Spy History: Evolution of Aerial Spying Over the Past 200 Years

Last month, the US government shot down a Chinese spy balloon floating near a South Carolina beach. 

The Pentagon said it was there gathering intelligence. China said it was doing civilian research. Regardless, it was nothing new.

Governments have been spying on each other for hundreds of years...Here's how surveillance from the sky has developed over the years...

The first record of aerial surveillance happened toward the end of the 18th century. During the Revolutionary War, the French successfully used hot air balloons to monitor combat during the Battle of Fleurus against Britain, Germany, and Holland. more

Grain of Sand Sky Spies

A new microchip roughly the size of a grain of sand that has the potential to glide across great distances is being touted as a breakthrough for aerial surveillance.

Key points: 

• The devices are about the size of a grain of sand and can transmit wirelessly
• Remote sensing technology was originally developed for warfare
• The researchers hope the technology can be used to help monitor disease spread

Collaborating scientists from institutions including Northwestern University in the United States and Soongsil University in Korea have created what they believe are the world's smallest ever "human-made flying structures", which can be fitted with microchips and sensors and have the capacity to transmit data remotely.

The microchips can be dropped from the sky and potentially used to monitor environmental impacts and the spread of disease.The researchers, who published their findings today in the journal Nature. more

How to Hide from Drones in the Age of Surveillance

Drones of all sizes are being used by environmental advocates to monitor deforestation, by conservationists to track poachers, and by journalists and activists to document large protests. As a political sociologist who studies social movements and drones, I document a wide range of nonviolent and pro-social drone uses in my new book, “The Good Drone.” I show that these efforts have the potential to democratize surveillance...

...it’s time to think about how many eyes are in the sky and how to avoid unwanted aerial surveillance. One way that’s within reach of nearly everyone is learning how to simply disappear from view.

How to disappear

The first thing you can do to hide from a drone is to take advantage of the natural and built environment.  more tips 

DRONE SURVIVAL GUIDE (with info-graphics)

More Security Scrapbook drone posts

Spy Satellite NROL-44 Victum of Lockdown... Perhaps

The next flight of United Launch Alliance’s triple-barrel Delta 4-Heavy rocket has been delayed from June to late August, military officials said Friday.

The heavy-lift rocket will carry a classified National Reconnaissance Office payload into orbit ... capable of eavesdropping on foreign communication signals.

Military officials did not disclose a reason for the two-month delay. more

IR Eye of Ra, or The Drone Patrol

Police in Westport, Connecticut, announced this week that they’re testing a so-called “pandemic drone” that can detect when people on the ground have fevers.

The new drone platform will also be used to determine when people are closer than six feet to each other. Police will be able to deliver a verbal warning through the drone’s speaker to anyone not practicing social distancing.



The new drone technology was developed by a company called Draganfly Inc., which has been around since the late 1990s, and uses Westport PD’s existing quadcopter drones with Draganfly’s software. Draganfly worked with a deep-learning company called Vital Intelligence Inc. and researchers from the University of South Australia to develop the new tech, according to a press release. more

Wallet, Keys, Bag Packed... Ooopps, Forgot the Post-it Notes

When airline seatback entertainment systems started to come bundled with little webcams, airlines were quick to disavow their usage, promising that the cameras were only installed for potential future videoconferencing or gaming apps, and not to allow the crew or airline to spy on passengers in their seats.

Enter Hong Kong's Cathay Pacific, the country's flagship airline, which has just amended its privacy policy to reveal that it is recording its passengers as they fly, as well as gathering data on how individual passengers spend time in airport terminals, and even brokered data on their use of rivals' hotel and airplane loyalty programs.

But don't worry, the company promises it will take "commercially reasonable" cybersecurity measures to keep all that data from leaking. more

FLIR Black Hornet - US Army Mini-Drones Deployed - Flying Binoculars

• US Army soldiers are, for the first time, getting personal reconnaissance drones small enough to fit on a soldier's utility belt.
• A soldier could send one of these little drones out to get a view of the battlefield all while staying put in a covered, concealed position.
• This awesome technology is a potential game changer, one that is expected to save lives by significantly reducing the risk soldiers take in battle. more  Early promo video.  Want one for your desk. Check eBay.

Military mini-drones have been a holy grail since the 1970's. Since 2009 they have developed rapidly. In 2019 they are a practical reality and are being deployed. 

FutureWatch: Expect many additional capabilities over a short period of time. Poisonous mosquitoes, self-planting eavesdropping bugs, anyone?

Mini-Drone History
Early 2014 Army version.
The British Army version from 2013. 
2009 DARPA version.
1970's CIA version.
For all of our drone posts, click here.  
Enjoy. ~Kevin

Facilities Manager Alert: Your Smart Building May Start Doing Dumb Things

Researchers at enterprise security vendor ForeScout have warned that malware specifically targeting smart buildings is an inevitable next step given the rapidly expanding attack surface that building automation systems expose.

The operational technology researchers at ForeScout should know: they created proof-of-concept malware that revealed smart building vulnerabilities every business should be concerned about.

...just yesterday, Tenable Research revealed it had discovered several zero-day vulnerabilities in a premises access control system used by Fortune 500 companies. Among the many attack scenarios these vulnerabilities could facilitate was 'unfettered access to the badge system database' which in turn meant an ability to create fraudulent access badges and disable building locks. more

More Than 200 Companies Making Counter-Drone Systems

The ability of unmanned aerial vehicles to fly legally over fences, walls and property lines is disrupting more than just the few industries that use drones commercially. 

As the drone market grows, so does the anti-drone market. The market for products that track, trap or break unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) is growing alongside the market for drones, much of it driven by fear that UAVs could be weaponized by terrorists or used as platforms for corporate espionage.

This is less far-fetched than it sounds. One tech industry executive told Semiconductor Engineering that he recently found a drone hovering outside his 45th-floor hotel room in Shanghai. He immediately closed his laptop computer.

“There is a laundry list, more than 200 companies, making counter-drone systems of one kind or another, and they do market mitigation capabilities that most people can’t use,” Michael Blades said. “But drones are cheap to get, easy to fly, and are not always easy to see. So if a company is concerned about trade secrets, or even just about the security to know if there’s anyone around taking pictures, they might look into countermeasures.” more

Liechtenstein Protects Geneva Airport Against IMSI Catchers

Telecom Liechtenstein (FL1) announced a contract to protect Geneva Airport against electronic eavesdropping and disruptions to mobile networks.

FL1 Overwatch is a service specifically designed to protect companies or information-sensitive individuals. The system reports any detected attempts at espionage directly to the Mobile Security Alarm Centre in Liechtenstein, which triggers alerts and countermeasures.

Specifically, so-called IMSI catchers (fake mobile communication base stations) or jamming transmitters can be identified, located and analyzed before countermeasures are taken...

By using FL1 services, Geneva is the first airport to offer its visitors full integrity of mobile networks in critical areas and can therefore ensure enhanced protection of mobile communications as well as mobile devices used by passengers, employees and security personnel against electronic attacks. more

Drones: For Criminals and Corporate Spies, the Sky’s the Limit

Switzerland - A rogue drone found on Credit Suisse HQ’s roof; fears of acid drops into data centres: drones are the latest security threat for businesses...

Besides carrying missiles or capturing images on powerful cameras, drones are now known to carry sophisticated computers too. These can be used to hack into mobile devices – and wi-fi networks...
Up in Zurich, alarms were raised at Credit Suisse’s HQ because of a rogue drone that was found lying on the office’s rooftop 12 months ago, a source tells Spear’s. The episode was presented as a potential security breach in a confidential conference at the bank, when the drone’s hacking abilities were revealed to some of its employees worldwide. The Swiss multinational declined to comment.


As well as stealing data potentially worth millions, these drones can drop acid into data centres to achieve a complete system shutdown... more

War-Flying Drone - WiFi Hacking video

FutureWatch: Coming Soon to a Surveillance Van Laptop Near You? EarthNow

Of interest to anyone in surveillance, anyone...

EarthNow LLC announces intent to deploy a large constellation of advanced imaging satellites that will deliver real-time, continuous video of almost anywhere on Earth...

According to EarthNow’s founder and CEO, Russell Hannigan, “EarthNow is ambitious and unprecedented, but our objective is simple; we want to connect you visually with Earth in real-time...

EarthNow represents a dramatic leap forward in capability compared to other Earth observation satellite systems which deliver pictures and sometimes video clips to users many minutes, hours and even days after they are requested. Hannigan said, “With existing systems, users can see only what has happened in the past. With EarthNow’s constellation of satellites, you will see events unfold as they happen in real-time.” ...

Initially, EarthNow will offer commercial video and intelligent vision services to a range of government and enterprise customers...

In parallel, EarthNow plans to create compelling “live Earth video” mass market applications that can be accessed instantly from a smartphone or tablet. “We are excited by the prospect of giving everyone a stunningly-beautiful real-time window on your world from space. With EarthNow, we will all become virtual astronauts,” said Hannigan. more

What is the resolution?

"The native video resolution, combined with image enhancement techniques, is designed to enable event monitoring and tracking applications consistent with existing and future customer requirements." hummmm

Drones - China's Self-Licking Ice Cream Cone Industry

Brief Profile Dà-Ji?ng Innovations Science and Technology Co., Ltd, marketed and popularly known as DJI, was established in 2006 by Frank Wang. It has its specialization in aerial photography and videography equipment (unmanned aerial vehicles), gimbals, cameras, and propulsion systems among others. They are one of the market leaders in their segment and continue to gain popularity, especially since the 2010s. In 2015, the Economist named them as being at the forefront of civilian-drone industry. more

Brief Profile
SZMID was established in 2006 by intelligence, security and  telecom professionals with extensive backgrounds in the security sector providing a wide range of high quality security devices & solutions to customers around the world. Our business is mainly focus on detection and jamming areas. more

A lot of folks are gunning for drones...

Dronebusters

Two drones headed north above Capitol Boulevard toward the Idaho statehouse. Lt. Gov. Brad Little stood to Gov. Butch Otter’s right at the top of the Capitol steps and watched...

The demonstration by Black Sage Technologies showed off the Boise company’s system to immobilize drones that might be carry a bomb, drop contraband or weapons into prison recreation yards, or spy on sensitive operations.

Black Sage uses cameras, radar and other tools to detect drones. It can see them at least three and a half miles away. The company sometimes demonstrates its anti-drone system at military bases. Wednesday’s exhibition was one of the few times the public has gotten to see it. more

Top Ten Unusual TSA Finds of 2017 & 2016

Imagine what went on before the days of airport security checks...

Drone Over Your Home? It’s the Insurance Inspector

When Melinda Roberts found shingles in her front yard after a storm, her insurer didn’t dispatch a claims adjuster to investigate. It sent a drone.

The unmanned aircraft hovered above Ms. Roberts’ three-bedroom Birmingham, Ala., home and snapped photos of her roof. About a week later a check from Liberty Mutual Insurance arrived to cover repairs.

“It took a lot less time than I was expecting,” Ms. Roberts said.

Drones, photo-taking apps and artificial intelligence are accelerating what has long been a clunky, time-consuming experience: the auto or home-insurance claim. more

Spy Satellite Calibration Crosses

via wired.com 
Venture into the Sonoran Desert about an hour south of Phoenix 

Click to Enlarge

and you’ll eventually stumble upon a concrete cross. More than 100 dot the terrain, each of them 60 feet across and spaced precisely one mile apart. The government used them to calibrate the world’s first spy satellites as they peered down on Russia and China while photographing more than 750 million square miles of the planet.

The 95 satellites of the once top-secret Corona project sent their last images in 1972, but the calibration markers still stand in a grid that once measured around 16 square miles. “It’s such a massive thing in terms of its scale, but it pales in comparison to the scale of history that it’s a part of,” says Julie Anand. She and Damon Sauer have spent the better part of three years photographing the markers and mapping the satellites that pass over them for Ground Truth: Corona Landmarks.

Burglars and Peeping Toms Use Drones

UK - Loud music, unkempt gardens and disputed boundaries have long caused acrimony between neighbours. Now technology has brought a new grievance: low-flying drones.

As well as causing arguments between neighbours they have been used by burglars planning raids and to snoop on teenage girls sunbathing.

Figures obtained under the Freedom of Information Act showed that last year forces recorded 3,456 incidents involving drones, nearly ten a day. The true total is likely to be higher as data was not available for all forces. more

The Cold War’s Least Believable Surveillance Strategy

In an effort to gather information from behind the Iron Curtain, the U.S. Air Force launched hundreds of spy balloons to float over the Soviet Union, collect photographic coverage, and hopefully reappear in friendly airspace for midair recovery...

In the days before reconnaissance satellites, balloons were seen as a safer alternative to proposals for manned overflights, and less provocative than plans to attach cameras to cruise missiles. But the audacity of the balloon program also reflected the tremendous appetite for recon information in Washington. In his 1991 history of the Moby Dick program, as it was known, Curtis Peebles describes how “the reconnaissance balloon had the highest national priority of 1-A. The only other project to share this priority was the hydrogen bomb. Knowledge is power.”

The balloons carried a 150-pound metal box with the approximate dimensions of an old television. Inside, a camera, film, and electronics were shielded from the conditions by several inches of styrofoam. Two additional tubs of ballast provided the balloons with rudimentary navigational aids. If sensors indicated a drop in altitude, magnetic valves inside the tubs could gradually release its steel dust to lighten the load. more

High Flying Corporate Espionage Lawsuit

Panasonic Avionics plans to seek immediate dismissal of a lawsuit filed by software company CoKinetic Systems, which claims PAC employed unlawful means to monopolize the market for IFE software and media services on the IFE hardware it supplied to airlines...

The firm’s suit, filed in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York, alleges that Panasonic Avionics willfully violated open source licensing requirements, breached contractual obligations to CoKinetic, abused FAA regulatory processes, conducted corporate espionage, and defamed CoKinetic and sabotaged its products...

Separately, Panasonic Corp on 2 February revealed in a stock exchange filing that the DOJ and SEC are probing PAC’s sales activities, and said it had begun talks with authorities to try to resolve the matter... PAC’s CEO and CFO departed the company last month. more