Fifty dollars worth of spy gear just cost this Yale grad a fortune.
Brooklyn Heights dad Crocker Coulson forfeited any claim to his estranged wife’s tobacco fortune after he bugged her iPhone with $50 software that allowed him to record confidential meetings with her lawyer and shrink to gain an advantage in their divorce.
Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Jeffrey Sunshine doled out the “drastic” punishment because of the “unprecedented, contumacious conduct” of the Yale-educated investment consultant. Sunshine added that the punishment was a signal to other divorcing spouses not to violate attorney-client and doctor-patient confidentiality by playing private eye. more
Concerned about your smartphone?
Showing posts with label Darwin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Darwin. Show all posts
Friday, February 16, 2018
Tuesday, January 16, 2018
Hawaiian Emergency Management - Passwords on Post-it Notes on Computer Screens
The Hawaii Emergency Management false alarm mess was not caused by pressing the wrong button. It was caused by poor design.
Ever select the wrong thing from a drop-down menu? Sure, it happens all the time.
The Washington Post reports...
1. Separate the messages into smaller groups: Routine Tests | Advisories | Life Threatening
2. Drop the jargon. Say what you mean, clearly.
3. Do not use instant-select dropdown menus.
4. Use radio buttons to select the message, plus a CONFIRMATION and CANCEL button to activate the selected alert, or not. Two extra seconds of thought can prevent a lot of mistakes.
If you need help with design, call on the master, John McWade. He can teach you.
And, what's with posting the passwords to an emergency management computer screen?!?!
If the personnel can't memorize a password as lame as this, they shouldn't be allowed anywhere near a keyboard. more
Ever select the wrong thing from a drop-down menu? Sure, it happens all the time.
The Washington Post reports...
The menu, which triggers alerts, contains a jumble of options, ranging from Amber alerts to Tsunami warnings to road closures. Some of them, such as “High Surf Warning North Shores,” are in plain English.
Others, including the one for a missile attack, “PACOM (CDW)-STATE ONLY,” use shorthand initials. (PACOM refers to the United States Pacific Command based in Hawaii.)Suggestions:
And the menu contained no ballistic missile defense false alarm option — which has now been added at the top of the image, marked up by officials for explanatory purposes. more
1. Separate the messages into smaller groups: Routine Tests | Advisories | Life Threatening
2. Drop the jargon. Say what you mean, clearly.
3. Do not use instant-select dropdown menus.
4. Use radio buttons to select the message, plus a CONFIRMATION and CANCEL button to activate the selected alert, or not. Two extra seconds of thought can prevent a lot of mistakes.
If you need help with design, call on the master, John McWade. He can teach you.
And, what's with posting the passwords to an emergency management computer screen?!?!
If the personnel can't memorize a password as lame as this, they shouldn't be allowed anywhere near a keyboard. more
Password: Warningpoint2 |
Saturday, January 13, 2018
Spycam Found in Mall Family Restroom
MD - Authorities say a man set up a spy camera that recorded both children and adults in the family restroom of a Baltimore-area mall.
The Baltimore Sun reports a patron at White Marsh Mall found the camera Dec. 23, and the incident was made public Thursday, when Baltimore County police released footage of the suspect. The camera was found at a restroom located near the food court. more
Like most spycamers, this guy gets our Darwin Award... for taking a video of himself while installing the camera.
Do you offer restrooms to employees, visitors and the public. A spycam incident will put you at risk of being sued. Proactive due diligence is your best defense. Click here for the complete solution.
The Baltimore Sun reports a patron at White Marsh Mall found the camera Dec. 23, and the incident was made public Thursday, when Baltimore County police released footage of the suspect. The camera was found at a restroom located near the food court. more
Like most spycamers, this guy gets our Darwin Award... for taking a video of himself while installing the camera.
Do you offer restrooms to employees, visitors and the public. A spycam incident will put you at risk of being sued. Proactive due diligence is your best defense. Click here for the complete solution.
Wednesday, December 27, 2017
Revenge Spycam Shooting Gets Shooter Shot
GA - Macon Judicial Circuit District Attorney David Cooke said Thursday a man was sentenced to three years in prison after pleading guilty to burglary and spying on his ex-girlfriend.
Cooke said Blake Herman, 35, of Macon broke into his ex-girlfriend's home on Jones Road and planted a camera in her bedroom as revenge for her breaking up with him.
When Herman returned to his ex-girlfriend's home to remove the camera, her brother caught him and shot him thinking Herman was about to pull a gun.
The camera fell out of Herman's pocket during the ordeal, according to Cooke. more
Cooke said Blake Herman, 35, of Macon broke into his ex-girlfriend's home on Jones Road and planted a camera in her bedroom as revenge for her breaking up with him.
When Herman returned to his ex-girlfriend's home to remove the camera, her brother caught him and shot him thinking Herman was about to pull a gun.
The camera fell out of Herman's pocket during the ordeal, according to Cooke. more
Friday, November 24, 2017
Check Your Local Laws Before Recording
PA - A Franklin County jury took just seven minutes to return a guilty verdict against Chambersburg man William Alexander Himchak III on felony counts of illegal wiretapping. Himchak, 50, recorded two phone calls with tax officials, then posted them online, violating the wiretap act laws that require both people to consent to a recording before the recording has started. more
Spybuster Tip #105: In the United States, federal law requires that only one party to a conversation has to consent to the recording of the conversation. Some states, however, require two parties (meaning ALL parties) need to consent. Pennsylvania is a two party state. You can discover what the legal requirements are in your state here.
If you are concerned your office is bugged visit counterespionage.com.
Spybuster Tip #105: In the United States, federal law requires that only one party to a conversation has to consent to the recording of the conversation. Some states, however, require two parties (meaning ALL parties) need to consent. Pennsylvania is a two party state. You can discover what the legal requirements are in your state here.
If you are concerned your office is bugged visit counterespionage.com.
Wednesday, November 22, 2017
Voyeur Hides Spycam in Starbucks Toilet
A hidden camera recorded customers using the toilet in a branch of Starbucks for up to a month.
The small device was found in the ceiling of the coffee shop close to the headquarters of MI6 in south London.
Police believe the camera was planted by a voyeur who apparently captured himself on film in the process.
It had recorded several video files of members of the public using the only customer toilet at the store in Vauxhall, detectives revealed.
They believe the camera had been installed for a maximum of four weeks "for the purpose of voyeurism".
It was seized by police after a member of the public discovered it in a ceiling grate. more
It is surprising how many spycam'ers are caught because they captured themselves during the installation. This guy gets our Darwin Award.
Spybusters Tip #361: Do-it-yourself Technical Surveillance Countermeasures (TSCM) for spy cameras by "members of the public" can be very effective. One just needs to know where to look, and what to look for. Learning the wheres and whats is easy. Check here for more information.
Video voyeurism is a foreseeable issue. Any business offering customers, visitors, and employees access to expectation of privacy areas (restrooms, changing areas, showers, etc.) has a duty of care to protect them against spycams.
Spybuster Tip #362: Management, train your security and facilities personnel how to conduct and document due diligence video voyeurism inspections to detect spycams on a regular basis. Just think of the legal fees, and PR damage this will save you.
The small device was found in the ceiling of the coffee shop close to the headquarters of MI6 in south London.
Police believe the camera was planted by a voyeur who apparently captured himself on film in the process.
It had recorded several video files of members of the public using the only customer toilet at the store in Vauxhall, detectives revealed.
They believe the camera had been installed for a maximum of four weeks "for the purpose of voyeurism".
It was seized by police after a member of the public discovered it in a ceiling grate. more
It is surprising how many spycam'ers are caught because they captured themselves during the installation. This guy gets our Darwin Award.
Spybusters Tip #361: Do-it-yourself Technical Surveillance Countermeasures (TSCM) for spy cameras by "members of the public" can be very effective. One just needs to know where to look, and what to look for. Learning the wheres and whats is easy. Check here for more information.
Video voyeurism is a foreseeable issue. Any business offering customers, visitors, and employees access to expectation of privacy areas (restrooms, changing areas, showers, etc.) has a duty of care to protect them against spycams.
Spybuster Tip #362: Management, train your security and facilities personnel how to conduct and document due diligence video voyeurism inspections to detect spycams on a regular basis. Just think of the legal fees, and PR damage this will save you.
Friday, October 27, 2017
Prolific Spy Camera Man Posts Videos Gets Caught
WI - A 28-year-old man is charged with surreptitiously filming women in various states of undress in three locations, including a Target changing room at the Fox River Mall.
Andrew R. Persen of Appleton was charged Monday with 10 counts of capturing an intimate representation without consent, five counts of invading privacy with a surveillance device and a single charge of posting a sexually explicit image without consent...
Besides Target, locations included his own bathroom and the bathroom and bedroom at a female friend's house, according to the criminal complaint...
According to the criminal complaint:
The friend told police on Oct. 11 that her friend had found a nude video of her on a pornography website and she believed Persen had posted it without her consent. The video was posted around June of this year and the website indicated it had hundreds of public views.
She said the username the video was posted under was one that Persen commonly used on social media...
Police searched Persen's house on Oct. 20 and found "numerous" electronic storage devices.
He said that he had put hidden cameras in his friend's bedroom and bathroom in the spring and also in a Target dressing room. He also said he put a camera in his own shower to capture another woman.
Police found videos of the friend filmed at her home. Two detailed in the complaint clearly show him installing the cameras.
One video showed a woman using his shower.
Investigators also found 66 video files that appeared to show the inside of a changing room at Target. If the date and time display is correct, it appears the videos were recorded between 3:20 p.m. and 7:15 p.m. on April 6.
One video appears to show him setting up the camera in the changing room at 3:18 p.m. with his face clearly visible. more
Unfortunately, this type of story appears in the news several times per week. And... these are the failures; this is the tip of all video voyeur activity.
You should really learn how to detect spycams, and then teach your family and friends how to do it as well. It's really simple, once you know how.
Andrew R. Persen of Appleton was charged Monday with 10 counts of capturing an intimate representation without consent, five counts of invading privacy with a surveillance device and a single charge of posting a sexually explicit image without consent...
Besides Target, locations included his own bathroom and the bathroom and bedroom at a female friend's house, according to the criminal complaint...
According to the criminal complaint:
The friend told police on Oct. 11 that her friend had found a nude video of her on a pornography website and she believed Persen had posted it without her consent. The video was posted around June of this year and the website indicated it had hundreds of public views.
She said the username the video was posted under was one that Persen commonly used on social media...
Typical Bathroom Spycam Enclosures — Look for the pinhole. |
He said that he had put hidden cameras in his friend's bedroom and bathroom in the spring and also in a Target dressing room. He also said he put a camera in his own shower to capture another woman.
Police found videos of the friend filmed at her home. Two detailed in the complaint clearly show him installing the cameras.
One video showed a woman using his shower.
Investigators also found 66 video files that appeared to show the inside of a changing room at Target. If the date and time display is correct, it appears the videos were recorded between 3:20 p.m. and 7:15 p.m. on April 6.
One video appears to show him setting up the camera in the changing room at 3:18 p.m. with his face clearly visible. more
Unfortunately, this type of story appears in the news several times per week. And... these are the failures; this is the tip of all video voyeur activity.
You should really learn how to detect spycams, and then teach your family and friends how to do it as well. It's really simple, once you know how.
Friday, August 18, 2017
Do Bug Detecting Gadgets Work? Let's Ask an Ex-Police Chief
CA - A judge set bond at $100,000 on Friday for former La Joya police Chief Geovani Hernandez, who’s accused of accepting cash to provide security for drug shipments... When agents arrested Hernandez, they found a “bug detector” designed to reveal hidden recording devices and prevent electronic surveillance. more
Thursday, August 17, 2017
Spycam Darwin Award of the Week - The Creepy Kid
Jeremy Gabrysch put up a camera in their living room because his kid kept getting up in the middle of the night to watch TV.
The kid was not to be deterred, even if he didn't quite understand how a wide-angle lens works. more
The kid was not to be deterred, even if he didn't quite understand how a wide-angle lens works. more
Sunday, June 25, 2017
Dumb Thought #1: Spying — Dumb Thought #2...
On June 22, Kevin Patrick Mallory was brought before a US federal judge
for his first hearing on charges that he sold highly classified
documents to a Chinese intelligence agent.
These documents, which are considered "National Defense Information," included at least one Top Secret document and three classified as Secret and were found on a phone Mallory had been provided by his Chinese contacts.
Mallory, a 60-year-old former Central Intelligence Agency employee had thought the documents were in messages that had been deleted automatically from the device. Mallory faces life in prison if convicted. more
These documents, which are considered "National Defense Information," included at least one Top Secret document and three classified as Secret and were found on a phone Mallory had been provided by his Chinese contacts.
Mallory, a 60-year-old former Central Intelligence Agency employee had thought the documents were in messages that had been deleted automatically from the device. Mallory faces life in prison if convicted. more
Thursday, March 2, 2017
Spycam News: A Darwin Award to Another Spy Who Shot Himself
OH - Judge Robert Peeler sentenced a former Deerfield Township maintenance man to four years in prison, for putting hidden cameras in women's apartments.
Gerald Rowe will also have to register as a Tier 1 sex offender. Rowe worked at the Steeplechase Apartments in Deerfield Township. A woman called police after finding one of his hidden cameras in the vent of her bathroom in May 2016, according to Prosecutor David Fornshell.
Warren County Sheriff's Office detectives found videos from four other apartments from February through May.
Rowe mounted the cameras to get video of the women undressed. One of the videos shows Rowe's face while installing the camera. more
Gerald Rowe will also have to register as a Tier 1 sex offender. Rowe worked at the Steeplechase Apartments in Deerfield Township. A woman called police after finding one of his hidden cameras in the vent of her bathroom in May 2016, according to Prosecutor David Fornshell.
Warren County Sheriff's Office detectives found videos from four other apartments from February through May.
Rowe mounted the cameras to get video of the women undressed. One of the videos shows Rowe's face while installing the camera. more
Wednesday, February 8, 2017
This Month's SpyCam Darwin Award - Shot While Spycaming
NY - An Erie County man has been arrested after spying on his neighbors with his cell phone.
Investigators said David Schindley's phone had more than 50 videos held closely to the windows of bedrooms, bathrooms or other rooms. The videos go back to this past October.
Schindley was taken into custody on Sunday after he was shot by a homeowner on the 500 block of Bald Eagle Drive. Deputies said the homeowner heard a noise and thought Schindley was trying to break into his home.
Schindley was shot in the leg, the homeowner who shot the suspect was not charged. more
Investigators said David Schindley's phone had more than 50 videos held closely to the windows of bedrooms, bathrooms or other rooms. The videos go back to this past October.
Schindley was taken into custody on Sunday after he was shot by a homeowner on the 500 block of Bald Eagle Drive. Deputies said the homeowner heard a noise and thought Schindley was trying to break into his home.
Schindley was shot in the leg, the homeowner who shot the suspect was not charged. more
Thursday, December 29, 2016
Flying Tom's Last Peep
UAE - A 28-year-old man died after falling from a high rise building in Sharjah, in the United Arab Emirates,
while spying on ladies living in the opposite building. The witness told police that the deceased fell due to imbalance while standing and looking into the rooms of the ladies.
Sharjah Police said that they received a call about the incident at the operation room and soon arrived at the site. The man was found dead in a pool of blood. He was rushed to Al Kuwaiti Hospital and then to forensic laboratory. more
while spying on ladies living in the opposite building. The witness told police that the deceased fell due to imbalance while standing and looking into the rooms of the ladies.
Sharjah Police said that they received a call about the incident at the operation room and soon arrived at the site. The man was found dead in a pool of blood. He was rushed to Al Kuwaiti Hospital and then to forensic laboratory. more
Monday, November 21, 2016
The Spy Who Couldn't Spell Straight
...and now we're going to hear a story that sounds just too bizarre to be true.
More than a decade before Edward Snowden famously leaked thousands of classified records to the world, another U.S. government contractor tried a similar move the old-fashioned way. His name is Brian Regan. And in 1999 and 2000, he smuggled classified documents out of his office and buried them in the woods hoping to sell them to a foreign government. But he was foiled in part by his own terrible spelling.
This thrilling story is out this month in a new book called "The Spy Who Couldn't Spell: A Dyslexic Traitor, An Unbreakable Code And The FBI's Hunt For America's Stolen Secrets." Michel Martin talked with author Yudhijit Bhattacharjee about the strange story of Brian Regan.
MM: Why do you think most people have never heard of this story?
YB: The main reason is that Brian Regan was arrested just two weeks before 9/11. And so his story got completely overshadowed by the coverage of what was arguably the biggest story of the last 20 years... more
More than a decade before Edward Snowden famously leaked thousands of classified records to the world, another U.S. government contractor tried a similar move the old-fashioned way. His name is Brian Regan. And in 1999 and 2000, he smuggled classified documents out of his office and buried them in the woods hoping to sell them to a foreign government. But he was foiled in part by his own terrible spelling.
This thrilling story is out this month in a new book called "The Spy Who Couldn't Spell: A Dyslexic Traitor, An Unbreakable Code And The FBI's Hunt For America's Stolen Secrets." Michel Martin talked with author Yudhijit Bhattacharjee about the strange story of Brian Regan.
MM: Why do you think most people have never heard of this story?
YB: The main reason is that Brian Regan was arrested just two weeks before 9/11. And so his story got completely overshadowed by the coverage of what was arguably the biggest story of the last 20 years... more
Friday, October 28, 2016
Agent Kingfisher Dead - Just Coincidence? - You Decide
Serial protester and spy enthusiast...
who called himself 'Agent Kingfisher' and disrupted a royal James Bond premiere suffers ‘unexplained’ death days after he was caught urinating in the MI5 foyer. more
who called himself 'Agent Kingfisher' and disrupted a royal James Bond premiere suffers ‘unexplained’ death days after he was caught urinating in the MI5 foyer. more
Monday, July 11, 2016
The Open Microphone Strikes Again
The only thing more embarrassing than having to resign after a political gambit (the Brexit) blew up in your face? Getting caught on a hot mic singing a goofy tune immediately after you resign. Godspeed, David Cameron. more
Moral: Treat microphones like a poisonous snakes. Always know where they are and what they are doing. Always.
P.S. It has happened to him before, and before.
Moral: Treat microphones like a poisonous snakes. Always know where they are and what they are doing. Always.
P.S. It has happened to him before, and before.
Friday, May 27, 2016
The Friendly Maintenance Man's Spycam
Apartment maintenance man Jerry Rowe was a nice, friendly guy who carried around treats for residents' dogs. Residents of the Steeplechase Apartments were surprised Thursday when word spread that Rowe, 65, had been arrested and charged with hiding a camera in the bathrooms of five female tenants.
...The investigation into Rowe started Wednesday when a woman saw a camera in a vent in the ceiling of her bathroom. The Friendly Maintenance Man's
She called the Warren Co. Sheriff's Office and deputies said they found images of Rowe placing the camera in the vent on the camera. Lt. John Faine said five women were captured by the camera...
Faine said he believes Rowe had one camera that he moved from one apartment to another. However, he cannot rule out that there may be other cameras at this point in the investigation. more
...The investigation into Rowe started Wednesday when a woman saw a camera in a vent in the ceiling of her bathroom. The Friendly Maintenance Man's
She called the Warren Co. Sheriff's Office and deputies said they found images of Rowe placing the camera in the vent on the camera. Lt. John Faine said five women were captured by the camera...
Faine said he believes Rowe had one camera that he moved from one apartment to another. However, he cannot rule out that there may be other cameras at this point in the investigation. more
Thursday, April 7, 2016
Proof Almost 50% of People are Computer Security Morons
In what’s perhaps the most enthralling episode of the hacker drama Mr. Robot, one of F-Society’s hackers drops a bunch of USB sticks in the parking lot of a prison in the hopes somebody will pick one up and plug it into their work computer, giving the hackers a foothold in the network. Of course, eventually, one of the prison employees takes the bait.
Using booby-trapped USB flash drives is a classic hacker technique. But how effective is it really? A group of researchers at the University of Illinois decided to find out, dropping 297 USB sticks on the school’s Urbana-Champaign campus last year.
As it turns out, it really works. In a new study, the researchers estimate that at least 48 percent of people will pick up a random USB stick, plug it into their computers, and open files contained in them. Moreover, practically all of the drives (98 percent) were picked up or moved from their original drop location. Very few people said they were concerned about their security. Sixty-eight percent of people said they took no precautions... more
Using booby-trapped USB flash drives is a classic hacker technique. But how effective is it really? A group of researchers at the University of Illinois decided to find out, dropping 297 USB sticks on the school’s Urbana-Champaign campus last year.
As it turns out, it really works. In a new study, the researchers estimate that at least 48 percent of people will pick up a random USB stick, plug it into their computers, and open files contained in them. Moreover, practically all of the drives (98 percent) were picked up or moved from their original drop location. Very few people said they were concerned about their security. Sixty-eight percent of people said they took no precautions... more
Tuesday, March 1, 2016
SeaWorld Admits Employees Spied
SeaWorld admits employees posed as animal activists to spy on critics...
Multiple SeaWorld employees posed as animal-welfare activists so they could spy on critics, the company admitted Thursday.
The acknowledgment comes seven months after People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals accused SeaWorld of spying. The animal-welfare group, which has waged an intense campaign against SeaWorld, went public with evidence that a San Diego employee attended protests and made incendiary comments on social media while posing as an activist.
Reading from a statement while speaking with analysts, Chief Executive Officer Joel Manby said SeaWorld's board of directors has "directed management to end the practice in which certain employees posed as animal-welfare activists. more
Multiple SeaWorld employees posed as animal-welfare activists so they could spy on critics, the company admitted Thursday.
The acknowledgment comes seven months after People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals accused SeaWorld of spying. The animal-welfare group, which has waged an intense campaign against SeaWorld, went public with evidence that a San Diego employee attended protests and made incendiary comments on social media while posing as an activist.
Reading from a statement while speaking with analysts, Chief Executive Officer Joel Manby said SeaWorld's board of directors has "directed management to end the practice in which certain employees posed as animal-welfare activists. more
Wednesday, January 13, 2016
Today in Spying - Bad Day for Spies
Iran Seizes U.S. Sailors Amid Claims of Spying more
Kuwait sentences two to death for 'spying for Iran' more
North Korea holding U.S. citizen for allegedly spying more
Senior officer quizzed on 'police spying' more
Former Skidmore security guard admits spying on woman more
Indian man sentenced to five years in prison for spying in UAE more
Man accused of spying on female neighbor with homemade selfie stick pleads guilty more
Kuwait sentences two to death for 'spying for Iran' more
North Korea holding U.S. citizen for allegedly spying more
Senior officer quizzed on 'police spying' more
Former Skidmore security guard admits spying on woman more
Indian man sentenced to five years in prison for spying in UAE more
Man accused of spying on female neighbor with homemade selfie stick pleads guilty more
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