Australia - Optus is battling to find the cause of a fault in its network, which allows customers to eavesdrop on others' phone calls.
The issue was originally thought to be limited to the Optus pre-paid mobile service, but smh.com.au readers have subsequently described the issue occurring in Optus' landline network as well.
It has customers fearing their privacy has been compromised.
Users reported having to physically demonstrate the issue to Optus before they committed to looking further into it. (more)
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Korea to enact new Wiretapping Laws
The National Assembly is likely to pass a revision to the Protection of Communication Secrets Act that would permit wiretapping of mobile phones on April 2. (more)
New Canadian Wiretap law
"The purpose of this Act is to ensure that telecommunications service providers have the capability to enable national security and law enforcement agencies to exercise their authority to intercept communications, and to require service providers to provide subscriber and other information, without unreasonably impairing the privacy of individuals, the provision of telecommunications services to Canadians or the competitiveness of the Canadian telecommunications industry." (more)
UPDATE - Tommy Sheridan - Bug Hunt
Scotland - Police specialists swept Tommy Sheridan's Holyrood office for electronic bugging devices yesterday.
And they also searched the Solidarity leader's Glasgow office and his home after a bug was found in his car last week.
Party spokesman Hugh Kerr said no other devices had been found. (more)
And they also searched the Solidarity leader's Glasgow office and his home after a bug was found in his car last week.
Party spokesman Hugh Kerr said no other devices had been found. (more)
Monday, March 26, 2007
Police find what's bugging Tommy
Scotland - Left-wing MSP Tommy Sheridan may have been under surveillance from a secret bugging device in his car for more than three months.The bug - capable of transmitting pictures as well as sound - was discovered yesterday after the Solidarity leader called in police and an independent security expert. It was pulled out from under the back seat of his Honda Civic.
But today a source close to Mr. Sheridan revealed his car was also searched three or four months ago, but nothing was found. (more)
This is an excellent example of the value of quarterly TSCM inspections. They limit your window-of-vulnerability. They alert you to spies before they can use your information against you. Call us, to begin your quarterly inspections.
Blue chip firms find bugging is now big business
Blue chip companies in Scotland are spending thousands of pounds on anti-bugging devices, which "sweep" their offices and prevent rival firms from stealing trade secrets.
Private investigators say some organisations are paying up to £10,000 to have their premises checked to keep sensitive information under wraps.
Stephen Grant, a partner with the Edinburgh-based investigators Grant & McMurtrie, deals with about 150 companies each year which have concerns about lapses in security.
He said: "People are becoming more aware of the technology available. Bugs are very cheap and can be bought for less than £100. We provide counter-surveillance and de-bugging equipment. We check merchant banks and the boardrooms of blue chip companies."
Privacy International, a watchdog on government and corporate surveillance, estimates that more than 200,000 bugging devices and covert cameras are sold every year. (more)
Private investigators say some organisations are paying up to £10,000 to have their premises checked to keep sensitive information under wraps.
Stephen Grant, a partner with the Edinburgh-based investigators Grant & McMurtrie, deals with about 150 companies each year which have concerns about lapses in security.
He said: "People are becoming more aware of the technology available. Bugs are very cheap and can be bought for less than £100. We provide counter-surveillance and de-bugging equipment. We check merchant banks and the boardrooms of blue chip companies."
Privacy International, a watchdog on government and corporate surveillance, estimates that more than 200,000 bugging devices and covert cameras are sold every year. (more)
Bugging offices is not a crime, say experts
Bugging offices in the UK is not a criminal offence, according to surveillance and legal experts speaking to OUT-LAW Radio. While recording a phone conversation is a criminal offence, someone could place a recording device in an office legally, they said.
In an investigation into corporate surveillance techniques, the weekly technology law podcast OUT-LAW Radio discovered that no offence is committed by placing a bug in a workplace to secretly record conversations.
"There's nothing in any piece of legislation that stops you from putting a physical bug in a room, an office or something like that provided you are there lawfully and you haven't committed any criminal offence to get access to it," said Victoria Southern, a lawyer at Pinsent Masons, the law firm behind OUT-LAW. (more)(podcast)(transcript)
Security Directors: FREE Security White Paper - "Surreptitious Workplace Recording ...and what you can do about it."
In an investigation into corporate surveillance techniques, the weekly technology law podcast OUT-LAW Radio discovered that no offence is committed by placing a bug in a workplace to secretly record conversations.
"There's nothing in any piece of legislation that stops you from putting a physical bug in a room, an office or something like that provided you are there lawfully and you haven't committed any criminal offence to get access to it," said Victoria Southern, a lawyer at Pinsent Masons, the law firm behind OUT-LAW. (more)(podcast)(transcript)
Security Directors: FREE Security White Paper - "Surreptitious Workplace Recording ...and what you can do about it."
Now have your home swept for spy bugs...
...police tell Sheridan.
Scotland - Police have recommended that Tommy Sheridan has his home checked for bugs after a listening device was found in his car, the MSP said yesterday.
Speaking at a press conference, Mr. Sheridan said that following the discovery of a bug in his Honda Civic at the Scottish Parliament on Thursday afternoon, he would be acting on this advice "for peace of mind".
He said that the police were now carrying out a thorough examination of the device found in his car. "It will be sent for further tests including forensic and DNA." (more) (earlier reports here)
Scotland - Police have recommended that Tommy Sheridan has his home checked for bugs after a listening device was found in his car, the MSP said yesterday.
Speaking at a press conference, Mr. Sheridan said that following the discovery of a bug in his Honda Civic at the Scottish Parliament on Thursday afternoon, he would be acting on this advice "for peace of mind".
He said that the police were now carrying out a thorough examination of the device found in his car. "It will be sent for further tests including forensic and DNA." (more) (earlier reports here)
Colombia's former spy chief freed
Colombia's former intelligence chief has been freed by a court weeks after being charged with helping paramilitaries accused of carrying out atrocities in the country's conflict.
Jorge Noguera, the ex-head of Colombia's Administrative Security Department and an ally of the US-backed president, Alvaro Uribe, was freed on "procedural grounds". (more)
Jorge Noguera, the ex-head of Colombia's Administrative Security Department and an ally of the US-backed president, Alvaro Uribe, was freed on "procedural grounds". (more)
Man accused of spying for China
As a top engineer at a major U.S. defense contractor, Chi Mak helped develop some of the most advanced and closely guarded naval technology in the world, including silent-running propulsion systems that can make submarines virtually undetectable.
Now, in a case that experts say could have serious implications for U.S. security, the Downey resident is accused of stealing those secrets for the Chinese. (more)
Now, in a case that experts say could have serious implications for U.S. security, the Downey resident is accused of stealing those secrets for the Chinese. (more)
Ten dangerous claims about smart phone security
Many common assumptions about the security and privacy of smart phones or other handheld converged devices are off-base or just flat-out wrong.
For any high-value target -- whether that's a political candidate or an organization with valuable financial or personal data -- a little more thought ought to go into the process of selecting and deploying any device handling important data.
It makes sense, then, to challenge the more widespread assumptions, and consider how to handle oft-ignored risks. (highly summarized, more here)
1. It's just a phone with cool features, right?
No, it's not.
2. It's stable, just like any other purpose-built appliance.
No, it's not.
3. Communications are encrypted from end to end.
No, not entirely.
4. The connection's secure unless I use Wi-Fi in a café.
Guess, again.
5. E-mails and messages are secure from prying eyes.
Not if you're interesting.
6. Using a mobile phone constitutes out-of-band communication.
Who are you? No one knows for certain.
7. I trust the integrity of data and applications on a smart phone.
Not 100%, we hope.
8. Information deleted from a smart phone is gone, right?
No, just marked for overwrite.
9. Spying on my smart phone is hard.
I've got a bridge in Brooklyn to sell you.
10. Abuse is minimal because the network and phones are constrained. :]
For any high-value target -- whether that's a political candidate or an organization with valuable financial or personal data -- a little more thought ought to go into the process of selecting and deploying any device handling important data.
It makes sense, then, to challenge the more widespread assumptions, and consider how to handle oft-ignored risks. (highly summarized, more here)
1. It's just a phone with cool features, right?
No, it's not.
2. It's stable, just like any other purpose-built appliance.
No, it's not.
3. Communications are encrypted from end to end.
No, not entirely.
4. The connection's secure unless I use Wi-Fi in a café.
Guess, again.
5. E-mails and messages are secure from prying eyes.
Not if you're interesting.
6. Using a mobile phone constitutes out-of-band communication.
Who are you? No one knows for certain.
7. I trust the integrity of data and applications on a smart phone.
Not 100%, we hope.
8. Information deleted from a smart phone is gone, right?
No, just marked for overwrite.
9. Spying on my smart phone is hard.
I've got a bridge in Brooklyn to sell you.
10. Abuse is minimal because the network and phones are constrained. :]
Friday, March 23, 2007
Surprise Twist in Hollywood Wiretapping Case
Anthony Pellicano Set To Remarry Former Wife...
Ceremony will be held in courtroom where he is being tried for wiretapping. (more)
Ceremony will be held in courtroom where he is being tried for wiretapping. (more)
Judge withdraws from lawyer wiretap case
VT - A state judge has stepped down from handling a case in which she allowed police to record phone conversations with a defense lawyer to determine whether she was obstructing an investigation. (more)
Bullies With iPods
UK - Playground bullies are deploying iPods and social networking sites such as MySpace and MSN Messenger to wage increasingly hi-tech campaigns against victims, according to new research.
Academics studying the growth in so-called cyber-bullying discovered that youngsters, particularly girls, who were twice as likely to be affected as boys, ruthlessly exploited every new technological gadget.
Victims reported feeling more lonely, having fewer friends and being less liked. Among the findings was a growing trend to circulate video clips of young people getting changed after PE sessions. The images are captured on mobile phones and passed onto classmates' video iPods. They are often accompanied by sound tracks of critical comments from laughing bullies. Others found images of their abuse on the MySpace and Bebo sites, although the researchers said operators were quick to remove offensive entries. There was also evidence that that the instant messaging service MSN Messenger was emerging as a hurtful new weapon. (more)
Academics studying the growth in so-called cyber-bullying discovered that youngsters, particularly girls, who were twice as likely to be affected as boys, ruthlessly exploited every new technological gadget.
Victims reported feeling more lonely, having fewer friends and being less liked. Among the findings was a growing trend to circulate video clips of young people getting changed after PE sessions. The images are captured on mobile phones and passed onto classmates' video iPods. They are often accompanied by sound tracks of critical comments from laughing bullies. Others found images of their abuse on the MySpace and Bebo sites, although the researchers said operators were quick to remove offensive entries. There was also evidence that that the instant messaging service MSN Messenger was emerging as a hurtful new weapon. (more)
'Bugging device' found in Sheridan's car
Police in Scotland are investigating a complaint by the politician Tommy Sheridan that his car has been bugged.
A device was found in the Honda Civic belonging to the MSP in Edinburgh yesterday morning, and has now been removed by police.
A spokesman for Lothian and Borders Police said: "We received a report of a device being found in a car at the Scottish Parliament. The device was located and we are making inquiries." (more) (more)
UPDATE
Politician Tommy Sheridan has cleared security services of any involvement in bugging his car.
He dismissed speculation that he was being monitored by the authorities as "garbage". The left-wing politician also disclosed that police believe the device found in his silver Honda Civic was wired for pictures as well as sound.
Mr Sheridan, leader of the Solidarity Party, called in police after a member of his staff found what they thought was a piece of eavesdropping equipment in the car. (more)
FURTHER UPDATE
Politician Tommy Sheridan has been told by police that a suspected bugging device found in his car was "viable". (more)
A device was found in the Honda Civic belonging to the MSP in Edinburgh yesterday morning, and has now been removed by police.
A spokesman for Lothian and Borders Police said: "We received a report of a device being found in a car at the Scottish Parliament. The device was located and we are making inquiries." (more) (more)
UPDATE
Politician Tommy Sheridan has cleared security services of any involvement in bugging his car.
He dismissed speculation that he was being monitored by the authorities as "garbage". The left-wing politician also disclosed that police believe the device found in his silver Honda Civic was wired for pictures as well as sound.
Mr Sheridan, leader of the Solidarity Party, called in police after a member of his staff found what they thought was a piece of eavesdropping equipment in the car. (more)
FURTHER UPDATE
Politician Tommy Sheridan has been told by police that a suspected bugging device found in his car was "viable". (more)
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