.

Once the hacker has infiltrated your network, more data can be extracted, viruses planted, or a ransomware attack staged. Obviously, this is dangerous in a business environment.

Recommendations:
• Mark your cables so if swapped you'll notice.
• Call us. We test USB cables as part of our debugging sweeps.
• If you use our services, we will give you a free test instrument so you can test new cables yourself.

Hackers Can Open Nexx Garage Doors Remotely...

...and there's no fix!

Multiple vulnerabilities discovered Nexx smart devices can be exploited to control garage doors, disable home alarms, or smart plugs.

There are five security issues disclosed publicly, with severity scores ranging from medium to critical that the vendor has yet to acknowledge and fix. more

Doctor Slipped Cleaner into Spouse’s Tea - He Installed Cameras

...now she’s charged.

A Mission Viejo dermatologist is accused of using liquid cleaner to try to poison her husband. Suspicious about the taste of his tea, he installed cameras at home. 

Growing suspicious, Chen secretly installed cameras around his Irvine home where, according to the restraining order request, he captured video of Yu pouring liquid drain cleaner into his cup when he left it unattended... 

According to prosecutors, video showed Yu pouring the chemical into the tea on July 11, 18 and 25. more

Florida Grounds Drones over Fears of Spying

Police, fire and other government agencies across Florida must ground millions of dollars in aerial drones because of a new state rule banning the agencies from using devices made by China-based DJI. 

The DJI drones are among the most widely used in the world, but Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration said they pose a security threat and did not include them on a list of approved drone manufacturers. more

A New Wave of Lawsuits - Wiretapping Litigation for Website Analytics

2022 saw a new wave of class action lawsuits targeting companies that use technology to track consumers’ interfaces on their websites...

Plaintiffs often ground their claims in the electronic interception provisions of federal and state wiretapping laws. Under the Federal Wiretap Act of 1968, a person is prohibited from “intentionally intercept[ing] … any … electronic communication.” 18 U.S.C. § 2511(1)(a) (2022). The FWA and many state statutes define “interception” as “acquiring the contents of that electronic communication.” Id. § 2510(4). “Content” is defined as “any information concerning the substance, purport[] or meaning of that communication.” Id. § 2510(8). 

Under the FWA, a court may require a defendant to pay $10,000 per violation. Id. § 2520(c)(2). Fines under similar state laws range from $1,000 to $50,000 per violation, depending on the state. more

The Most Insane Story In Gaming Makes For A Fantastic Biopic

Tetris (Movie) Review:

Of the many events that have happened across the gaming industry, the story of Tetris is one of the most interesting. This simple puzzle game made in Russia had entire companies funding men to infiltrate the USSR to try and get their rights from their Ministry of Technology. Communist personnel played these capitalists off each other, with politics and corporate rivalry thrown in for good measure...

You wouldn’t think watching a bunch of business meetings would be that interesting but they’re the most exciting part of the movie. ELORG invited all three men to meet them at the same time but kept separate from each other. They move back and forth in a mixture of business and interrogations as different layers of corporate espionage and corrupt under-the-table dealings are peeled back. more

Enjoy the weekend!

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy - This Time it's The Tailor

A San Francisco tailor was arrested for filming coworkers with a camera disguised as a clock in the dressing room of a clothing cleaner where they all worked.

Andrew Hong, 31, was booked Saturday night on suspicion of invasion of privacy. But the months-long investigation continues as San Francisco Police Department’s Special Victims Unit asks others to come forward with information about the case.

...a woman came to the Northern Station to report a hidden camera at a Divisadero Street clothing cleaner...

She told officers she found it in the dressing room and that it appeared to be the kind of camera used for home surveillance, police said. more

Why More Businesses Are Not Conducting Periodic TSCM Inspections

IT & Security Pros Pressured to Keep Quiet About Data Breaches

Organizations globally are under tremendous pressure to address evolving threats like ransomware, zero-day vulnerabilities, and espionage, and they face challenges in extending security coverage across multiple environments and dealing with an ongoing skills shortage, according to Bitdefender.

Alarmingly, more than 42% of the total IT/security professionals surveyed said they have been told to keep a breach confidential when they knew it should be reported and 30% said they have kept a breach confidential.

43% of IT/security professionals surveyed said extending capabilities across multiple environments (on-premises, cloud, and hybrid) is the greatest challenge they face which tied with complexity of security solutions also at 43%.

Not having the security skill set to drive full value came in as a strong second at 36%. more

This is an old phenomenon. We call it The Ostrich Effect.