Cyber Espionage Infographic

Click or download to enlarge.

Infographic courtesy F-Secure

(Off topic) The Jetsons Turn 50 - What Became Reality?

FutureWatch
It's hard to believe, but George Jetson, his boy Elroy, daughter Judy, Jane, his wife -- and Astro, everyone's favorite space dog -- are now 50 years old.  

The show was futuristic in its own right: When it bowed in the early 60's, it was the first color show to ever air on ABC. But it was the quirky technological advances that the Hanna Barbera show imagined human beings using -- from robot maids to flying cars -- that really formed the backdrop of the show and kept viewers interested.

In honor of The Jetsons' 50th anniversary, we decided to take a look to see how far we've come. And based on where we are so far, by 2062, the year the show is set in, we may just achieve all that the show's writers envisioned and then some. One thing that's massively important to us today and wasn't reflected that way on the show is our powerful mobile phone technology and the importance to us of how small those devices have become, as well as what they permit -- constant access to the internet (not conceived back then) and a variety of useful apps. (more)

"Dude, Scientology has an Office of Special Affairs?!?! I didn't know scientists even had affairs!"

The Village Voice is reporting that the Church of Scientology attempted to investigate Parker and Stone after a controversial 2005 episode of “South Park” titled “Trapped in a Closet.” The Emmy-nominated episode, airing on Comedy Central, satirized such figures as Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard and Scientology member Tom Cruise. 

According to the Voice, former Scientology executive Marty Rathbun “revealed at his blog that in 2006, Scientology's Office of Special Affairs — the church's intelligence and covert operations wing — was actively investigating” Parker and Stone.

The Voice reports Monday: “We have more leaked OSA documents which give some idea of the extent of the spying operation on the ‘South Park’ offices and the people who worked there.” (more)

Are Your Passwords Sardonic Humor Fodder?

Click to enlarge

Look for yours in The Top 100 Most Common Passwords list...
123456
password
12345678
1234
puxxy
12345
dragon
qwerty
696969
mustang
letmein
baseball
master
michael
football
shadow
monkey
abc123
pass
fxxkme
6969
jordan
harley
ranger
iwantu
jennifer
hunter
fxxk
2000
test
batman
trustno1
thomas
tigger
robert
access
love
buster
1234567
soccer
hockey
killer
george
sexy
andrew
charlie
superman
axxhole
fxxkyou
dallas
jessica
panties
pepper
1111
austin
william
daniel
golfer
summer
heather
hammer
yankees
joshua
maggie
biteme
enter
ashley
thunder
cowboy
silver
richard
fxxker
orange
merlin
michelle
corvette
bigdog
cheese
matthew
121212
patrick
martin
freedom
ginger
blxxjob
nicole
sparky
yellow
camaro
secret
dick
falcon
taylor
111111
131313
123123
bitch
hello
scooter
please
*xx - edited for email spam filters

Corporate Spying: The Next Growth Industry

via economywatch.com...

The corporate spying business is booming. The largest companies around the world are all involved in “competitive intelligence gathering” by highly trained professionals according to PricewaterhouseCoopers.

"Corporations have people trained to obtain raw data from a wide range of sources* and apply traditional intelligence analysis techniques to produce usable information," PwC dispute analysis and investigations director Richard Batten said. (more)

* electronic surveillance, dumspter diving, social engineering, decaying perimeter security measures, lack of (or ignored) information security policies, etc. — All are things a good counterespionage consulting specialist will address for you.

Why Your Business Needs a Counterespionage Strategy

If it can happen to a government, it can happen to you.

Murray Associates can help. (more)

Snuggly the Security Bear

A few posts ago, it was noted that the FBI is echoing the desires of several countries around the world about having backdoor keys to all communications encryption schemes. BlackBerry, Skype, etc. are seeing the beginning of the end of their privacy advantage. 

Some countries threatened to outright ban encryption they can't crack, but how can this concept be sold to the U.S. Congress? 

Political cartoonist Mark Fiore thinks he knows how it should be done. Pop over to his site for a few words (and an evil giggle) from his Snuggly the Security Bear.

People we love... Antonio Prohías

48 years ago, this month, Mr. Spy vs. Spy came to the United States. The rest is history...

Antonio Prohías (January 17, 1921 – February 24, 1998), born in Cienfuegos, Cuba, was a cartoonist most famous for creating the comic strip Spy vs. Spy for MAD Magazine.

In the late 1940s, Prohías began working at El Mundo, the most important newspaper in Cuba. By 1960, he had become an internationally recognized and awarded political cartoonist. At this time, Fidel Castro's government took over the paper, and Prohías left Cuba for New York, where he found himself attracted to Mad.

El Hombre Siniestro: (The Sinister Man) wore a wide-brimmed hat and overcoat and had a long pointed nose, becoming the prototype for the Spies. (more)

In the late 1950s Antonio Prohias was the president of the Association of Cuban Cartoonists. On the first of May 1960, he fled from Cuba to America flat broke. Once in the states, he went directly to work at Mad magazine, and became an internationally respected and beloved cartoonist. He started 'Spy vs. Spy' as an anti-Castro cartoon, but it ended up as one of the most popular features in Mad magazine. Prohias drew 'Spy vs. Spy' for Mad until he retired in 1990. Even though Antonio Prohias passed away in 1998, 'Spy Vs. Spy' can still be enjoyed in every issue of Mad Magazine. (more) (NPR audio report) (The first "Spy vs. Spy")

Visitors to my office smile when the see Mr. Black Spy riding atop a 3-foot bomb, on its way down to pay Mr. White Spy a visit. One can only guess what the next frame of this story will be. One thing we all know, the last frame will be MAD... Mutually Assured Destruction. Wry Prohías humor. Neither side ever wins.

Need something to make you, or a friend, smile? Go MAD. Let The Spy Guys make it happen. The International Spy Museum has an army of them waiting for you. Click here.

Cartoonist takes a biting look at HOA drama

CO - Homeowners associations towing away cars over unpaid dues. An HOA president engaging in illegal wiretaps of his neighbors...
These could be the latest horror stories from Colorado Springs' covenant-controlled neighborhoods...These are scenarios created by Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist Mike Peters for his nationally syndicated "Mother Goose and Grimm" newspaper comic strip. (more) (more cartoons)

On spying on teenagers:

via the Washington Post...
On spying on teenagers: The sooner children learn that electronic communications are not private, the better off they will be... I tell my children that I will review their computer and cellphone communications routinely, as may school administrators, coaches, employers, potential employers, college admissions officers and law enforcement officials. If my kids don't want me to read it, then they shouldn't type it. If they don't want their grandmother to see it, then they shouldn't write it. Or, if they don't want 46 million people to see a message, they shouldn't post it on a Web site... It's not spying. It's raising your children to act responsibly in our electronic world. Teach children not to expect privacy on the computer or their cellphones. (more)

The First Real Dick Tracy Wrist Radio

Who invented the first real Dick Tracy wrist radio?

Wendy Rejan, Historian's Office, DCSOPS, Fort Monmouth, NJ knows...

"...yesterday’s science fiction became Fort Monmouth’s latest engineering endeavor in 1953 when scientists here developed one of the first electronic spy gadgets ---the Dick Tracy transistor watch radio.

Weighing in at just over two ounces, the radio could pick up radio stations from here to New York City. A hearing amplifier was connected to the radio by a wire concealed in the wearer’s sleeve. The mercury battery of the first model lasted about ten hours and a knob on the face of the watch allowed the wearer to select a frequency.

Signal Corps scientists here were ordered to come up with the wrist watch transistor radio on a Friday in August 1953. They had accomplished their mission by the following Monday.

First lieutenant Paul W. Cooper, an electrical engineer, was working in the Search and Intercept Department of the Signal Corps Engineering labs at the time. The department was responsible for research and development work with transistors.

The watch was invented by Cooper and Joseph F. O’Brien. Harry H. French was responsible for the printed wiring board and fabrication. According to Cooper, the scientists manufactured many of the components themselves." (more)

NSA Wiretap Rooms Cartoons

Cartoon - what went on in the NSA's wiretapping room at AT&T
Frontier Foundation designer Hugh D'Andrade sez, "I did a 'live-painting' last Friday at a gallery -- a mural-sized cartoon depicting the goings-on inside the "secret room" at AT&T's Folsom Street facility. My EFF co-workers created a time-lapse video with an awesome ska soundtrack!"
If you like this, you'll LOVE this... >NSA<

SpyCam Story #458 - CCTV Tee

From artist Ross Robinson...
"Your government is watching you. All. The. Time."
...now buy my tee-shirt.

FutureWatch - Coming to a cubicle near you.

But they do say, "Don't leave stuff in boxes under your desk marked SHRED."

(more)

Snuggly, The Security Bear speaks...

to... apparently, anyone who can be persuaded by a talking cartoon bear whose head is filled with fluff.

Let's join Snuggly now as he she it explains why a new federal wiretap law is being passed. (video)