A woman fled the DEFCON conference after being identified in front of hundreds of other attendees as an undercover television reporter on a crusade to expose collusion between cyber criminals and federal agents.
Organizers were able to confirm that the woman had a camera in a small black bag that allowed her to surreptitiously video tape people attending the show. She hoped to tape people admitting to breaking the law and then attempt to tie them to federal agents who also attended the show. At one point, she was observed panning a room with her hidden camera.
The woman was identified as Michelle Madigan, an associate producer for Dateline NBC. (more)
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
"Liar, liar..."
FL - The Orlando Fire Department is investigating allegations that one of the department's top administrators and another chief in charge of internal affairs cheated on a promotional exam five years ago.
The evidence includes an audio recording containing an alleged conversation among as many as four firefighters secretly listening in while a colleague took a test they would be given the next day. ...
Internal-affairs manager Dwain Rivers concluded that eavesdropping on the test would not violate the law... (wrongo - Fla. Stat. ch. 934.03: All parties must consent to the recording or the disclosure of the contents of any wire, oral or electronic communication in Florida. And if all did consent, wouldn't fraud and conspiracy come to mind?) (more)
The evidence includes an audio recording containing an alleged conversation among as many as four firefighters secretly listening in while a colleague took a test they would be given the next day. ...
Internal-affairs manager Dwain Rivers concluded that eavesdropping on the test would not violate the law... (wrongo - Fla. Stat. ch. 934.03: All parties must consent to the recording or the disclosure of the contents of any wire, oral or electronic communication in Florida. And if all did consent, wouldn't fraud and conspiracy come to mind?) (more)
Spy vs. Spy
President Bush has signed into law a bill that gives the U.S. government more power to eavesdrop on suspected foreign terrorists. (more)
Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe has signed into law controversial new bugging regulations. The Interceptions of Communications Act allows state agents to monitor telephones, as well as private e-mails and post. (more)
Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe has signed into law controversial new bugging regulations. The Interceptions of Communications Act allows state agents to monitor telephones, as well as private e-mails and post. (more)
A Modern Morton's Fork Decided
Editorial excerpts regarding the new U.S. law which expands government's authority to eavesdrop.
"I’d Rather Be Spied on Than Dead or Out of Work" ~ Denny Hatch
"I haven’t asked anyone to spy on me. Yet know I am being spied on—by government, by business, by marketers—and were I holding down a real job in a real office, my employer would be spying on me. And I am glad of it. Quite simply, we are all being spied on. Get used to it.
...if mining my data, surveillance of my phone records, monitoring my Web activities and tracking my movements with spy cams will keep me safe, so be it."
(Cautionary Tale Alert)
"...A number of years ago, I made a speech to the Canadian Direct Marketing Association in Ottawa. That morning, the daily paper reported that the Bureau of Fisheries required a massive overhaul of its phone system due to a dramatic increase in traffic. In light of the wild over-fishing that had sent the Canadian fishing industry into the tank, the minister looked into why in the world additional phone lines were needed when basically nobody had much to do. It turns out that each of the 10,000 employees was making an average of seven visits a day to Internet porn sites. (P.S., the phone system was not upgraded.)
I don’t cotton to companies spying on their employees. But—when in the office—if they are making seven visits a day to porn sites, freelancing, blogging, updating their Facebook.com page and writing mash notes on company time—or revealing company secrets to competitors—they should be fired.
The compromising of corporate secrets is the most serious; if a competitor gets inside your IT system, learns your plans, finds out your costs and steals your business, you will be toast." (more)
"I’d Rather Be Spied on Than Dead or Out of Work" ~ Denny Hatch
"I haven’t asked anyone to spy on me. Yet know I am being spied on—by government, by business, by marketers—and were I holding down a real job in a real office, my employer would be spying on me. And I am glad of it. Quite simply, we are all being spied on. Get used to it.
...if mining my data, surveillance of my phone records, monitoring my Web activities and tracking my movements with spy cams will keep me safe, so be it."
(Cautionary Tale Alert)
"...A number of years ago, I made a speech to the Canadian Direct Marketing Association in Ottawa. That morning, the daily paper reported that the Bureau of Fisheries required a massive overhaul of its phone system due to a dramatic increase in traffic. In light of the wild over-fishing that had sent the Canadian fishing industry into the tank, the minister looked into why in the world additional phone lines were needed when basically nobody had much to do. It turns out that each of the 10,000 employees was making an average of seven visits a day to Internet porn sites. (P.S., the phone system was not upgraded.)
I don’t cotton to companies spying on their employees. But—when in the office—if they are making seven visits a day to porn sites, freelancing, blogging, updating their Facebook.com page and writing mash notes on company time—or revealing company secrets to competitors—they should be fired.
The compromising of corporate secrets is the most serious; if a competitor gets inside your IT system, learns your plans, finds out your costs and steals your business, you will be toast." (more)
Saturday, August 4, 2007
Cautionary Tale #436 - Teachers Pet
IN - Still unaware of who is responsible for putting an unauthorized recording device in the office of former Sandridge Elementary School Principal Leroy Coleman, Sandridge District 172 is looking into having a company check other areas of the school for bugging devices.
Interim Superintendent Diane Dyer-Dawson recently told the School Board she received an $8,000 price quote from one company for an electronic surveillance sweep of the school.
The company would check such areas as offices, the media center, teachers lounge, locker rooms, and student and faculty restrooms for eavesdropping devices, transmitters, receivers and cameras, Dyer-Dawson said.
She said the security of the school was seriously compromised when a camera was secretly placed in Coleman's office and a DVD recording began circulating, showing Coleman engaged in sex acts in his office with former teacher Janet Lofton at various times and dates between December and January. (more)
Consider this a cautionary tale. Regularly scheduled inspections for eavesdropping devices are a common practice in business and government. Discovering snoops and spies during the intelligence collection phase - before they use your information against you - is cheap insurance. A proactive inspection program also reduces $$$ losses and personal embarrassments. Call us to start your program.
Interim Superintendent Diane Dyer-Dawson recently told the School Board she received an $8,000 price quote from one company for an electronic surveillance sweep of the school.
The company would check such areas as offices, the media center, teachers lounge, locker rooms, and student and faculty restrooms for eavesdropping devices, transmitters, receivers and cameras, Dyer-Dawson said.
She said the security of the school was seriously compromised when a camera was secretly placed in Coleman's office and a DVD recording began circulating, showing Coleman engaged in sex acts in his office with former teacher Janet Lofton at various times and dates between December and January. (more)
Consider this a cautionary tale. Regularly scheduled inspections for eavesdropping devices are a common practice in business and government. Discovering snoops and spies during the intelligence collection phase - before they use your information against you - is cheap insurance. A proactive inspection program also reduces $$$ losses and personal embarrassments. Call us to start your program.
...all of them?
India's Intelligence Bureau has been ranked among the top 5 intelligence outfits in the world. According to a survey conducted by Strategic Forecasting, or STRATFOR, India’s IB exhibits efficiency and a high level of sophistication.
The STRATFOR report says IB's strength lies in its ability to conduct electronic surveillance with microphones. This comes as a relief to the Indian intelligence community, embarrassed by claims of its ineptitude by a key aide of former British PM Tony Blair.
Alastair Campbell had claimed Indian intelligence bugged Blair's Hotel room when he visited Delhi in 2001, but the British security service easily discovered them. (more)
The STRATFOR report says IB's strength lies in its ability to conduct electronic surveillance with microphones. This comes as a relief to the Indian intelligence community, embarrassed by claims of its ineptitude by a key aide of former British PM Tony Blair.
Alastair Campbell had claimed Indian intelligence bugged Blair's Hotel room when he visited Delhi in 2001, but the British security service easily discovered them. (more)
Mountie surveillance expert charged with selling secrets to the Mob
Canada - An RCMP expert in electronic surveillance has been arrested in Montreal and charged with selling police secrets to organized crime, Sun Media has learned.
Angelo Cecere, a 50-year-old visually impaired civilian employee, has worked for decades for the RCMP, listening to sensitive police wiretaps, translating them from Italian, and interpreting them for police. (more)
Angelo Cecere, a 50-year-old visually impaired civilian employee, has worked for decades for the RCMP, listening to sensitive police wiretaps, translating them from Italian, and interpreting them for police. (more)
IA Supreme Court: Parents can wiretap kids
The Iowa Supreme Court ruled Friday that telephone conversations a father recorded between his daughter and the teacher he suspected of sexually abusing her will be admissible in court, writing that parents may record their children’s telephone conversations if it is necessary for a child’s welfare. (more)
Zimbabwe passes 'eavesdrop' law
Africa - Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe has signed into law a bill allowing the state to eavesdrop on private phone conversations and monitor faxes and emails.
The Interception of Communication Act, published in the government gazette on Friday, provides for the setting up of an interception centre to listen into telephone conversations, open mail and intercept emails and faxes.
The law also compels Internet service providers to install equipment to facilitate interception "at all times or when so required" and ensure that its equipment allows full-time monitoring of communications. (more)
The Interception of Communication Act, published in the government gazette on Friday, provides for the setting up of an interception centre to listen into telephone conversations, open mail and intercept emails and faxes.
The law also compels Internet service providers to install equipment to facilitate interception "at all times or when so required" and ensure that its equipment allows full-time monitoring of communications. (more)
Del Male non Fare e Paura non Avere
People having an affair in Italy would be well advised in future not to use their car for illicit assignations.
An Italian judge yesterday ruled that wives or husbands who suspect marital infidelity are entitled under the law to bug their spouse’s car in the search for incriminating evidence. (more)
An Italian judge yesterday ruled that wives or husbands who suspect marital infidelity are entitled under the law to bug their spouse’s car in the search for incriminating evidence. (more)
VoIP Vandals
Internet telephone services like Skype and Vonage are starting to look less like digital gimmicks and more like the next generation of voice communication. They're cheaper than traditional phone services and increasingly fast and reliable. But they may also be far more hackable.
Security professionals at the Black Hat conference in Las Vegas spent Wednesday outlining the exploitable vulnerabilities in voice over Internet protocol technology, or VoIP. In a series of presentations, they demonstrated ways in which cybercriminals can eavesdrop on VoIP calls, steal data from Internet telephony devices, intercept credit card numbers from VoIP connections and shut connections down altogether. (more)
Security professionals at the Black Hat conference in Las Vegas spent Wednesday outlining the exploitable vulnerabilities in voice over Internet protocol technology, or VoIP. In a series of presentations, they demonstrated ways in which cybercriminals can eavesdrop on VoIP calls, steal data from Internet telephony devices, intercept credit card numbers from VoIP connections and shut connections down altogether. (more)
Eavesdropping on VoIP Calls—Part 1
Just like with all TCP/IP traffic, it is easy for a snoopy person to sniff unencrypted VoIP packets and record your conversations. And don't think they won't.
Remember the early days of cell phones, when people used ordinary police scanners to eavesdrop? Newt Gingrich, Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise, Prince Charles, and hosts of other celebrities learned the hard way the value of using cell phones with strong encryption.
It's not as easy to snoop wired IP traffic because you need physical access to the wires, but it's not that hard, either. Anyone on your network, anyone on other networks that you contact—and all points in between, including service providers—all have the opportunity to do an awful lot of juicy snooping. Throw in some poorly secured wireless access points, rogue wireless access points, or wireless VoIP endpoints, and you have a real security risk.
While spying on other people's communications is mostly illegal, that's small comfort if it happens to you. (more)(one good solution)
Remember the early days of cell phones, when people used ordinary police scanners to eavesdrop? Newt Gingrich, Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise, Prince Charles, and hosts of other celebrities learned the hard way the value of using cell phones with strong encryption.
It's not as easy to snoop wired IP traffic because you need physical access to the wires, but it's not that hard, either. Anyone on your network, anyone on other networks that you contact—and all points in between, including service providers—all have the opportunity to do an awful lot of juicy snooping. Throw in some poorly secured wireless access points, rogue wireless access points, or wireless VoIP endpoints, and you have a real security risk.
While spying on other people's communications is mostly illegal, that's small comfort if it happens to you. (more)(one good solution)
"Can you hear me now?"
UK - Mobile phones have everything these days: GPS, SMS, MP3... and now MI5.
In a development straight out of James Bond, spooks have worked out a way of using everyone's favourite gadget as a bugging device.
Real-life Qs have developed a crafty surveillance technique that involves sending a signal to the target mobile which reprogrammes the electronics and allows it to be used as a listening device. The affected phone - even if it is in standby mode or apparently switched off - remains in contact with the listening station, transmitting conversations picked up on its microphone.
And if you still think this is science fiction, think again. Last week, German police admitted using the system. In Britain, the Home Office have been more, well, British, saying: "We are aware of the technique but we don't comment on which techniques are used by law enforcement agencies." (more)
In a development straight out of James Bond, spooks have worked out a way of using everyone's favourite gadget as a bugging device.
Real-life Qs have developed a crafty surveillance technique that involves sending a signal to the target mobile which reprogrammes the electronics and allows it to be used as a listening device. The affected phone - even if it is in standby mode or apparently switched off - remains in contact with the listening station, transmitting conversations picked up on its microphone.
And if you still think this is science fiction, think again. Last week, German police admitted using the system. In Britain, the Home Office have been more, well, British, saying: "We are aware of the technique but we don't comment on which techniques are used by law enforcement agencies." (more)
Bail bondsman convicted of wiretapping phone
MO - A part-time bail bondsman from Sparta was convicted Wednesday in federal court of wiretapping a Springfield woman's telephone.
Richard A. Hugh, 54, was found guilty of intercepting the telephone communications without permission, according to a press release issued by the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri.
Hugh installed the phone tap on the woman's phone line in December 2005 in an effort to locate a fugitive in a Lawrence County case, the release said. Using equipment bought at a Radio Shack, he recorded conversations for about 11 days. (more)
Richard A. Hugh, 54, was found guilty of intercepting the telephone communications without permission, according to a press release issued by the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri.
Hugh installed the phone tap on the woman's phone line in December 2005 in an effort to locate a fugitive in a Lawrence County case, the release said. Using equipment bought at a Radio Shack, he recorded conversations for about 11 days. (more)
...the smart ones do.
India - Detectives today are being approached to spy on matters big and small, issues personal and professional. Be it for checking on spouses, pre-marital screening, employee verification, update on a business rival or uncovering cyber crime, the reasons for hiring a sleuth are many and varied.
Spy, detective, sleuth or secret agent. Whatever you decide to call them, the very word implies danger, intrigue, and enemies. Their job is to obtain information. From tracking down an errant husband or a two-timing wife to shadowing corporate, business or political rivals or verifying credentials of prospective employees, sleuthing is big business today. Large corporations spend a lot of money on precautions and protective countermeasures. (more)
Spy, detective, sleuth or secret agent. Whatever you decide to call them, the very word implies danger, intrigue, and enemies. Their job is to obtain information. From tracking down an errant husband or a two-timing wife to shadowing corporate, business or political rivals or verifying credentials of prospective employees, sleuthing is big business today. Large corporations spend a lot of money on precautions and protective countermeasures. (more)
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