Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Spy, thy name doth not spell "good fortune."
New York City - The Queens mother accused of hiring a hit man to kill her estranged husband bought a $740 spy camera the night before the murder, prosecutors said Tuesday. Mazoltuv Borukhova, 34, picked up the button-sized hidden camera from a spy supply store just before 6 p.m. on Oct. 27, 2007, prosecutor Brad Leventhal said. She called several times to make sure the shop would be open, he said. (more)
Your Local Drug Store Spy Shop Isle
The Law Pertaining to the Sale of Eavesdropping Devices...
(1) Except as otherwise specifically provided in this chapter, any person who intentionally—
(a) sends through the mail, or sends or carries in interstate or foreign commerce, any electronic, mechanical, or other device, knowing or having reason to know that the design of such device renders it primarily useful for the purpose of the surreptitious interception of wire, oral, or electronic communications;
(b) manufactures, assembles, possesses, or sells any electronic, mechanical, or other device, knowing or having reason to know that the design of such device renders it primarily useful for the purpose of the surreptitious interception of wire, oral, or electronic communications, and that such device or any component thereof has been or will be sent through the mail or transported in interstate or foreign commerce; or
(c) places in any newspaper, magazine, handbill, or other publication or disseminates by electronic means any advertisement of—
(i) any electronic, mechanical, or other device knowing or having reason to know that the design of such device renders it primarily useful for the purpose of the surreptitious interception of wire, oral, or electronic communications; or... (see last paragraph)
The Reality... even your local drug store has an unabashed Spy Shop isle!
Loud 'N Clear Personal Sound Amplifier
"The Loud N Clear listening device is cleverly designed to look like an expensive cell phone ear piece."
"So powerful, you can even hear conversations from across the street." (more) (more)
Listen Up Personal Sound Amplifier
"It's so powerful you can even hear the faintest whispers and conversations up to 100' away! Smaller than a credit card, fits easily into a purse, pocket or securely clips to a belt." (more)
But, of course, these items are "primarily useful" for things other than illegal eavesdropping... they're just promoted that way.
But wait!
There's more!
(ii) any other electronic, mechanical, or other device, where such advertisement promotes the use of such device for the purpose of the surreptitious interception of wire, oral, or electronic communications, knowing the content of the advertisement and knowing or having reason to know that such advertisement will be sent through the mail or transported in interstate or foreign commerce, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than five years, or both.
Gottcha.
(1) Except as otherwise specifically provided in this chapter, any person who intentionally—
(a) sends through the mail, or sends or carries in interstate or foreign commerce, any electronic, mechanical, or other device, knowing or having reason to know that the design of such device renders it primarily useful for the purpose of the surreptitious interception of wire, oral, or electronic communications;
(b) manufactures, assembles, possesses, or sells any electronic, mechanical, or other device, knowing or having reason to know that the design of such device renders it primarily useful for the purpose of the surreptitious interception of wire, oral, or electronic communications, and that such device or any component thereof has been or will be sent through the mail or transported in interstate or foreign commerce; or
(c) places in any newspaper, magazine, handbill, or other publication or disseminates by electronic means any advertisement of—
(i) any electronic, mechanical, or other device knowing or having reason to know that the design of such device renders it primarily useful for the purpose of the surreptitious interception of wire, oral, or electronic communications; or... (see last paragraph)
The Reality... even your local drug store has an unabashed Spy Shop isle!
Loud 'N Clear Personal Sound Amplifier"The Loud N Clear listening device is cleverly designed to look like an expensive cell phone ear piece."
"So powerful, you can even hear conversations from across the street." (more) (more)
Listen Up Personal Sound Amplifier"It's so powerful you can even hear the faintest whispers and conversations up to 100' away! Smaller than a credit card, fits easily into a purse, pocket or securely clips to a belt." (more)
But, of course, these items are "primarily useful" for things other than illegal eavesdropping... they're just promoted that way.
But wait!
There's more!
(ii) any other electronic, mechanical, or other device, where such advertisement promotes the use of such device for the purpose of the surreptitious interception of wire, oral, or electronic communications, knowing the content of the advertisement and knowing or having reason to know that such advertisement will be sent through the mail or transported in interstate or foreign commerce, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than five years, or both.
Gottcha.
Quality Inn-verse Peephole
Colorado couple finds peephole reversed in Fla. hotel... A trip to Florida was supposed to be filled with rest and relaxation. But it was more infuriating for a Highlands Ranch couple. Aaron and Amy Cali found a peephole in their room had been reversed. So people on the outside could look inside their room.
The couple ended a Caribbean cruise on Valentine's night at a Quality Inn in Hollywood, Fla. The next morning, Amy got a disturbing
surprise. "I noticed a light coming from the hotel door about 3 feet up. I realized it was a peephole. I tried looking out of it and didn't see anything," says Amy. So, she went outside and looked in. "You could see the entire hotel room, the bed, bathroom. You could see the entire room. Everything," she said. "We don't know if photos were taken. We don't know if videos were taken. We don't know who was looking, how many were looking." (more, with video)
Thoughts...
Hotel door peepholes are mandated by law. This door had two; one at regular height, and lower one three feet from the ground (ADA compliant for people in wheelchairs). The door opened onto an outside shared walkway – not a very safe area to sit and peep.
More likely, a mini wireless spycam was temporarily affixed to the door, with the receiver in another hotel room, or parked car. There, viewing / recording could be accomplished safely.
Additional police work we would like see...
• Check all other doors for reversed peepholes.
• If more than one is reversed, consider this a for-profit, organized crime.
• Match the rooms against customer records. Look for a pattern. The same person might have rented each room once, just to reverse the peepholes.
• Look for 'regular' customers. Are their rooms usually near the the 'reversed' rooms?
• Look for connections between the night managers / staff with any suspicious names found.
• Background check night managers / staff.
• Take a peephole photo. Try to match it with Internet voyeur site photos / movies. If a match is found, many more leads will open up.
• Check other hotels in the area for similar problems.
Hotels in the Hollywood, Florida area cater to young couples visiting on vacation, school breaks and cruise ships. The area is a rich target for pornography manufacturers. It is unlikely this is an isolated incident.
Still think this is an isolated incident?
University of Georgia
...every dorm room is equipped with a peephole in order to provide extra security and precaution for every student.
Yet, the extra security measure has been turned into a practical joke as a peculiar trend circulates through the residence halls - reversing peepholes so their principle function is to peer in on people, rather than allowing residents to peek out.
"I'm not quite sure who started it, but someone said, 'Hey, look in here,' so I did and I saw the people inside," said Ileana Figueroa, a freshman from Augusta residing in Lipscomb Hall in an interview last week.
"The peepholes are pretty easy to unscrew - all you have to do is have the door open," Figueroa said. "Everyone in our hall is pretty close so anything like this is just a joke."
Sam White and his roommate Peri Finch, who both reside in Lipscomb Hall, are victims of the peephole tampering trend... (more)
P.S. "Kramer and Newman did it in a Seinfeld episode so they could check to make sure no one was in their apartments waiting to jump them." ~Tim
World Spy News Round-up
Italian authorities have closed all legal action against McLaren for its part in a spy scandal with Ferrari, McLaren said Monday. (more)
Kazakstan's former defense minister Wednesday accused the country's intelligence services of conducting an illegal wiretapping campaign against him and other members of parliament... (more)
The Finnish government may silence corporate whistleblowers by supporting a proposal backed by Nokia Oyj that would ease rules on monitoring workers’ emails... (more)
EU's judicial cooperation agency Eurojust will take the lead in finding ways to help police and prosecutors across Europe to wiretap computer-to-computer phone conversations enabled by programs such as Skype... (more)
UPDATE - Eurojust retracted previous statements saying it was taking the lead in helping national authorities to wiretap Skype conversations, saying they were issued "prematurely" and were "incorrect"... Skype, a Danish-Swedish business developed by Estonian programmers that was sold to E-Bay in 2005 and has over 350 million customers worldwide, is said to be un-spyable by intelligence services. (more)
Two more top deputies resigned from Colombia's domestic spy agency on Tuesday as prosecutors investigate allegations of improper eavesdropping on journalists, Supreme Court judges and opposition members... (more) Colombia has had issues in the past with wiretapping. In May 2007, the head of police intelligence and Colombia's police chief were forced to resign after an illegal interception of calls of political figures, government members, and, you guessed it, journalists... (more) Colombia's President Alvaro Uribe says he was unaware of the telephone bugging activities reportedly practised by the DAS domestic intelligence service... (more)
An Estonian court convicted a former top security official of treason Wednesday for passing on classified information to a foreign power in the Baltic country's biggest espionage scandal since the Cold War. (more)
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration failed to adequately protect a glamorous female spy when she was captured in Colombia in 1995, a Miami judge says. The former DEA informant, identified in court documents only as The Princess, is suing the agency for $33 million... (more)
Kazakstan's former defense minister Wednesday accused the country's intelligence services of conducting an illegal wiretapping campaign against him and other members of parliament... (more)
The Finnish government may silence corporate whistleblowers by supporting a proposal backed by Nokia Oyj that would ease rules on monitoring workers’ emails... (more)
EU's judicial cooperation agency Eurojust will take the lead in finding ways to help police and prosecutors across Europe to wiretap computer-to-computer phone conversations enabled by programs such as Skype... (more)
UPDATE - Eurojust retracted previous statements saying it was taking the lead in helping national authorities to wiretap Skype conversations, saying they were issued "prematurely" and were "incorrect"... Skype, a Danish-Swedish business developed by Estonian programmers that was sold to E-Bay in 2005 and has over 350 million customers worldwide, is said to be un-spyable by intelligence services. (more)
Two more top deputies resigned from Colombia's domestic spy agency on Tuesday as prosecutors investigate allegations of improper eavesdropping on journalists, Supreme Court judges and opposition members... (more) Colombia has had issues in the past with wiretapping. In May 2007, the head of police intelligence and Colombia's police chief were forced to resign after an illegal interception of calls of political figures, government members, and, you guessed it, journalists... (more) Colombia's President Alvaro Uribe says he was unaware of the telephone bugging activities reportedly practised by the DAS domestic intelligence service... (more)
An Estonian court convicted a former top security official of treason Wednesday for passing on classified information to a foreign power in the Baltic country's biggest espionage scandal since the Cold War. (more)
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration failed to adequately protect a glamorous female spy when she was captured in Colombia in 1995, a Miami judge says. The former DEA informant, identified in court documents only as The Princess, is suing the agency for $33 million... (more)
Information Security and Cryptography Seminar
Date: June 8-11, 2009
Venue: Davos, Switzerland
Lecturers: Prof. David Basin and Prof. Ueli Maurer, ETH Zurich
Organized by Barbara Geiser, Advanced Technology Group
Further information and registration at www.infsec.ch
----------------------------------------------------------------------
A partial list of the topics covered includes:
- Cryptography: Basic Concepts and Mathematical Foundations
- Advanced Cryptography with Applications
- PKI and Key Management
- Nonrepudiation and Digital Evidence
- System and Network Security
- Web Application Security
- Authentication, Authorization, and Access Control
- Privacy and Usage Control
- Digital payment systems
- E-voting
- Security Engineering
- Selected advanced topics
The material is presented in a self-contained way, understandable to
a wide audience. The seminar is aimed at professionals ranging from
system engineers and project managers to cryptographers and security
experts, who wish to better understand, develop, or use systems
employing modern security technologies.
Venue: Davos, Switzerland
Lecturers: Prof. David Basin and Prof. Ueli Maurer, ETH Zurich
Organized by Barbara Geiser, Advanced Technology Group
Further information and registration at www.infsec.ch
----------------------------------------------------------------------
A partial list of the topics covered includes:
- Cryptography: Basic Concepts and Mathematical Foundations
- Advanced Cryptography with Applications
- PKI and Key Management
- Nonrepudiation and Digital Evidence
- System and Network Security
- Web Application Security
- Authentication, Authorization, and Access Control
- Privacy and Usage Control
- Digital payment systems
- E-voting
- Security Engineering
- Selected advanced topics
The material is presented in a self-contained way, understandable to
a wide audience. The seminar is aimed at professionals ranging from
system engineers and project managers to cryptographers and security
experts, who wish to better understand, develop, or use systems
employing modern security technologies.
NIST revises guidance for remote access and teleworking security
NIST is revising its "Guide to Enterprise Telework and Remote Access Security," which was first published in 2002. A draft of Special Publication 800-46 Revision 1 has been released for public comment. It is intended to help organizations understand and mitigate the risks of teleworking, emphasizing the importance of securing sensitive information stored on telework devices and transmitted across external networks. The draft also provides recommendations for selecting, implementing, and maintaining the necessary security controls. (more)
Sunday, February 22, 2009
SpyCam Story #519 - Bay City Troller
MI - Brandon D. King of Bay City, who was convicted of videotaping a woman changing clothes inside a Target fitting room, is serving three months of electronic monitoring for violating probation.
...initially sentenced King to three years of probation for using an eavesdropping device to watch the 24-year-old woman, clad in undergarments, try on a pair of shorts June 12, 2007, at the store, 2272 Tittabawassee, Kochville Township.
Sheriff's deputies said the victim was changing clothes when she noticed a pair of hands holding a Sony video camera under the wall. (more)
...initially sentenced King to three years of probation for using an eavesdropping device to watch the 24-year-old woman, clad in undergarments, try on a pair of shorts June 12, 2007, at the store, 2272 Tittabawassee, Kochville Township.
Sheriff's deputies said the victim was changing clothes when she noticed a pair of hands holding a Sony video camera under the wall. (more)
Vienna, one of the spy capitals of the world
Twenty years after the end of the Cold War, Vienna remains a spy haven, swarming with foreign agents who think nothing of killing in broad daylight, while the Austrian authorities turn a blind eye, experts say.Vienna formed the backdrop to Orson Welles's legendary spy thriller "The Third Man" in 1949, but even today it remains a hive of secret service activity.
"Austria is still a favourite place for agents. They're frequently known to the authorities, but rarely hindered. Everything is handled courteously and diplomatically. There's a long tradition in that," said Siegfried Beer, director of the Austrian Centre for Intelligence, Propaganda and Security Studies (ACIPSS), at the University of Graz. (more)
Kelly Monroe Turner’s extraordinary eavesdropping device
At 1:07 a.m. on the morning of Oct. 1, 1910, the walls of the Los Angeles Times building succumbed to a immense explosion.
Men, mortar and equipment were dispersed into the night air and a fire erupted. When the dust eventually settled, 21 newspaper employees were dead and 100 others were injured, many seriously.
Newspapers called the tragedy “the crime of the century.”
William J. “Billy” Burns, famed anti-union private detective, was hired to solve the crime...
Burns’ investigation of the dynamiting brought national notoriety to three Terre Haute men: Eugene V. Debs, Frank P. Fox and Kelly Monroe Turner...
The March 30, 1912 issue of “Scientific American” and the Science and Invention section of the June 15, 1912 issue of “The Literary Digest” contained lengthy articles describing Turner’s invention and its use in the case... (Burns extensive use of Dictograph equipment later led to him being investigated for wiretapping.)
Turner, a native of Pimento and later a Terre Haute, Indiana resident, invented the dictograph, an eavesdropping device that “solved the crime” in December 1911 and sent John J. and James B. McNamara, represented by legendary Clarence Darrow, to prison. Placed in the McNamaras’ jail cells, the device “heard” the men admit to the crime...
In the June 1912 issue of “Popular Electricity,” novelist Edward Lyell Fox wrote: “In the past six months the dictograph has revolutionized crime prevention. In walls, under sofas and chairs, in chandeliers, behind desks, beside a window, it is the unseen listener to secret conversations. The secret of prison cells have been tapped, hotel rooms and offices have given up incriminating conversation… It has figured sensationally in the undoing of dynamiters, legislative bribe takers, grafters high and crooks low, across the continent.” (more)
The 100th anniversary of the Dictograph is coming up soon. Turner would be stunned by today's eavesdropping and wiretapping technology. Also stunned are its victims. Make sure you are not one of them. Call me. I have a time-proven (30+ years) protection program waiting to solve your concerns. ~Kevin
Men, mortar and equipment were dispersed into the night air and a fire erupted. When the dust eventually settled, 21 newspaper employees were dead and 100 others were injured, many seriously.
Newspapers called the tragedy “the crime of the century.”
William J. “Billy” Burns, famed anti-union private detective, was hired to solve the crime...
Burns’ investigation of the dynamiting brought national notoriety to three Terre Haute men: Eugene V. Debs, Frank P. Fox and Kelly Monroe Turner...The March 30, 1912 issue of “Scientific American” and the Science and Invention section of the June 15, 1912 issue of “The Literary Digest” contained lengthy articles describing Turner’s invention and its use in the case... (Burns extensive use of Dictograph equipment later led to him being investigated for wiretapping.)
Turner, a native of Pimento and later a Terre Haute, Indiana resident, invented the dictograph, an eavesdropping device that “solved the crime” in December 1911 and sent John J. and James B. McNamara, represented by legendary Clarence Darrow, to prison. Placed in the McNamaras’ jail cells, the device “heard” the men admit to the crime...
In the June 1912 issue of “Popular Electricity,” novelist Edward Lyell Fox wrote: “In the past six months the dictograph has revolutionized crime prevention. In walls, under sofas and chairs, in chandeliers, behind desks, beside a window, it is the unseen listener to secret conversations. The secret of prison cells have been tapped, hotel rooms and offices have given up incriminating conversation… It has figured sensationally in the undoing of dynamiters, legislative bribe takers, grafters high and crooks low, across the continent.” (more)The 100th anniversary of the Dictograph is coming up soon. Turner would be stunned by today's eavesdropping and wiretapping technology. Also stunned are its victims. Make sure you are not one of them. Call me. I have a time-proven (30+ years) protection program waiting to solve your concerns. ~Kevin
Lincoln's spy. In Jefferson Davis' home!
William Jackson was a slave in the home of Confederate president Jefferson Davis during the Civil War. It turns out he was also a spy for the Union Army, providing key secrets to the North about the Confederacy.William Jackson, a slave, listened closely to Jefferson Davis' conversations and leaked them to the North.
Jackson was Davis' house servant and personal coachman. He learned high-level details about Confederate battle plans and movements because Davis saw him as a "piece of furniture" -- not a human, according to Ken Dagler, (sic) author of "Black Dispatches," which explores espionage by America's slaves...
...slaves who served as spies were able to collect incredibly detailed information, in large part because of their tradition of oral history. Because Southern laws prevented blacks from learning how to read and write, he said, the slave spies listened intently to minute details and memorized them...
Jackson wasn't the only spy. There were hundreds of them... One of the most iconic spies was Harriet Tubman, who ran the Underground Railroad... (more)
Friday, February 20, 2009
Skype in the Crosshairs
Suspicious phone conversations on Skype could be targeted for tapping as part of a pan-European crackdown on what law authorities believe is a massive technical loophole in current wiretapping laws, allowing criminals to communicate without fear of being overheard by the police.
The European investigation could also help U.S. law enforcement authorities gain access to Internet calls. The National Security Agency (NSA) is understood to believe that suspected terrorists use Skype to circumvent detection.
While the police can get a court order to tap a suspect's land line and mobile phone, it is currently impossible to get a similar order for Internet calls on both sides of the Atlantic. (more)
The European investigation could also help U.S. law enforcement authorities gain access to Internet calls. The National Security Agency (NSA) is understood to believe that suspected terrorists use Skype to circumvent detection.
While the police can get a court order to tap a suspect's land line and mobile phone, it is currently impossible to get a similar order for Internet calls on both sides of the Atlantic. (more)
MP3 Player Doubles As SpyCam
from the seller's web site... "The common Mini MP3 Player, which comes with other useful and powerful features. This Player is included a camera and a mic, which can be used as a video camera recorder, voice recorder and still image camera." $46. (more)
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Business Espionage - Secret Windows OS Stolen
Australia - An unnamed Telstra executive has sparked a major security scare at Microsoft after a phone loaded with a secret upcoming version of the Windows Mobile operating system was stolen out of his pocket in Spain.
The phone belonged to Telstra chief executive Sol Trujillo, who was testing the device before its release at the end of the year, News Ltd reported. But a spokesman for the telco would not confirm this.
The spokesman said the phone - developed by HTC and loaded with Microsoft's top-secret Windows Mobile 6.5 operating system - was in the possession of another unnamed Telstra executive at the time of the theft.
The incident could have serious implications for Microsoft as Windows Mobile 6.5 has hardly been touched by anyone outside the company and high-level telco executives.
Leaks regarding the features and early bugs in the software could mar its launch, which would be damaging as Microsoft is pinning its hopes on Windows Mobile 6.5 to give it an edge over new competitors such as the iPhone and Google's Android operating system. (more)
Job opportunity...
Telstra is the Australian telephone company. They are probably looking for a new assistant to the president.
Security opportunity...
This loss might have been preventable. Hire a good counterespionage consultant to help protect your company's intellectual property and detect electronic surveillance (eavesdropping, wiretapping and data theft).
Contact me for recommendations, worldwide. ~Kevin
This unfortunate high-value loss was forwarded to us by Jayde Consulting in Australia.
"Jayde Consulting provides professional and discrete services to protect sensitive, confidential and commercially valuable information from electronic eavesdropping, surveillance and espionage."
The phone belonged to Telstra chief executive Sol Trujillo, who was testing the device before its release at the end of the year, News Ltd reported. But a spokesman for the telco would not confirm this. The spokesman said the phone - developed by HTC and loaded with Microsoft's top-secret Windows Mobile 6.5 operating system - was in the possession of another unnamed Telstra executive at the time of the theft.
The incident could have serious implications for Microsoft as Windows Mobile 6.5 has hardly been touched by anyone outside the company and high-level telco executives.
Leaks regarding the features and early bugs in the software could mar its launch, which would be damaging as Microsoft is pinning its hopes on Windows Mobile 6.5 to give it an edge over new competitors such as the iPhone and Google's Android operating system. (more)
Job opportunity...
Telstra is the Australian telephone company. They are probably looking for a new assistant to the president.
Security opportunity...
This loss might have been preventable. Hire a good counterespionage consultant to help protect your company's intellectual property and detect electronic surveillance (eavesdropping, wiretapping and data theft).
Contact me for recommendations, worldwide. ~Kevin
This unfortunate high-value loss was forwarded to us by Jayde Consulting in Australia.
"Jayde Consulting provides professional and discrete services to protect sensitive, confidential and commercially valuable information from electronic eavesdropping, surveillance and espionage."
Credit card numbers stolen... blah, blah, blah.
We hear it every day.
Here we go again...
Hackers broke into a computer at Wyndham Hotels and Resorts last July and stole tens of thousands of customer credit card numbers, the hotel chain warns.
The break-in occurred at a property belonging to a Wyndham franchisee, but that computer was linked to other company systems. "That intrusion enabled a hacker to use the company server to search for customer information located at other franchised and managed property sites," the company said in a statement disclosing the breach.
The data was then uploaded to a Web site during July and August of 2008, Wyndham said. The company estimates that 41 Wyndham hotels and resorts were affected by the breach before it was discovered by the company's information security team in mid-September. (more)
Is data theft preventable?
Lots of people think so.
Explore the solutions being offered...
Voltage Security
PGP Corporation
Protegrity
TriGeo
Here we go again...
Hackers broke into a computer at Wyndham Hotels and Resorts last July and stole tens of thousands of customer credit card numbers, the hotel chain warns.
The break-in occurred at a property belonging to a Wyndham franchisee, but that computer was linked to other company systems. "That intrusion enabled a hacker to use the company server to search for customer information located at other franchised and managed property sites," the company said in a statement disclosing the breach.The data was then uploaded to a Web site during July and August of 2008, Wyndham said. The company estimates that 41 Wyndham hotels and resorts were affected by the breach before it was discovered by the company's information security team in mid-September. (more)
Is data theft preventable?
Lots of people think so.
Explore the solutions being offered...
Voltage Security
PGP Corporation
Protegrity
TriGeo
Make your phone lie.
People are making Caller ID lie for them... "Spoofcard allows me to make my calls truly private. I can display any number on the Caller ID, record my calls and change my voice." Try it yourself. Free. (more)
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