The Great Seal Redux - Former Minister Admits to Installing a Video / Audio Bug

Ghana - The former Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Alhaji Inusah Fuseini, has said that he installed the spying device retrieved from the office of the current Minister, John Peter Amewu...

According to him, the hue and cry over the incident was not necessary as the device was not even fully installed... (it appears fully installed)

The device was planted in the huge Coat of Arms plaque hanging in the far left corner of the Minister’s office.

The device included a camera, a storage unit and another device suspected to be a transmitter. It was neatly housed in a black metal box and used batteries.* more

* This description is not totally accurate, based on what's seen in the photo. 
For more on the original Great Seal Bug click here. 

UPDATE #1
It has emerged that, the secret audiovisual recording device planted at the Lands and Natural Resource Minister’s office was discovered by an Israeli national and not National Security operatives as widely speculated.

According to the Public Relations Officer of the Lands Ministry, Abraham Otabil, the Israeli national [name withheld], who had called on the minister to discuss some private matters when he surprisingly detected the ‘spying’ gadget...

He added that, the detective and his team discovered the bugged device after a brief inspection was carried out at the office. Though the said Israeli national, could not tell the minister how long the device had been planted, National Security operatives were alerted to pick up the matter for further investigations. more

UPDATE #2
Following the bugging of the office of the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources by a former minister under the out-gone National Democratic Congress (NDC) administration – Inusah Fuseini, the Majority Leader in Parliament, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, has suggested to all ministers and deputy ministers in the current regime to have their offices screened and swept by the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI).

He said personally, he was going to ask the security agencies to also screen and sweep his office. more

UPDATE #3
The Member of Parliament for Kumbungu, Ras Mubarak, has admitted bugging the office and vehicle of the current acting Chief Executive of the National Youth Authority, Mr Emmanuel Asigiri. more

Technical Surveillance Countermeasures To Prevent Corporate Espionage

via Veteran Investigation Services
You're at an important company board meeting discussing a top secret product development project. If this unique product idea gets leaked to your competitors, the consequences could be dire. The key stakeholders are in the conference room or participating via conference call. The meeting goes well and later you find out your competitor has beat you to market with the same product idea. How could this have happened?

Your business or organization could be the victim of corporate espionage. Someone could be collecting competitive intelligence through unethical means, such as listening devices, video surveillance, or even something as basic as rummaging through your trash. Whether the threat comes from bugging devices at a one-time event, or ongoing surveillance at your corporate site, make sure you are aware of surveillance techniques, find the threats, determine who is behind the intelligence gathering and put systems in place to prevent future breaches.

COMPETITIVE INTELLIGENCE GATHERING
Your competitors and corporate enemies want to know what is said at meetings with shareholders, new business partners or clients or new product development teams. They may be seeking information about your financial outlook, or access to your intellectual property. Some companies will stop at nothing to gain that information and for many reasons, it's easier than ever for them to get it.

Today, surveillance is easier than ever. Advanced wireless devices such as covert listening devices, miniature cameras, concealed, wearable recording devices or hidden micro-cameras are just a click away online and can be very inexpensive. Employees or someone on the cleaning crew could be paid to place a device in a conference room or collect paper trash afterwards, or look for computer passwords left on desks or taped under keyboards. Safeguarding your company secrets requires a preventative approach.

The most common surveillance targets are CEO offices, their private conference rooms, and assistant's work area, since these spaces are the most likely locations for strategic meetings where valuable company information is discussed. These areas should be swept for bugging devices before critical meetings and at regular intervals, based on the level of risk.

TECHNICAL SURVEILLANCE COUNTERMEASURES
If you suspect that someone is obtaining company secrets or you've already experienced a damaging leak of information, we recommend screening for potential threats to prevent further leaks. A TSCM (technical surveillance countermeasure) examination can be performed to look for surveillance equipment or detect other risks. These can be done before an important meeting, at an off-site event, or at your site at regular intervals.

A TSCM examination may include such counter surveillance tactics as:

• Full Radio Frequency (RF) Spectrum Analysis
• Infrared Spectrum Analysis (IR)
• Detecting transmitting devices in the electrical system/wiring
• Computer forensics (for example, searching for emails that mention a sensitive topic after a meeting has taken place to look for leaks).
• Disrupting laser frequencies with static "white noise" and or window coatings to prevent laser listening systems from gathering micro-vibrations from the surface of a window to listen in on conversations from outside of a room.
• Conducting a physical search looking for:
  • Idle surveillance equipment that may be turned off or out of batteries.
  • Cameras or microphones in the ceiling.
  • Reflections from camera lenses.
  • Radio transmitters that could broadcast to an external radio.
  • Bugged telephones. Polycom phone systems are easy to turn into listening devices.
  • Easily found passwords left on desks or under keyboards.
  • Computers left on and logged in.
  • Document disposal and inadequate document shredders.

COUNTER SURVEILLANCE TECHNIQUES OFF-SITE
Important business meetings held off-site at hotel convention centers can be easy opportunities for surveillance. Sweeps of the meeting rooms, guest rooms, or bathrooms can be done, and then security staff should maintain custody of the room to ensure the room stays free of bugs until after the meeting. Executive cars can be targeted and especially at risk if using valet parking, as well as executive phones which are susceptible to Trojan horse software that can allow someone to listen in on all the conversations or steal data from email or text messaging.

AFTER THE TSCM EXAMINATION
What happens if listening devices are found during a sweep? If surveillance equipment is found during the TSCM examination, it should not be removed immediately because it can be used as a trap to find out who put it there. The TSCM examination is just the stepping off point for a full analysis and investigation. Suspects need to be interviewed. A full security assessment may be necessary if many problems are found. Systems should be established to prevent this kind of activity. Embedded and dedicated security personnel may be needed to keep security at the forefront of executives' minds, staff who can be there to watch, learn, listen and report on surveillance threats. Everyone in the organization can contribute to prevent leaks. Policies and procedures should be developed and communicated to employees regarding the handling of passwords, access, and confidentiality agreements.

ARE YOU AT RISK OF CORPORATE SURVEILLANCE?
Companies are hungry for that competitive edge that will help crush their competition. They may hire corporate surveillance companies to gather company secrets from their competitors, often through unethical means. Low level employees with low moral or low paid personnel from external maintenance services can be paid off to gather intelligence or plant bugs. Most companies are naive and feel that industrial espionage and surveillance does not happen in real life, it only happens in the movies and "cannot happen here." They feel they can trust all of their employees like family. But all it takes is a hungry competitor and a disgruntled employee passed over for a promotion to initiate the leaking of your company secrets that could be devastating to your business. Then, with the preponderance of equipment easily available, your company's most important information and conversations could get into competitors hands in an instant.

What proprietary business information could cause damage to your company if your competitor was able to listen in on your meetings? Have you done all that you can to protect that information?  more

Business Espionage: Bugger Caught in the Act

UK - A camera recording with audio was found under a chair during a private meeting of MPs. 

British sportswear company Sports Direct was being paid an unannounced visit by members of the House of Commons’ Business Select Committee. The MPs were there to insure that good working practices were being upheld by the company.

The MPs gave Sports Direct a one-hour warning before arriving, part of a long-running investigation into conditions at the company. During their visit, they were having a private meeting over lunch to discuss their findings. It was then that Labour MP Anna Turley spotted a staff member hiding a camera in the room where they were meeting. 

Turley says a woman came into the room to bring sandwiches to the MPs, then she crouched down to hide a camera under a chair. “I saw her trying to arrange it to get the best angle so that they could video us up at the board table and listen to what we were saying.” more

The device was identified as a small Go-Pro camera, which records excellent audio as well as video. ~Kevin

TSCM Find: Bug Discovered in Hotel Meeting Room Used by New Zealand Rugby Team

New Zealand Rugby says a Sydney hotel room where the All Blacks held meetings was bugged before their first Bledisloe Cup match against Australia.

The New Zealand Herald reported that a "sophisticated" listening device found on Monday had been hidden in a chair...

The paper reported that hiding the bug "was a highly skilled and meticulous act and whoever put it there would have needed a significant amount of time to have pulled off such an accomplished job".

Indications are that the device was working and would have transmitted conversations about the All Blacks' strategy for Saturday's match. more

The Herald understands the foam of the seat appeared to have been deliberately and carefully cut to make way for the device and then sewn or glued back together to be almost undetectable. more

Seek Thermal CompactPRO — Possible TSCM Tool Coming Soon

Seek Thermal has announced the first thermal imager for smartphones with 76,800 temperature pixels.

The new CompactPRO is said to deliver the high-quality thermal image resolution and the enhanced software features professionals demand, including:

• 320 x 240 thermal sensor
• Wide 32-degree field of view
• Minimum focusable distance of 15cm
• Emissivity control
• Thermal level and span
• 9 color palettes

I plan on testing this and will report in a future post. ~Kevin

Until Your Offices Look Like This, Keep Your TSCM Inspections Current

Dutch firm MVRDV recently completed an unusual project in Hong Kong that involved the gutting of an existing factory interior and its replacement with all-glass office spaces. Featuring glass walls, glass floors, and glass tables, 133 Wai Yip Street is conceived as a new working space for the business with nothing to hide.

Click to enlarge.

While glass architecture is not too unusual in itself, the 13-floor 133 Wai Yip Street building goes to remarkable lengths in the pursuit of transparency...

In MVRDV's model office (Arch-Innovativ was also involved in the project), music booms out of glass-encased speakers and computers rest on glass computer stands. Glass elevators also move through glass elevator shafts, and even the emergency fire-stairs are encased in (fire-retardant) glass.

"We are moving into a transparent society, businesses are becoming more open with the public, and people care more about what goes on behind closed doors," reckons MVRDV co-founder Winy Maas. "In that way, a clear workspace leaves nothing questionable, nothing hidden; it generates trust. But also it is an opportunity for the building to become a reminder of the industrial history of the neighborhood, monumentalized in a casing of glass." more

2016 - The Smallest Camera in the World

No matter how small, a good TSCM inspection service can find them.

Brussels Suicide Bombers Planted Hidden Camera...

...At Home Of Top Belgium Nuclear Official

...Belgium’s federal prosecutor confirmed that on November 30, police seized footage that appeared to show a high-ranking Belgian nuclear official in an anti-terror raid. The surveillance video was discovered in a bust that resulted in the arrest of Mohamed Bakkali, who was charged with terrorist activity and murder in connection with the Paris attacks. His home in Auvelais may have been used as a hideout...

On Thursday, we get still more chilling evidence to suggest that this is all the work of the very same Belgium-based terror cell. According to Dernier Heure, it was the Bakraoui brothers that planted a hidden camera in the bushes and captured the 10-minute surveillance video of the senior Belgian nuclear official coming and going from his home. more

A European security official told the AP the terror squads are being trained in battleground strategies, explosives, surveillance techniques and countersurveillance — “next-level” methods Stewart said will help them avoid capture and kill scores of innocents.

“They’re doing pre-operational surveillance, attack planning and clandestine communications,” Stewart said. “That kind of 
advanced tradecraft gives them capabilities that are beyond what we’ve seen.” more

Leaks at Water Department Prompt TSCM Sweep - They came up dry.

Charleston police have conducted a search for wiretaps at the West Virginia Water Development Authority building amid allegations of ethics violations.

The Charleston Gazette-Mail reports that police did not find any hidden listening devices during last week's wiretap sweep.

Water Development Authority Executive Director Chris Jarrett says he asked detectives to search the offices for wiretaps to check for unauthorized electronics.

The sweep comes after a dispute between the agency's geographic information system manager Michael Duminiak and two agency employees including Jarrett and Water Development Authority Executive Assistant Carol Cummings...

According to emails obtained by the newspaper, Duminiak says Cummings accused him of hacking employees' computers and tampering with the security system. Duminiak also accuses Cummings of secretly recording conversations on her smartphone. more

Ex-San Diego Mayor Bob Filner alleges his office was bugged...

Former San Diego Mayor Bob Filner, in an interview this week, denied having sexually harassed women and claimed that his City Hall office had been bugged...

...later in the interview, he said he had "found a bug" in his office that he claimed was planted there by the city attorney. "We asked the police to look at it and they didn't want to or didn't do it," he said.

Former Police Chief Bill Lansdowne disputed that claim Tuesday, saying Filner's chief of staff approached him with the concern that there might be a recording device in the mayor's office.

Lansdowne worked with the department's intelligence unit, hired an outside company to sweep Filner's office for bugs and came up empty-handed, the former police chief said.

"We had that office checked and we came back negative. They did not find anything," Lansdowne said. more

Ai Weiwei Discovers Eavesdropping Devices in His Studio

Ai Weiwei has posted a number of pictures of what he says are listening devices found in his Beijing studio.

The Chinese dissident artist captioned one photo of a bug on Instagram with "There will always be surprises".

His friend Liu Xiaoyuan confirmed the bugs were found after the artist returned from a trip to Germany.

Xiaoyuan tweeted that they were found when redecoration started on Ai's home and were found in the office and a living room.

The artist also posted a video clip of firecrackers being set off in a metal bucket next to one of the devices. He wrote "Did you hear it?" next to the video. more

U.S., China Vow Not to Engage in Economic Cyberespionage

President Obama and Chinese leader Xi Jinping pledged Friday...

that neither of their governments would conduct or condone economic espionage in cyberspace in a deal that sought to address a major source of friction in the bilateral relationship.

But U.S. officials and experts said that it was uncertain whether the accord would lead to concrete action against cybercriminals. more

----

Question from a reporter...
Without government assistance, what can private sector organizations do to protect themselves more effectively from China stealing their IP?

Answer...
#1 - Realize that computer hacks are not perpetrated solely by someone sitting at a remote computer exploiting a software glitch they just discovered. A close look at many cases shows other elements of espionage in the path to the hack... social engineering, sloppy security practices, lack of oversight, multiple forms of classic electronic surveillance, blackmail, infiltration of personnel, etc.

The misconception that "this is an IT security problem" has lead to a morphing of corporate information security budgets into a lopsided IT-centric security budget. Thus, pretty much ignoring that most information in their computers was available elsewhere before it was ever converted into data! This situation is like having a building with one bank vault door, while the rest of the entrances are screen doors.

Here is what the private sector can do for themselves...
• View information security holistically. Spread the budget out. Cover all the bases.
   - Provide information security training to all employees.
   - Create stiff internal controls. Enforce them.
   - Conduct independent information security audits quarterly for compliance, discovery of new loopholes. Technical Surveillance Countermeasures (TSCM) is the foundation element of the audit. A TSCM sweep is conducted to discover internal electronic surveillance (audio, video, data), and verify security compliance of wireless LANs (Wi-Fi), etc.
~Kevin

Sports TSCM: Manchester United Searched Hotel for Bugging Devices

UK - Manchester United reportedly organised for their hotel to be searched for bugging devices prior to Saturday's match against arch rivals Liverpool...

According to the Manchester Evening News, security men used devices to check a meeting room at the Lowry Hotel before Van Gaal discussed tactics for the game.

The report adds that the Premier League giants have been checking hotels for more than a year after a bugging device was found in a meeting during the 2013-14 season. more

Private Investigator Posts a TSCM Question to an Industry Newsgroup - Scary

Q. Looking for a cheap, do it yourself debugging product. Any recommendations?

It's one thing to be ignorant. We all are at one point. But, we do our own homework and learn. Copying other people's homework never leads to the A+ answer.

It's a, "Which end of the soldering iron should I hold?" question. If you don't know, better find something else to do. 

The Editor-in-Chief of PI Magazine, kindly responded with the following cogent reply... 

A. There really is no such thing as a cheap do-it-yourself debugging product. Even the most basic TSCM / debugging inspect requires you search for RF (radio frequency) signals, hidden video cameras that are either wired or wireless, on or off, hidden audio records, telephone instrument and phone line inspection, as well as searching for GPS trackers that can be battery operated or hardwired.

Each of the categories listed above require specialized equipment unique to the item(s) being searched. Even if you were to acquire a cheap RF detector, you wouldn’t know what type of signal you’re picking up or the source...  Just because you own a piece of equipment doesn’t mean you’ll know how to use it.

By the way, the FTC has been known to criminally charge private individuals and PIs for “theft by deception” for conducting bugsweeps without the proper equipment and training.

For anyone seeking to hire a Technical Surveillance Countermeasures (TSCM) "expert", this is a cautionary tale. Please, do your due diligence. The TSCM field is littered with gum-under-the-table trolls out to make a fast buck with cheap sweeps. ~Kevin 

UPDATE: A Blue Blazer Regular writes in with his two cents... "Doing it yourself is like do-it-yourself brain surgery."

Report: Colts Still Sweep For Bugging Devices When They Visit Patriots

MA - It appears Peyton Manning left quite the lasting legacy in Indianapolis. Former Colts head coach Tony Dungy caused a major stir Thursday when he admitted Manning used to fear the New England Patriots bugged the visiting locker room at Gillette Stadium and even would go out into the hallway to discuss play-calling.

Manning left Indy in 2011, but apparently the team still takes precautionary measures whenever it comes to Foxboro, according to WTHR.com’s Bob Kravitz. more

Bugging Devices Found in 2 CHP Deputies’ Offices in Parliament

Turkey - Security at Parliament found bugging devices in the parliamentary offices of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) deputies Mustafa Balbay and Özgür Özel on Thursday and Friday.

Deputies who took their oaths in Parliament following their election in the June 7 general election began to move into their new rooms in Parliament. CHP İzmir deputy Balbay also moved into his room and an ordinary security search was conducted. During the search, security officers received strong signals from the frame of a photo of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of modern Turkey.

Parliament security recorded the findings of the search and decided to request assistance from the police to search the room again with more advanced devices.

After Balbay's room, a bugging device was also found in the former office of the new CHP parliamentary group chairman, Özel. Security officers found the bugging device installed in an electrical socket in the room. Speaking to reporters about the device, Özel said no one had being using the room before him, and added that he will request that Parliament's security officers search all the parliamentary offices being used by CHP deputies. more

Bugging Concerns Prompt City Hall TSCM Sweep

UK - Council chiefs were forced to pay a specialist security firm to “sweep” for electronic recording devices after an ex-councillor hinted the council house had been bugged...

It is understood the un-named company carried out a sweep of the council house at some stage in the past month, but no such electronic items were found.

A spokesman for Plymouth City Council said: “We received a communication that suggested recording devices may have been installed in the council house.

“Given the highly confidential nature of some of the meetings held in the building, which include those about the safeguarding of vulnerable children, we had a duty to look into it and had the building checked.  more

Companies Warned to Sweep for Bugging Devices

SA - Companies should regularly have their boardrooms and communication devices swept for bugging devices, and even consider using the controversial cellphone jammer* for meetings to protect their corporate intelligence, a private investigator has warned.

"It is perfectly normal, good security procedure, says Kyle Condon, managing director of DK Management Consultants.

Following the outrage over the use of a cellphone jamming device in Parliament, and suspended Eskom CEO Tshediso Matona's suggestion in his court papers that an important board meeting was bugged, Condon says such tactics are not limited to governments. more

* The use of a cell phone jammer is illegal in the United States.

Why You Need to Sweep for Bugs (TSCM) - Reason #4: CYBERSPIES

Your security efforts are IT focused. 
You diligently monitor your computer's front door, the network. 
Meanwhile these hack-vac bugs are sucking it all out your back door.

A TSCM bug sweep program can catch these.

Example 1:
"KeySweeper is a stealthy Arduino-based device, camouflaged as a functioning USB wall charger, that wirelessly and passively sniffs, decrypts, logs and reports back (over GSM) all keystrokes from any Microsoft wireless keyboard in the vicinity.

All keystrokes are logged online and locally. SMS alerts are sent upon trigger words, usernames or URLs, exposing passwords. If unplugged, KeySweeper continues to operate using its internal battery and auto-recharges upon repowering. A web based tool allows live keystroke monitoring."

Unit Cost for Parts: $10 - 80 depending on operation
Status: Operational, open source, open hardware, declassified.
Note: KeySweeper can be built into anything that uses mains power. (Think: power strips, clocks, lamps, legitimate wall warts (as pictured), radios, print centers, fax machines, etc.)

Example 2:
The Pwn Plug Academic Edition is a penetration testing drop box.



Wireless (802.11b/g/n) high gain Bluetooth & USB Ethernet adapters
Fully-automated NAC/802.1x/Radius bypass
One-click EvilAP, stealth mode & passive recon

The Pwn Plug Academic Edition acts as a penetration testing drop box that covers most of a full-scale pentesting engagement, from physical-layer to application layer. The Pwn Plug Academic Edition is controlled through a simple web-based administration and comes preloaded with an array of penetration testing tools and Wireless, Bluetooth, and USB Ethernet adapters.

Example 3: 
The Pwn Plug R3 is a next-generation penetration testing device in a portable, shippable, “Plug-and-Pwn” form factor.

Onboard high-gain 802.11a/b/g/n wireless
Onboard Bluetooth
External 4G/GSM cellular
Greatly improved performance and reliability The Pwn Plug R3 is a next-generation penetration testing device in a portable, shippable, “Plug-and-Pwn” form factor. With onboard high-gain 802.11a/b/g/n wireless, onboard Bluetooth, external 4G/GSM cellular, ruggedized case design, and greatly improved performance and reliability, the Pwn Plug R3 is the enterprise penetration tester’s dream tool.

Example #4:
The MiniPwner

The MiniPwner is a penetration testing “drop box”. You (or maybe a cleaner you’ve bribed) needs to plug it into an Ethernet plug in the target’s building, and then you can slurp all the data out of their network via a wifi link.

The penetration tester uses stealth or social engineering techniques to plug the MiniPwner into an available network port. (common locations include conference rooms, unoccupied workstations, the back of IP Telephones, etc.)

Once it is plugged in, the penetration tester can log into the MiniPwner and begin scanning and attacking the network. The MiniPwner can simultaneously establish SSH tunnels through the target network, and also allow the penetration tester to connect to the MiniPwner via Wifi.  

Example #5:
WiFi Pineapple Mark V
Slightly larger than a smartphone the WiFi Pine-apple Mark V is the “ultimate” cyber surveillance device. It uses an “intuitive” web interface to enable hackers to break into a corporate’s IT networks through its wifi connections. It costs $100.

Example #6: 
USB Switchblade
"The goal of the USB Switchblade is to silently recover information from a target Windows 2000 or higher computer, including password hashes, LSA secrets, IP information, etc.

This gadget, which looks like a USB stick, has a program that swings into action when it’s inserted into the USB drive. It then begins its naughty work (without the user knowing) it by exploiting a flaw in USB autorun settings. How about dropping it in the car park of your target’s offices, seeing if someone will pick it up and plug it in to see what’s on it..."

Why You Need to Sweep for Bugs (TSCM) - Reason # 6: LAWSUITS

The cost of illegal bugging, wiretapping and video voyeurism is more than emotional distress and lost information...

IN - South Bend taxpayers have so far been saddled with about $1.6 million in attorney fees and the costs of settling lawsuits sparked by the police department's recording of some officers' telephone conversations. 

The city and its Common Council have together spent almost $800,000 on attorney fees to date in the ongoing legal battle over the recordings. South Bend also has settled three lawsuits for another $810,000, boosting the total cost of the litigation to about $1.6 million, the South Bend Tribune reported.

The last remaining legal question is whether the wiretapping was illegal... South Bend, joined by four officers, battled the council on that question during a two-day trial in August. A federal judge has not yet ruled. Expect more attorney fees and possibly fines.
(more)

A due diligence debugging sweep program (2-4 times per year) cost most companies less than $35,000. per year.  

$1.6 million dollars equals 45+ years of due diligence. 

Interested in lowering your risk and establishing due diligence? I am here to help. ~Kevin