The British Foreign Office confirmed on Friday that Russia has accused the British Embassy's top trade official in Moscow of espionage.
On Thursday, Russia's Interfax news agency reported that the head of the British Embassy's trade and investment sector, Christopher Bowers, was believed to be a senior British intelligence officer.
The British Foreign Office has confirmed that the accused diplomat was the acting head of the embassy's trade and investment section. (more)
Monday, July 14, 2008
Industrial Espionage - Saab AB
A Swedish court has remanded a 48-year-old man suspected of industrial espionage against Swedish space and defense company Saab AB.
Swedish news agency TT says the suspect is being detained on suspicion of industrial espionage, unauthorized trade with secret information, and attempted extortion. (more)
Swedish news agency TT says the suspect is being detained on suspicion of industrial espionage, unauthorized trade with secret information, and attempted extortion. (more)
Saturday, July 12, 2008
The Ultimate in Secure Business Meetings
Historic cavesthwart all eavesdroppers!
About 1000 feet into the white-walled chalk caves is a 40-foot diameter meeting room. Notables who have held their secret meetings here included Benjamin Franklin, Sir Francis Dashwood and their celebrity friends from the 1700's.They required privacy for their 'Hellfire Club' meetings (rumored to be orgies). These days, corporate privacy needs are based on risk more than risqué.
Located just outside of London, the caves are available for corporate functions and parties.
Capacity...
Receptions: 120 people
Buffet: 100 people
Dinner: 50 people
Whiterock Defence, an international provider of information security services located near The Hellfire Caves, can help you secure this facility for a most memorable meeting. Contact Crispin Sturrock at +44 (0) 1494 538 222, or via email contact@whiterockdefence.com for complete details.
This past week, I visited The Caves for the second time.
You won't be disappointed. ~ Kevin
Friday, July 11, 2008
Did You Know... Court Approves Airport Laptop Searches - No Probable Cause Needed
All of the contents on a laptop can now be searched without wrongdoing or suspicion from U.S. Customs agents according to a recent federal appeals court ruling (PDF).
Expect the same level of privacy when visiting other countries as well.
(more)
Now, what are you going to do about it?
Here are some ideas and products to help you...
• Have a travel laptop. No data on the hard drive.
• Keep only necessary data on a secure USB stick.
• If you must keep sensitive data on your drive, encrypt it...
-- TrueCrypt 6.0 - The latest version of the free drive-encryption tool can shield sensitive data from prying eyes at home and abroad. Bonus - There is no way to prove that a hidden encrypted volume even exists on your drive unless you volunteer that information. TrueCrypt 6.0a is available now for Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux systems, including Windows Vista. (review)
Expect the same level of privacy when visiting other countries as well.
(more)
Now, what are you going to do about it?
Here are some ideas and products to help you...
• Have a travel laptop. No data on the hard drive.
• Keep only necessary data on a secure USB stick.
• If you must keep sensitive data on your drive, encrypt it...
-- TrueCrypt 6.0 - The latest version of the free drive-encryption tool can shield sensitive data from prying eyes at home and abroad. Bonus - There is no way to prove that a hidden encrypted volume even exists on your drive unless you volunteer that information. TrueCrypt 6.0a is available now for Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux systems, including Windows Vista. (review)
A World Guide to Legal Interception
Need to know if "they" can legally...
bug, tap, or sap your text messages and email?
Check out this new guide to interception laws worldwide.
30+ countries covered.
THE READY GUIDE TO INTERCEPT LEGISLATION 2
bug, tap, or sap your text messages and email?
Check out this new guide to interception laws worldwide.
30+ countries covered.
THE READY GUIDE TO INTERCEPT LEGISLATION 2
Executive Alert - Your Trip to China
from Forbes Magazine...
When traveling to China for the Olympics this summer, leave any expectation of privacy at the border. Instead, prepare for possible eavesdropping and surveillance--from listening devices in hotel rooms to bugged laptops and personal digital assistants to informers posing as friendly strangers.
Those who laugh at the seeming paranoia would be wise to remember that the U.S. recently accused Chinese authorities of allegedly copying data from the laptop of a visiting trade official last year and attempting to hack into the Commerce Department. The Chinese denied the allegations.
The U.S. Department of State advises tourists not to expect privacy in public or private locations, particularly in hotels, but a spokesman declined to comment further.
Wang Baodong, a spokesman for the Chinese embassy in Washington, D.C., was almost as tight-lipped. He declined to address specific allegations of spying on foreigners at the Olympics.
"No special security measures will be arranged beyond universally adopted international practice at public venues, hotels and offices in China," he says. "Privacy in China will be guaranteed according to the law."
But security experts say that Chinese law has few protections for individual privacy...
Bruce McIndoe, president of the security consulting company iJet, routinely warns his corporate clients about threats to their electronic security.
"What business people need to be aware of," he says, "is that the Chinese are very clear about who is coming into the country. You could be a senior level executive or a scientist and they will target you for surveillance."
(more)
How To Safeguard Your Privacy In Beijing - the short list.
When traveling to China for the Olympics this summer, leave any expectation of privacy at the border. Instead, prepare for possible eavesdropping and surveillance--from listening devices in hotel rooms to bugged laptops and personal digital assistants to informers posing as friendly strangers.
Those who laugh at the seeming paranoia would be wise to remember that the U.S. recently accused Chinese authorities of allegedly copying data from the laptop of a visiting trade official last year and attempting to hack into the Commerce Department. The Chinese denied the allegations.
The U.S. Department of State advises tourists not to expect privacy in public or private locations, particularly in hotels, but a spokesman declined to comment further.
Wang Baodong, a spokesman for the Chinese embassy in Washington, D.C., was almost as tight-lipped. He declined to address specific allegations of spying on foreigners at the Olympics.
"No special security measures will be arranged beyond universally adopted international practice at public venues, hotels and offices in China," he says. "Privacy in China will be guaranteed according to the law."
But security experts say that Chinese law has few protections for individual privacy...
Bruce McIndoe, president of the security consulting company iJet, routinely warns his corporate clients about threats to their electronic security.
"What business people need to be aware of," he says, "is that the Chinese are very clear about who is coming into the country. You could be a senior level executive or a scientist and they will target you for surveillance."
(more)
How To Safeguard Your Privacy In Beijing - the short list.
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Did You Know #172 - Credit Card Standards
If you have anything to do with credit cards,
you need to know this...
"Credit card companies want you to charge it and they know that concerns about identity theft might possibly slow down your card use — so it is in their best interests to make sure that a solid security standard is in place to protect you. The standard has turned into a requirement for everyone who takes a credit card and that turns out to be literally millions of grocers, retailers, online retail outlets, government agencies, convenience stores, utilities — almost everyone. So the PCI-DSS standard may be the most widely applied information (data) security standard in the world.
With such a widespread and critical standard, there is confusion about how to meet the standard because just doing a self-assessment isn’t enough — you are also required to do penetration tests on your systems that handle and transmit this electronic customer information and ATTEST that you use the standard in your information systems.
This includes having strong firewalls that protect cardholder data and making sure to remove the generic vendor-supplied passwords; using good storage devices for sensitive customer information and encrypting data that flows over your network. In addition, the card manager has to use anti-virus software, and also build secure systems. Once proper controls are in place, these controls need to be monitored and tested..."
Which leads us to the author of this piece.
Get to know her.
Caroline R. Hamilton is the Founder of RiskWatch, Inc. She offers twelve specialized risk assessment software programs which are used by thousands of her clients all over the world and in virtually every type of security assessment, gap analysis, and compliance assessment.
Murray Associates can assist you with the technical end of Wireless LAN compliance for PCI-DSS and...
• Sarbanes-Oxley Act – U.S. Public Companies
• HIPAA – Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act
• GLBA – Gramm-Leach-Bliley Financial Services Modernization Act
• PCI-DSS – Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard
• FISMA – Federal Information Security Management Act
• DoD 8100.2 – Use of Commercial Wireless Devices, Services, and Technologies in the Department of Defense Global Information Grid
• ISO 27001 – Information Security Management
• Basel II Accord – Banking
• EU - CRD (Cad 3) – EU - Capital Requirements Directive - Banking
you need to know this...
"Credit card companies want you to charge it and they know that concerns about identity theft might possibly slow down your card use — so it is in their best interests to make sure that a solid security standard is in place to protect you. The standard has turned into a requirement for everyone who takes a credit card and that turns out to be literally millions of grocers, retailers, online retail outlets, government agencies, convenience stores, utilities — almost everyone. So the PCI-DSS standard may be the most widely applied information (data) security standard in the world.
With such a widespread and critical standard, there is confusion about how to meet the standard because just doing a self-assessment isn’t enough — you are also required to do penetration tests on your systems that handle and transmit this electronic customer information and ATTEST that you use the standard in your information systems.
This includes having strong firewalls that protect cardholder data and making sure to remove the generic vendor-supplied passwords; using good storage devices for sensitive customer information and encrypting data that flows over your network. In addition, the card manager has to use anti-virus software, and also build secure systems. Once proper controls are in place, these controls need to be monitored and tested..."
Which leads us to the author of this piece.
Get to know her.
Caroline R. Hamilton is the Founder of RiskWatch, Inc. She offers twelve specialized risk assessment software programs which are used by thousands of her clients all over the world and in virtually every type of security assessment, gap analysis, and compliance assessment.
Murray Associates can assist you with the technical end of Wireless LAN compliance for PCI-DSS and...
• Sarbanes-Oxley Act – U.S. Public Companies
• HIPAA – Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act
• GLBA – Gramm-Leach-Bliley Financial Services Modernization Act
• PCI-DSS – Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard
• FISMA – Federal Information Security Management Act
• DoD 8100.2 – Use of Commercial Wireless Devices, Services, and Technologies in the Department of Defense Global Information Grid
• ISO 27001 – Information Security Management
• Basel II Accord – Banking
• EU - CRD (Cad 3) – EU - Capital Requirements Directive - Banking
Sunday, June 29, 2008
"Hello, Moto!"
IL - A Chinese spy was caught "red-handed," according to federal authorities, as she was about to board a plane at O'Hare bound for Beijing. Hanjuan Jin says she worked as a computer engineer for Schaumburg-based Motorola, a global leader in communications technology.
Federal agents say Jin was also working as a spy for a Chinese company, and she has been charged in a corporate espionage case that reflects a growing national security problem.
Clues...
• She downloaded hundreds of confidential documents from the company's supposedly secure internal network. Value = $600 million (Motorola estimate.)
• Arrived at O'Hare Airport with a one-way ticket to Beijing.
• Declared $10,000.00 cash. She was really carrying $30,000.00.
(more, with video) (red-handed spy catch in Illinois - not the first time)
Kicker...
It was only a routine check of passengers by customs agents that revealed she was carrying the cash and a laptop computer with more than 30 compact data storage devices containing stolen Motorola files.
Imagine the counterespionage successes you can accomplish in your company with routine checks.
(Mr. Moto is a fictional Japanese spy played by Peter Lorre, a Polish Jew.)
Federal agents say Jin was also working as a spy for a Chinese company, and she has been charged in a corporate espionage case that reflects a growing national security problem.Clues...
• She downloaded hundreds of confidential documents from the company's supposedly secure internal network. Value = $600 million (Motorola estimate.)
• Arrived at O'Hare Airport with a one-way ticket to Beijing.
• Declared $10,000.00 cash. She was really carrying $30,000.00.
(more, with video) (red-handed spy catch in Illinois - not the first time)
Kicker...
It was only a routine check of passengers by customs agents that revealed she was carrying the cash and a laptop computer with more than 30 compact data storage devices containing stolen Motorola files.
Imagine the counterespionage successes you can accomplish in your company with routine checks.
(Mr. Moto is a fictional Japanese spy played by Peter Lorre, a Polish Jew.)
Saturday, June 28, 2008
IMF's aren't known for giving 'comp time'
One unintended consequence of India and Pakistan establishing better relations in the last year, is a bunch of lawsuits by former Indian spies against the Indian government.
The former spies are suing to obtain pay for the years they have spent in Pakistani jails. That's because both countries have freed hundreds of men who had been imprisoned for spying, but the agencies that hired these men, often will still not admit it. (more)
The former spies are suing to obtain pay for the years they have spent in Pakistani jails. That's because both countries have freed hundreds of men who had been imprisoned for spying, but the agencies that hired these men, often will still not admit it. (more)
Friday, June 27, 2008
Spybusters Shades - Poop on the Paparazzi
Proof of Concept. Very effective. Murray's Prediction: Look for some sharp sunglass manufacturer to put this into production.
"Spy", perhaps?!?!
"Spy", perhaps?!?!
Thursday, June 26, 2008
The Bugs of Margaritaville
Another employee vs. boss illegal bugging story.But the case gets weirder...
Key West, FL - ...suspended Key West police officer Thomas Neary was fired Wednesday for telling people he was an undercover federal agent investigating corruption in the Police Department and looking into possible terrorist attacks...
The Neary investigation even involved bugging Lt. Kathleen Ream's office to record conversations she had with him. Transcripts from the bugging show some statements that indicate Neary told Ream he and his wife are federal agents...
In a casual conversation before the investigation began, "Officer Neary told [detective Bradley Lariz] that he had [City Commissioner Mark Rossi's] plane and house bugged and that they were watching him. He also told Lariz that he was watching and doing an investigation on Sgt. Robert Allen."
It's not clear what he was inferring with Rossi, but with Allen, he allegedly accused the sergeant of transporting drugs to Cuba in a police boat. (more)
On Taping Your Own Conversations, Legally
IN - A Carmel man who claimed he set up a voice recorder to capture conversations with his wife before their divorce action has been acquitted of criminal wiretapping.A Hamilton Circuit Court jury found the man not guilty of the Class C felony offense of interception of telephonic communications. (more)
Indiana is a one-party consent state, meaning only one person who is being recorded needs to agree to the recording. Some states require all parties to consent. Want to know the law for your state? Check here.
Unified Communications - Beware the Dark Side
Unified Communications refers to an umbrella of technologies that are likely already familiar to corporate users: Instant messaging, that lets users chat with others in real-time using a simple client interface; presence, which allows users to see who is available on IM, but also what is active on the network; and unified messaging, the combination of e-mail, voice, and fax in a single in-box that offers users access at any time from any device.
The products come as hardware and software combinations, stand-alone software, software suites, or as a hosted service. When working together, these tools aim to simplify the lives of professionals... (more) (more)
However...
• UC is a bigger, juicer, easier target for spies and hackers than each system individually.
• Court-ordered electronic surveillance of UC systems is easier and more productive.
• UC system breakdowns / sabotage will mean more $$$ lost than with current devices.
The products come as hardware and software combinations, stand-alone software, software suites, or as a hosted service. When working together, these tools aim to simplify the lives of professionals... (more) (more)
However...
• UC is a bigger, juicer, easier target for spies and hackers than each system individually.
• Court-ordered electronic surveillance of UC systems is easier and more productive.
• UC system breakdowns / sabotage will mean more $$$ lost than with current devices.
Sing-along! "Every single day, Every word you say, I'll be watching you."
Executives who often work on the move or in public places had better be more discreet about their business conversations and documents.
A survey in Britain and the United States, released last week, found that eavesdropping in public places was common.
Information exchanged during supposedly private business conversations were also used by others for their own advantage, according to survey findings.
Conducted by flexible work solutions provider Regus, the survey found that 67 per cent of Britons had listened in on someone else's business conversation while they were in public places.
Americans were also guilty of this act - 59 per cent of those polled did just that.
Besides eavesdropping, the habit of sneaking a peek at other people's business documents in public places, such as while on the train, was also not unheard of.
Nearly two out of five British professionals (35 per cent) and 34 per cent of Americans surveyed said they had caught sight of other people's sensitive company documents.
And the shocking thing was that 13 per cent of Britons and 19 per cent of Americans said they were able to use the information overheard for their own business purposes. (more)
A survey in Britain and the United States, released last week, found that eavesdropping in public places was common.
Information exchanged during supposedly private business conversations were also used by others for their own advantage, according to survey findings.
Conducted by flexible work solutions provider Regus, the survey found that 67 per cent of Britons had listened in on someone else's business conversation while they were in public places.
Americans were also guilty of this act - 59 per cent of those polled did just that.
Besides eavesdropping, the habit of sneaking a peek at other people's business documents in public places, such as while on the train, was also not unheard of.
Nearly two out of five British professionals (35 per cent) and 34 per cent of Americans surveyed said they had caught sight of other people's sensitive company documents.
And the shocking thing was that 13 per cent of Britons and 19 per cent of Americans said they were able to use the information overheard for their own business purposes. (more)
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