Trump Aides Evacuated Offices - Bugging Fears

The Trump campaign and Republican National Committee offices in West Palm Beach, Fla., were abuzz with talk of listening devices and espionage, possibly by a foreign government. The police were called and the offices were closed for a forensic search. The reality was more Charlie Chaplin than John le Carré.

A plastic prank device that can be purchased on Amazon for $13.97 was the cause of the problem.

A police report from the West Palm Beach police department, obtained by The New York Times, detailed the incident. Devices were found on Thursday after people heard beeping under a staff member’s desk at the Trump campaign offices. When Trump officials searched, they found additional devices, for a total of three. more

Weird items that people think are bugs is an issue more common than you might think. 

Read, "Is This a Bug?"

History: How to Build a Bugging Device in 1917

Want to build a bug; known as a Detectograph back in 1917? 

Just write to a magazine, like The Electrical Experimenter, and they would tell you. Things were pretty simple back then, but the parts were not cheap. The average full-time worker's wage was $13.21 per week.

FutureWatch: AI to the Max - Will Intelligent Eavesdropping Bugs Be Possible?

SCIENTISTS ARE GROWING BRAINS IN LABS. COULD THEY BECOME CONSCIOUS? "IT HAS NO EYES, EARS, NOSE OR MOUTH — NOTHING'S COMING IN." (yet)

As scientists continue to make advances using human tissue to grow brains in laboratories, one neuroscientist is naming the existential elephant in the room: could lab-grown brains ever become truly conscious?

In an interview with Live Science, University of California at Santa Barbara neuroscientist Kenneth Kosik explained that as the science stands now, the facsimile brains made in labs aren't likely to achieve consciousness anytime soon. (Nothing to see here, don't worry, move on.)

These brain organoids, as the lab-grown brains are called, are created by taking someone's cells, converting them into stem cells, and differentiating those into neurons. 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

“Is this a bug?” (updated)

“Is this a bug?” is a question we are often asked.

Usually the answer is, “I understand why you are asking is this a bug. Some bugs do look similar to this. But, here is what you actually found.”

Real electronic eavesdropping devices are getting smaller. So are lots of other little electronic bits which are part of our everyday lives. Distinguishing between the two can be tricky. If the object you found makes you think, is this a bug, keep reading. You stand a good chance of finding your answer here.

Former Criminal Justice Professor Bugged Ex's Car

A former Iowa Wesleyan University criminal justice professor accused of stalking his ex-wife has been sentenced...charged with stalking and electronic or mechanical eavesdropping...

According to criminal complaints, Buffington is accused of placing a recording device on his ex-wife’s car, which recorded conversations within the vehicle.

Police said Buffington took his two daughters to his office at Iowa Wesleyan and played the recordings for them. Later, one of Buffington’s daughters obtained the recording device and a zip drive and gave them to law enforcement. That daughter told police she found it in Buffington’s bedroom nightstand...

Buffington also is accused of placing nails in the tires of his ex-wife’s car and admitting to her that he tracked her via OnStar. more

How to find GPS trackers and Bugs in your vehicle.

FM Bug Kits from China - $0.70

 Just when you thought electronic surveillance couldn't get more affordable... more

Journalist Vitaliy Portnikov Finds a Bed Bug

At home in Lvov, journalist Vitaliy Portnikov, presenter of a program about Espresso and Radio Liberty, found a listening device – a voice recorder with the ability to record for a long time.

About this in facebook Deputy Mykola Kniazhitsky said, reports Ukrinform.

“Journalist Vitaliy Portnikov, presenter of a program on Espresso and Radio Liberty, found a listening device at home in Lviv. This is a voice recorder with the ability to record for a long time. The police were called. They were quickly on the spot. do not know who and what purpose this device has installed: our services, foreign or criminals,” said the politician.

Vitaly Portnikov commented on the incident for “Espresso“: “Today, while cleaning the apartment in which I was located at the end of February, when the war started, I found a recording device under the bed. There was an inventory number on the device. I notified the police of my find so they could investigate the incident.”

Vitaliy Portnikov is a well-known Ukrainian journalist, publicist and political commentator. Works with Radio Liberty and Espresso. more

‘American Idol’ Winner Accused of Bugging LSU Student’s Dorm

American Idol winner Laine Hardy has been accused of bugging his ex-girlfriend’s dorm room at Louisiana State University so he could listen in on her conversations, according to a warrant obtained by WBRZ. 

The 21-year-old country singer was arrested Friday on charges of interception and disclosure of wire, electronic or oral communication. Investigators allegedly found several recordings on the device, including some of Hardy’s “very distinguishable” voice. 

In a vague Twitter post, Hardy acknowledged on Thursday that he’d received a warrant over “allegations” and was “cooperating” with the cops. “I humbly ask for privacy at this time,” he wrote. more

The Associated Press reported that Hardy’s ex-girlfriend and her roommate found the alleged listening device, which looked like a phone charger, in their dorm room on April 6. She reported it to LSUPD the next day, and officers noted in a police affidavit acquired by the AP that they found recordings from a 10-day span in February. more

Things Often Mistaken for Eavesdropping Bugs

“Is this a bug?” is a question we are often asked.

Usually the answer is, “I understand why you are asking is this a bug. Some bugs do look similar to this. But, here is what you actually found.”

Real electronic eavesdropping devices are getting smaller. So are lots of other little electronic bits which are part of our everyday lives. Distinguishing between the two can be tricky. 

If the object you found makes you think, is this a bug, keep reading. You stand a good chance of finding your answer here...  more

Some Thoughts on Mobile Spyware

It really is a great time to be a mobile threat. As mobile devices become ever more critical in our daily lives, hackers are seizing on a vulnerable blindspot in the enterprise attack surface...

Mobile threats often emanate from app stores, where many types of mobile malware hide as legitimate apps...

As Sun Tzu once said, “There is no place where espionage is not possible.” Spyware exemplifies that statement perfectly. Spyware turns a personal mobile device into a corporate espionage bug just by entering an office, nestled in someone’s pocket...

To secure this largely-unrecognized vector, enterprises can look to mobile threat defense. When incorporated as part of a zero trust approach, MTD technology can examine the security of individual mobile devices, alerting the enterprise to threats and blocking access. It can ensure the device hasn’t been infected, jailbroken or compromised and act to protect corporate data if a threat arises. more

GSM Eavesdropping Bugs: A Recent Find in a Corporate Office

While on lockdown, businesses and individuals must think about their unoccupied premises and possessions. Now that we are coming out of this lockdown and going back to work, Gurpreet Thathy and Mike Moran give their thoughts and go through a recent case with a client last week...

Mike and his team conducted a ‘sweep’ of the offices in conjunction with our Cyber Audit. We identified a GSM eavesdropping device planted within a boardroom during the critical areas’ in-depth physical and electronic search. This device was cunningly disguised as a 3-way extension adapter which was fully operational.

A closer examination of the adapter revealed a SIM card and a microphone connected. The client was immediately informed, and as per our standard operating procedure (SOPs), the device was isolated from the infrastructure, bagged, tagged, and handed over to our internal forensic team to investigate.

The forensic investigation of the SIM card revealed dialled and received calls. more

What is a GSM Bug?  When was the last time your organization conducted an inspection for one?

Ex ‘Walked In’ on Man Retrieving Spy Tapes

Australia - A man allegedly hired to spy on the model ex-girlfriend of Ultra Tune mogul Sean Buckley was “caught red-handed” with listening devices inside the victim’s home, a court has heard.

Mr Buckley, 61, appeared in an online hearing in Melbourne Magistrates Court on Monday facing multiple assault and stalking charges levelled against him by his ex-bikini model girlfriend Jennifer Cruz Cole.

The court heard Ms Cole walked in on Buckley’s co-accused, Wade D’Andrea, who was attempting to retrieve listening devices installed in her home...

There are further claims he later hired two others to plant listening devices inside her apartment and car. more

Ms. Cole was lucky.
#1 She caught the bugger in the act.
#2 She didn't get injured by doing so.
People in high profile legal cases, and corporate executives, are advised to have professional Technical Surveillance Countermeasures (TSCM) inspections conducted on a regular basis.

Former FBI Agent & PI Conclude Jamie Spears Recorded Britney Spears in Bedroom

Jamie Spears recorded daughter Britney Spears in her bedroom, a private investigator and former FBI agent concluded after an investigation.

Britney's lawyer, Mathew Rosengart, filed a declaration from Sherine Ebadi in court on Jan. 18, ahead of a hearing scheduled for Jan. 19. In the documents, obtained by E! News, the former FBI special agent said she "corroborated" the claim that Jamie instructed Black Box Security "to place a secret recording device in Ms. Spears's bedroom."...

Black Box was already monitoring Britney's phone when Vlasov (a former employee of Black Box Security who first made the allegation when speaking with The New York Times last year) started working at the company in 2012...

Based on conversations with Vlasov, Ebadi allegedly found that "Black Box was initially responsible for suggesting that a secret listening device be planted in Ms. Spears bedroom, but Mr. Spears 'loved' the idea and approved and instructed that the installation move forward." more

IoT Bug Impacts Millions of Devices - Allows Hackers to Spy on You

Security researchers have discovered a critical vulnerability affecting millions of IoT devices which could allow attackers to spy on you by tapping into real-time camera feeds.

The security issue impacts products from various manufacturers that provide video and surveillance solutions, as well as home automation IoT systems, which are all connected via ThroughTek’s Kalay IoT cloud platform.

American cybersecurity firm Mandiant revealed the CVE-2021-28372 bug after reporting it to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA).

Because the Kalay platform is used by devices from a large number of manufacturers, it is difficult to create a list with the affected brands. Mandiant were unable to determine how many devices are affected, but they warned that more than 83 million users are currently using Kalay. more

An adversary would be able to remotely compromise an IoT device by exploiting the flaw and could compromise device credentials, watch real-time video data, and listen to live audio. more

TSCM Detection Evaluation of the AudioWow Wireless Microphone

AudioWow advertising is enticing, a Wireless Audio Studio Microphone in a Matchbox Size.

Certain features pointed in that direction…

• Nano sized.
• Records directly to a smartphone.
• Up to 50 foot range. Good enough for some operations.
• Bluetooth transmission. Low probability of intercept.
• Professional quality sound.
• Equalization capabilities.
• Noise reduction capabilities.
• Audio to text transcription… in 120 different languages!

Could it be useful as a spy device?
Could a TSCM bug sweep detect it?
We tested and found... more

There is a New Kind of Bug Comin' to the UK, Mate

In collaboration with UAVTEK, we have developed a nano “Bug” drone and delivered the first 30 units to the British Army, which has put it through its paces as part of a trial. 

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