New York to Dublin in Milliseconds

A new interactive art installation in New York City is allowing viewers to communicate with people 3,000 miles away in Dublin, Ireland.

The brainchild of Lithuanian artist Benediktas Gylys, “the Portal” was unveiled on Wednesday and allows people on either side of the Atlantic to interact with each other via a video link.

New Yorkers can head to Flatiron South Public Plaza at Broadway, Fifth Avenue, and 23rd Street, next to the Flatiron Building, to see people on Dublin’s O’Connell Street on the 24/7 visual livestream, according to a Wednesday press release. more
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From the Security Scrapbook... “Good artists copy, Great artists steal” files.
This isn't the first time an artist has connected New York City with Europe. You can read our May, 2008 post here. Links to the picture have evaporated, but the WSJ covered it as well...

UPDATE 3/15/24: The video portals connecting Dublin and NYC have been shut down to address inappropriate behavior, which apparently included flashing, showing porn, and mocking 9/11.

UPDATE 5/20/24: Dublin-New York portal reopens with set hours. A live video "portal" between Dublin and New York has reopened after it was temporarily closed due to "inappropriate behaviour".

Judge Rules for Plaintiffs Spy Camera Case

PA - Two State College-area residents have won part of their federal suit against a Massachusetts man accused of placing spy cameras in the apartment they shared...

Crust, Edelstein and Knutrud, all former Penn State students, knew each other for about two years before August 2017 when they began sharing an apartment on West Aaron Drive in Ferguson Twp.

As a Christmas gift that year, Knutrud gave them a DVD player that he installed at the foot of their bed.

Edelstein became suspicious because Knutrud would take the player to his upstairs bedroom at times.

Crust and she disconnected it but they claim Knutrud plugged it back in and aimed it at their bed.

They also accused him of installing devices capable of capturing and storing audio, video and still images throughout the apartment including the bathroom.

Brann’s opinion states Knutrud captured Crust and Edelstein in various state of undress and while engaging in sex acts.

He also is accused of accessing and storing 27 nude or partially nude photograph of her she had stored on her Apple iCloud account.

(And now, The Darwin Award) The recording equipment on one occasion captured Knutrud in the bedroom sniffing Edelstein’s undergarments, Brann noted. more

In the Era of Hacking, Bugs Remain a Critical Espionage Threat

via Scott Stewart, Vice President Tactical Analysis at Stratfor

HIGHLIGHTS

• While cyberattacks offer a powerful means for corporate surveillance, it is important to remember that it is just one option in the espionage toolbox.
  
• Some information, such as in-person conversations, cannot be obtained through hacks and thus require the use of other tools, such as human intelligence collection insiders or covert audio and video recorders and transmitters (bugs).
  
• Today, bugs are cheaper, smaller and easier to obtain than ever — and the number being deployed and discovered is vastly under-reported, masking the true scope of the threat.
  
• Therefore, in order to adequately combat corporate espionage, organizations must also implement security measures to protect against bugging. more

Brazen B&E to Plant Spy TV

NY - State Police have arrested a Town of Moreau man for breaking into a home and hiding a recording device in a bedroom.

State Police in Wilton arrested 39-year-old Todd D. Derush. Police say Derush unlawfully entered the home of the victim and hid a recording device in their bedroom. Derush's actions were in violation of a full stay away order of protection barring Derush from being on the property, according to State Police. more

Spies in the Skys

SPY ONE
From 1957, when he first started working on the project, until 2011 when it was declassified, Dave McDowell was sworn to secrecy.

But now, the results of this once top-secret Kodak program is on full display at the Strasenburg Planetarium.

“Awe” is how McDowell described what he felt standing in front of the exhibit. “It’s something we designed and built in Rochester, and this one didn’t fly in space, but 48 others exactly like it did.”

The top-secret project was the optical system for Gambit-1, a national reconnaissance satellite. Kodak engineers designed and built what was essentially a large camera encased in a capsule. It was a revolutionary technology at that time, and it played a significant role in U.S. national security in the Cold War era. more

SPY TWO

On January 20, something rather strange happened in orbit. A Russian satellite suddenly maneuvered itself so that it was closely shadowing a US spy satellite.

The pair are now less than 186 miles (300 kilometers) apart—a short distance when it comes to space. While we don’t know for sure what’s going on, the Russian satellite’s actions strongly suggest it is there to spy on the US one—and there is very little the US can do about it. more

How to Turn a Tesla Into a Surveillance Station

Truman Kain, senior information security analyst at Tevora, has developed a new device called the Surveillance Detection Scout. As Wired describes it, the DIY computer plugs into the dashboard USB port of a Tesla Model S, 3 or X and uses the car’s built-in cameras to read license plates and faces to alert the driver if someone is following them.

“It turns your Tesla into an AI-powered surveillance station,” Kain told the magazine. “It’s meant to be another set of eyes, to help out and tell you it’s seen a license plate following you over multiple days, or even multiple turns of a single trip.” more

This Week in Technical Surveillance

Ukraine - Head of the election headquarters of the presidential candidate of Ukraine, leader of the Civil Position Party Anatoliy Hrytsenko, independent deputy, Viktor Chumak, has said that wiretapping devices were found in their headquarters, and therefore, called on other candidates to be vigilant. more

Israel - The Israel Police admitted on Tuesday that it eavesdropped on journalists’ telephone conversations with suspects, despite these conversations being protected by journalistic privilege. more

Australia - Australia is to establish a new sweeping anti-corruption regime which will be overseen by a national watchdog which will tackle both cheating and match-fixing in the Australian sports sector...  It would also have the power to conduct electronic surveillance of coaches, sports officials, and athletes and look for signs of suspected match-fixing... more

U.S. - A head custodian for the city's public school district was arrested after a female co-worker found a hidden camera that had recorded her using a restroom... Francisco Javier Lopez-Martinez, 59, was arrested...after an overnight police search... Lopez-Martinez was found hiding...police said he threatened suicide while holding a handgun...the gun was determined to be an air-soft weapon... A day earlier, a woman reported to police that she had discovered the camera while using a bathroom...she found footage of her and also a clip of, Lopez-Martinez, installing the camera. more

...and one for the birds...

New Zealand - In a technology that's been heralded as a breakthrough in conservation, a remote recording device is 'eavesdropping' on one of the rarest birds in New Zealand to monitor how they're adjusting after being released back into the wild. more

 

Spybusters Tip #847: Stop Car Theft via Key Fob Signal Intercept

By simply wrapping your key FOB in aluminum foil you can prevent a thief from intercepting the signal. 

If you park your car outside at home then you might consider using a foil-lined container or placing your keys in a coffee can.

I’m going to start wrapping mine in aluminum foil when I travel and stay in a hotel. If you doubt that this issue is a serious threat then watch How Thieves Unlock A Car. more

A big thank you to our Blue Blaze Irregular ensconced in Illinois for alerting us to this tip. ~Kevin

Ding-Dong - Security Cam Man Calling - Weird

CA - Security camera captures prowler getting his licks in.

Click to enlarge.

In ‘weirdest’ case, police say man spent hours near door of home in Salinas... they said spent hours licking the button on an intercom speaker at a home in Salinas, CA...according to Miguel Cabrera, a spokesman for the Salinas Police Department.

Police said the long night of odd behavior began about 2 a.m., when he approached the house and stared straight into the camera of the home’s doorbell surveillance system.

Arroyo hung out in the doorway for more than two hours...the man lay down in front of the door for 20 minutes before springing back up...Afterward, he stood with his back to the camera, appearing to urinate into a planter by the home’s front door, authorities said.

Arroyo also disconnected an extension cord that powered the home’s Christmas lights and walked off with it. Hence the potential petty theft charge, Cabrera said.  “It’s probably the weirdest [case] I’ve heard in many years.” more

Business Espionage: Fish Settlement Flounders

National Fish & Seafood and Kathleen A. Scanlon, the former employee the seafood processor is suing for allegedly stealing trade secrets for her new employer, had appeared to be heading for a settlement.

Now, not so much.

The Gloucester-based seafood processor last week amended its complaint against Scanlon, its former head of research and development and quality assurance, and her new employer, Tampa Bay Fisheries, by adding more defendants and more details of the alleged conspiracy and corporate theft.

The complaint accuses Scanlon of spending most of her final days at NFS feverishly downloading company trade secrets and emails onto two portable storage devices, video-recording the clam processing line and "granting Tampa Bay's IT director unauthorized access to NFS' computers through remote access software."

The filing includes screen grabs of text conversations from Scanlon's company-issued smart phone, including one from Scanlon to Paterson that read: "I am on my way will be there in 30 minutes. Feel like I need to go to confession. More like a hypocrite."

It also states that on July 10, Scanlon was observed on video surveillance and by other NFS employees "taking video and photographic recordings of the clam production process, including the machinery and ingredient-mixing processes used in producing NFS' clam products, including its Matlaw's Stuffed Clams."

The next day, according to NFS, Scanlon resigned after more than 20 years with the company. more

New Jersey: Wiretap, Spycam & GPS Tracking Laws

This is an excellent article covering phone recording, video surveillance and GPS tracking in New Jersey...

As technology rapidly advances and becomes more sophisticated, attorneys, litigants and the courts must grapple with the use of modern surveillance in the context of litigation in family matters.

Surveillance can be useful in some situations, and litigants often resort to surveillance of their spouse to gather what they perceive to be valuable evidence. That evidence, whether it be video footage, recorded telephone calls, GPS tracking, digital copies of hard drives or other forms of surveillance, may be used at trial or simply to gain leverage in settlement negotiations. Nevertheless, this type of activity does not come without risk.

Without careful guidance and an understanding of the legal implications, surveillance can place attorneys in jeopardy of legal or ethical violations, and could also undermine the client’s position (e.g., something of limited evidential value could backfire on the client).

This article explores three surveillance techniques and analyzes the risks and rewards of each. more

Yet Another World's Smallest Color Video Camera

These folks have been cranking out tiny cameras since 1997. 

Truly amazing...

more

Krebs Arraigned for Wiretapping (Joshua, not our esteemed Brian.)

What a teacher's lounge should look like.

Pleasant Valley School District Director of Support Services Joshua Krebs was arraigned on wiretapping charges...

Court papers allege Krebs electronically eavesdropped on conversations in the elementary school faculty break room in April 2016...

On April 5, 2016, it is alleged that Krebs, with the assistance of Pleasant Valley School District Technology Supervisor Alex Sterenchock planted a video and audio recording device in the teacher’s lounge, in order, Krebs later said, to catch a custodial staff member in dereliction of their duties.

The device, was discovered a day later, positioned to capture audio and video in the seating area of the lounge. more

DIY PI - What could possibly go wrong?

PI - Two school employees in Monroe County could face wiretapping charges.

A grand jury is recommending charges against Joshua Krebs and Alex Sterenchok.

Krebs is the supervisor of support staff and Sterenchok is the technology supervisor for the Pleasant Valley School District.

Both are accused of setting up a camera in April of 2016 in a break room at Pleasant Valley Elementary School to see if they could catch a janitor not doing his job.
Teachers and other staff members argue their privacy was being violated. more

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.

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

Stepfather Accused of Murder Preceded by Spycam

Man accused of killing stepdaughter may have photographed her through peep holes.

Detectives found a photo they believe is of 13-year-old Jayden Glomb in her bathroom wearing a sports bra, apparently taken secretly by her stepfather who is now accused of killing her, court documents say.

Property seized so far in the investigation includes an endoscope camera, spy camera, thumb drives, clothing and photographs, according to a search warrant.The Tucson Police Department’s crime laboratory has begun to analyze the contents of a home computer that was used by Joshua Lelevier, 37, who was arrested May 31 in Jayden’s suffocation death. more

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

Macbook Anti-Spyware App - Reveals Video & Audio Spying

After reading about how hackers have taken control of a MacBook's iSight camera to spy on the person sitting in front of it, you might start to get a feeling that someone is watching you... Making matters worse, hackers have been able to spy on people without triggering the little green light that tells you your iSight camera is active...
...monitor your iSight camera so you know when it's being used. MacOS doesn't let you do this natively, so you'll need to turn to a third-party app: OverSight.

OverSight is a free app that installs quickly and places an icon in your menu bar to let you know it's running. more  Other security apps from the same developer.

One Expensive GPS Tracker

UK - An “obsessive” dad stalked a woman by placing a tracking device on her car and posted ‘revenge porn’ on Facebook...repeatedly called his victim and turned up at her home and workplace uninvited.

John Wyn Williams, prosecuting, said: “She was advised by the police to check her car and found strapped to the bottom an iPhone used as a tracking device.” more

GPS trackers sell for less than $100. these days. A professional TSCM inspection, priceless. ~Kevin