Malaysia has banned mobile phones and installed electronic jamming devices in key parts of its administrative capital to block spying on official discussions, a newspaper said on Monday.
"The widespread use of these devices, especially handphones with camera facilities, has serious implications on security," the Star newspaper quoted Malaysia's top bureaucrat, Mohamed Sidek Hassan, as saying in a recent message to officials.
Mohamed Sidek also asked department heads to designate areas where official matters are discussed as "information security zones," the paper added.
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
The Off The Wal-Mart Squash Match Continues
Paranoia strikes deep.
Into your life it will creep.
It starts when you're always afraid.
-- Stephen Stills
(from The New York Times) "First we learned that a Wal-Mart employee taped phone calls between Michael Barbaro, a New York Times reporter, and Wal-Mart officials. This came after The Times reported on a Wal-Mart memo that suggested such clever tactics as forcing all shop clerks to spend some time hauling shopping carts in from the parking lot -- the better to weed out unhealthy workers who might submit health insurance claims.
Wal-Mart fired the employee it said was responsible for taping the calls, a man named Bruce Gabbard, and said his actions were unauthorized. Then Mr. Gabbard started talking to The Wall Street Journal, saying the department he worked for had spied on critics. Wal-Mart quickly issued apologies to the critics and got a judge to order Mr. Gabbard to stop talking.
Mr. Gabbard said he told a Wal-Mart lawyer that ''I'm the guy listening to the board of directors when Lee Scott is excused from the room.''
Does that mean that Mr. Scott authorized spying on his own board when it was discussing his performance? If so, it would be a shocking breach of corporate etiquette and governance.
For a few days after that quote appeared, Wal-Mart declined to comment. But eventually a company spokeswoman, Mona Williams, did issue a denial: ''We never would have authorized'' bugging board meetings, she said, and Mr. Scott never listened to any such tapes. (more)
Into your life it will creep.
It starts when you're always afraid.
-- Stephen Stills
(from The New York Times) "First we learned that a Wal-Mart employee taped phone calls between Michael Barbaro, a New York Times reporter, and Wal-Mart officials. This came after The Times reported on a Wal-Mart memo that suggested such clever tactics as forcing all shop clerks to spend some time hauling shopping carts in from the parking lot -- the better to weed out unhealthy workers who might submit health insurance claims.
Wal-Mart fired the employee it said was responsible for taping the calls, a man named Bruce Gabbard, and said his actions were unauthorized. Then Mr. Gabbard started talking to The Wall Street Journal, saying the department he worked for had spied on critics. Wal-Mart quickly issued apologies to the critics and got a judge to order Mr. Gabbard to stop talking.
Mr. Gabbard said he told a Wal-Mart lawyer that ''I'm the guy listening to the board of directors when Lee Scott is excused from the room.''
Does that mean that Mr. Scott authorized spying on his own board when it was discussing his performance? If so, it would be a shocking breach of corporate etiquette and governance.
For a few days after that quote appeared, Wal-Mart declined to comment. But eventually a company spokeswoman, Mona Williams, did issue a denial: ''We never would have authorized'' bugging board meetings, she said, and Mr. Scott never listened to any such tapes. (more)
Sunday, April 15, 2007
"Make them stop moving!"
The average person sees the dots as standing still.
People who are subjects of electronic eavesdropping
will see them as moving. (click on image to test)
Just kidding.
A fun optical illusion.
Nothing at all to do with eavesdropping.
(more)
People who are subjects of electronic eavesdropping
will see them as moving. (click on image to test)
Just kidding.
A fun optical illusion.
Nothing at all to do with eavesdropping.
(more)
Electronic Eavesdropping Gets Husband Electronic Leash
MI - A Brighton man learned Thursday that he will spend six months on electronic tether for eavesdropping on his wife. Livingston County Circuit Judge David Reader also sentenced the 45-year-old man to 18 months probation and six days in the county jail, with credit for six days served.
Police alleged the 45-year-old man sexually assaulted his wife in summer 2004 while she slept at their home, and that he installed eavesdropping devices and videotaped the assault.
The assault was not reported until 2006, police said.
The two are getting a divorce.
The man pleaded guilty to eavesdropping and installing devices to eavesdrop in exchange for prosecutors dismissing three counts of third-degree criminal sexual conduct. (more)
Police alleged the 45-year-old man sexually assaulted his wife in summer 2004 while she slept at their home, and that he installed eavesdropping devices and videotaped the assault.
The assault was not reported until 2006, police said.
The two are getting a divorce.
The man pleaded guilty to eavesdropping and installing devices to eavesdrop in exchange for prosecutors dismissing three counts of third-degree criminal sexual conduct. (more)
Pretty Good (VoIP) Privacy
No one would have blamed Phil Zimmerman for coasting after he created Pretty Good Privacy (PGP)... But Zimmermann and others saw big security holes in VoIP. It wasn’t just that average citizens might need protection against government surveillance of their VoIP calls, Zimmermann reasoned. No, this time around, it was government officials themselves who might need protection against eavesdropping... Zimmermann knew that criminals could easily listen in on the VoIP calls of those investigating them.
This concern drove him, Jon Callas and Alan Johnston to create ZRTP, a protocol that imports some of PGP’s best features to Internet telephony. Zimmermann also saw an opportunity to create a secure voice-communications protocol that didn’t rely on the public-key infrastructure (PKI) or any external servers. As a result, ZRTP is a purely peer-to-peer setup that still allows users to thwart various kinds of attacks on their own.
“When two human beings are talking to each other, they are in a position to detect a ‘man in the middle’ by comparing whether or not they’re both using the same session key—using human conversation, verbal comparisons, hashed authentication strings,” Zimmermann says. “It completely eliminates the need for public-key infrastructure, which is quite a complex thing to drag into the VoIP world.”
Zfone, the ZRTP-based product Zimmermann sells through a company with the same name, also incorporates “key continuity,” where you hash the keys just used in the conversation, and they become part of the keys for the next conversation, thus assuring that you’re talking with the same person as the last time. (more) (Zfone beta release available for free download now.)
Got VoIP?
Get this!
Zphone is available as a "plugin" for existing soft VoIP clients, effectively converting them into secure phones.
This concern drove him, Jon Callas and Alan Johnston to create ZRTP, a protocol that imports some of PGP’s best features to Internet telephony. Zimmermann also saw an opportunity to create a secure voice-communications protocol that didn’t rely on the public-key infrastructure (PKI) or any external servers. As a result, ZRTP is a purely peer-to-peer setup that still allows users to thwart various kinds of attacks on their own.
“When two human beings are talking to each other, they are in a position to detect a ‘man in the middle’ by comparing whether or not they’re both using the same session key—using human conversation, verbal comparisons, hashed authentication strings,” Zimmermann says. “It completely eliminates the need for public-key infrastructure, which is quite a complex thing to drag into the VoIP world.”
Zfone, the ZRTP-based product Zimmermann sells through a company with the same name, also incorporates “key continuity,” where you hash the keys just used in the conversation, and they become part of the keys for the next conversation, thus assuring that you’re talking with the same person as the last time. (more) (Zfone beta release available for free download now.)
Got VoIP?
Get this!
Zphone is available as a "plugin" for existing soft VoIP clients, effectively converting them into secure phones.
Note... Real SAs don't point to their ears
The $29.95 M-7 Secret Agency Spy Ear."Imagine having a bionic ear that would allow you to secretly hear from great distances. Its ultra-sensitive microphone allows for crisp, clear audio all in a discreet, tiny ear-piece. Simply put, this tiny, cutting-edge device will turn any average Joe into a secret agent." ...or, a creepy looking dork. (more)
Teachers resign over sex tape
IL - A principal and a teacher at a suburban elementary school quit amid allegations they were caught on video having sex in the principal's office, authorities say.
In keeping with Cook County's reputation for bare-knuckle politics, the scandal broke after copies of the sex tape (2.5-hour DVD) were mailed anonymously to parents this week, just days before a contested school board election.
The case has also created something of a mystery: Who planted the camera that recorded the action?
...Sheriff's Department and South Suburban Major Crimes Task Force officers Thursday night searched the school to look for the camera and other items that may be related to the investigation.
Contrary to televised reports, the FBI was not part of the search at Sandridge Elementary School, Cook County Sheriff's Police Department Deputy Chief John Palcu said.
"At this point (the camera) wasn't found last night," Palcu said Friday morning. "I'm pretty sure it was removed. If it was a setup, they got what they wanted and then distributed the DVDs." (more) (photo)
In keeping with Cook County's reputation for bare-knuckle politics, the scandal broke after copies of the sex tape (2.5-hour DVD) were mailed anonymously to parents this week, just days before a contested school board election.
The case has also created something of a mystery: Who planted the camera that recorded the action?
...Sheriff's Department and South Suburban Major Crimes Task Force officers Thursday night searched the school to look for the camera and other items that may be related to the investigation.
Contrary to televised reports, the FBI was not part of the search at Sandridge Elementary School, Cook County Sheriff's Police Department Deputy Chief John Palcu said.
"At this point (the camera) wasn't found last night," Palcu said Friday morning. "I'm pretty sure it was removed. If it was a setup, they got what they wanted and then distributed the DVDs." (more) (photo)
Best Buy, 'Geek Squad' sued over videotaping
CA - A woman and her mother sued Best Buy and its "Geek Squad" computer repair team Wednesday, claiming they were legally responsible for dispatching a technician who allegedly videotaped the daughter taking a shower.
The suit, filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court on behalf of Sarah Vasquez, 22, and her mother, Natalie Fornaciari, 46, both from City of Industry, alleges that Geek Squad technician Hao Kuo Chi, 26, placed his cellphone in Vasquez's bathroom during a computer service call March 4 and recorded her showering.
Chi was arrested the same day on suspicion of using a camera to view a person without their consent and of annoying or molesting a child under 18, both misdemeanors, said Sheriff's Sgt. Bob Skudlarski. (more with video report)
The suit, filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court on behalf of Sarah Vasquez, 22, and her mother, Natalie Fornaciari, 46, both from City of Industry, alleges that Geek Squad technician Hao Kuo Chi, 26, placed his cellphone in Vasquez's bathroom during a computer service call March 4 and recorded her showering.
Chi was arrested the same day on suspicion of using a camera to view a person without their consent and of annoying or molesting a child under 18, both misdemeanors, said Sheriff's Sgt. Bob Skudlarski. (more with video report)
This Ain't Batman and Robin!
Sally and Kelly's conversations take place in their "cave" -- their bedroom. The couple displays their ability to talk to -- and listen to -- that person in bed next to them while listeners eavesdrop on their intimate conversations.
The Cave Report, a new radio show on XM (channel 124) and Sirius Satellite Radio (channel 143), featuring a couple, a bed and a conversation every Saturday in April on ABC News Talk Channel. Sally and Kelly, the hosts of the show, are Sothe "couple next-door" earnestly trying to process the world around them while avoiding, with any luck, the land mines that challenge all couples on their way to mutual understanding and respect. They invite listeners into the most intimate place imaginable: their bed. (more)
The Cave Report, a new radio show on XM (channel 124) and Sirius Satellite Radio (channel 143), featuring a couple, a bed and a conversation every Saturday in April on ABC News Talk Channel. Sally and Kelly, the hosts of the show, are Sothe "couple next-door" earnestly trying to process the world around them while avoiding, with any luck, the land mines that challenge all couples on their way to mutual understanding and respect. They invite listeners into the most intimate place imaginable: their bed. (more)
NYC Comptroller Wants Wal-Mart Spy Probe
New York City's comptroller has asked the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Justice Department to investigate whether Wal-Mart illegally spied on some of its shareholders.
The request follows reports in The Wall Street Journal that the giant retailer had an internal security team that secretly investigated employees and critics, including shareholders expected to challenge some of the company's policies at an annual meeting.
The company did not immediately respond Wednesday to a request for comment. (more)
The request follows reports in The Wall Street Journal that the giant retailer had an internal security team that secretly investigated employees and critics, including shareholders expected to challenge some of the company's policies at an annual meeting.
The company did not immediately respond Wednesday to a request for comment. (more)
A Century of Spy Watches
(courtesy of Wired) Pictured here is the Steineck Subminiature Wrist-camera, a tiny (if rather obvious) spy device of a kind dating back almost a century. Intriguing for their novelty, fascinating for their ninja-like purpose and obsession-inducing for their beauty, such things live amid the secret mental cache of gadgets I've hankered for since childhood.Watchismo, one of the most excellent and single-minded of blogs, has a two-part walkthrough of these bizarre creations, which began with a patent filed in 1907 and later sold as the Ticka, a camera disguised as a broken watch. (more)
Noseeums that See'um
Tiny robot insects that mimic flying bugs are being developed by US defence chiefs to spy on enemies, it was revealed on Wednesday.
The Pentagon's Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency has sanctioned work on four 'robobugs' weighing less than 10g (0.3oz) each, and with a 7.5cm (3in) wingspan. It is hoped to have prototypes flying in 2008.
The aim is for the bugs to carry tiny spy cameras. The bugs should be far more manoeuvrable than micro-sized conventional aircraft. (more) (more)
Of course, you could try doing it yourself for millions less... (more)
The Pentagon's Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency has sanctioned work on four 'robobugs' weighing less than 10g (0.3oz) each, and with a 7.5cm (3in) wingspan. It is hoped to have prototypes flying in 2008.
The aim is for the bugs to carry tiny spy cameras. The bugs should be far more manoeuvrable than micro-sized conventional aircraft. (more) (more)
Of course, you could try doing it yourself for millions less... (more)
Pellicano lawyers act to shift case's focus
LA - Defense attorneys for Anthony Pellicano have asked prosecutors for documents they say will show that authorities first investigated the Hollywood private eye for allegedly audiotaping an FBI agent.
The government has said the long-running probe stemmed from a threat against a Los Angeles Times reporter investigating organized crime in Hollywood. But months before the threat, agents went to the sleuth's office to search for a recording of law enforcement personnel, according to a federal subpoena.
The defense requests signal an effort to shift the focus of the case from celebrity wiretapping to claims of government misconduct. (more)
The government has said the long-running probe stemmed from a threat against a Los Angeles Times reporter investigating organized crime in Hollywood. But months before the threat, agents went to the sleuth's office to search for a recording of law enforcement personnel, according to a federal subpoena.
The defense requests signal an effort to shift the focus of the case from celebrity wiretapping to claims of government misconduct. (more)
Wednesday, April 4, 2007
Inside Wal-Mart's 'Threat Research' Operation
The Wal-Mart Stores Inc. worker fired last month for intercepting a reporter's phone calls says he was part of a larger, sophisticated surveillance operation that included snooping not only on employees, but also on critics, stockholders and the consulting firm McKinsey & Co. As part of the surveillance, the retailer last year had a long-haired employee infiltrate an anti-Wal-Mart group to determine if it planned protests at the company's annual meeting, according to Bruce Gabbard, the fired security worker, who worked in Wal-Mart's Threat Research and Analysis Group. The company also deployed cutting-edge monitoring systems made by a supplier to the Defense Department that allowed it to capture and record the actions of anyone connected to its global computer network. The systems' high-tech wizardry could detect the degree of flesh-tone on a viewed Internet image, and alerted monitors that a vendor sharing Wal-Mart networks was viewing pornography.
Wal-Mart has since disconnected some systems amid an internal investigation of the group's activities earlier this year, according to an executive in the security-information industry.
The revelations by Mr. Gabbard, many of which were confirmed by other former Wal-Mart employees and security-industry professionals, provide a rare window into the retail giant's internal operations and mindset. The company fired Mr. Gabbard, a 19-year employee, last month for unauthorized recording of calls to and from a New York Times reporter and for intercepting pager messages. Wal-Mart conducted an internal investigation of Mr. Gabbard and his group's activities, fired his supervisor and demoted a vice president over the group as well.
Mr. Gabbard says he recorded the calls on his own because he felt pressured to stop embarrassing leaks. But he says most of his spying activities were sanctioned by superiors. "I used to joke that Wal-Mart paid me to be paranoid and they got their money's worth," Mr. Gabbard says.
Wal-Mart says it permitted recording employee calls "only in compelling circumstances and with written permission from the legal department." But because pager messages were sent over a frequency that was not secure, Mr. Gabbard inadvertently intercepted pages from non-Wal-Mart employees as well. A U.S. attorney is investigating whether any laws were violated as a result of the phone and pager intercepts.
Aside from that possible infraction, Wal-Mart's surveillance activity appears to be legal. (more)
ARCHIVES
• Fired Wal-Mart Worker Speaks Out - 3/8/2007
• Wal-Mart Tapings Spark Probe - 3/6/2007
Wal-Mart defends security tactics
A fired Wal-Mart security worker confirmed a newspaper interview Wednesday in which he said he was part of a large surveillance operation that spied on company workers, critics, vendors and consultants. The company defended its security practices.
The world’s largest retailer declined to comment on specific allegations made by former security technician Bruce Gabbard, 44, to the Wall Street Journal in a report published Wednesday. Wal-Mart reiterated that it had fired Gabbard and his supervisor last month for violating company policy by recording phone calls and intercepting pager messages.
“Like most major corporations, it is our corporate responsibility to have systems in place, including software systems, to monitor threats to our network, intellectual property and our people,” Wal-Mart spokeswoman Sarah Clark said. (more)
The world’s largest retailer declined to comment on specific allegations made by former security technician Bruce Gabbard, 44, to the Wall Street Journal in a report published Wednesday. Wal-Mart reiterated that it had fired Gabbard and his supervisor last month for violating company policy by recording phone calls and intercepting pager messages.
“Like most major corporations, it is our corporate responsibility to have systems in place, including software systems, to monitor threats to our network, intellectual property and our people,” Wal-Mart spokeswoman Sarah Clark said. (more)
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