Thursday, March 19, 2009
Not to be outdone by some NSW Aussies...
The UK government is considering a move that would have far-reaching privacy implications: storing all messages sent through web mail and social networking applications. (more)
Eavesdropping the Old Fashioned Way
SC - A Mount Pleasant resident called police because she thought her neighbor was eavesdropping on her from his backyard, reports say.
She told police March 4, that she was on the phone in the backyard by her pool when her dog began to bark at the fence... after seeing the shadow of a man, she called to her dog and then crouched down to catch a better glimpse of the man. She saw him get up and start running to his own pool. She reportedly said her neighbor has done similar things in the past. (more)
She told police March 4, that she was on the phone in the backyard by her pool when her dog began to bark at the fence... after seeing the shadow of a man, she called to her dog and then crouched down to catch a better glimpse of the man. She saw him get up and start running to his own pool. She reportedly said her neighbor has done similar things in the past. (more)
Eavesdropping Mom Drops Dime on Son
UT - ...two boys, one a student at Midvale Middle School and another boy also younger than 18, had a plan to “kidnap, torture and kill” at least 3 people, including a fellow student and a school police officer at Midvale Middle School...
...the mother of the older boy called police on March 7th, after eavesdropping on a phone conversation between her son and the younger boy. The mother allegedly heard the boys talk about a plan to kidnap people after luring them to different locations. The court papers say the boys “…wanted to make sure to have cameras and camcorders so they could take pictures of what they were doing, because they wanted people to know who did it, so they could become famous.” (more with video)
...the mother of the older boy called police on March 7th, after eavesdropping on a phone conversation between her son and the younger boy. The mother allegedly heard the boys talk about a plan to kidnap people after luring them to different locations. The court papers say the boys “…wanted to make sure to have cameras and camcorders so they could take pictures of what they were doing, because they wanted people to know who did it, so they could become famous.” (more with video)
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
"So, why did you think we recorded the calls?"
MI - Two sergeants and three deputies are making a federal case out of their problems with Sheriff Michael Oltersdorf, Undersheriff Scott Wooters and the Leelanau County Sheriff’s Department.
In a suit filed in U.S. District Court in Grand Rapids last week, the sergeants and deputies are alleging that their civil rights were violated when the sheriff and undersheriff listened to “private” conversations recorded on a computerized phone system in the Leelanau County Law Enforcement Center last year.
Many of the phone conversations were about grievances filed against the sheriff under a Police Officers Association of Michigan (POAM) union contract and issues related to former Deputy Bruce Beeker, who resigned last month. (more)
In a suit filed in U.S. District Court in Grand Rapids last week, the sergeants and deputies are alleging that their civil rights were violated when the sheriff and undersheriff listened to “private” conversations recorded on a computerized phone system in the Leelanau County Law Enforcement Center last year.
Many of the phone conversations were about grievances filed against the sheriff under a Police Officers Association of Michigan (POAM) union contract and issues related to former Deputy Bruce Beeker, who resigned last month. (more)
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
SpyCam Story #522 - The Starbuckeroo
NY - Police are looking for a man who installed a spy camera in the unisex bathroom at the Starbucks Coffee Shop in New Paltz. The device was discovered a short time later when an employee located it. It is believed the incident occurred on Tuesday, March 10 at about 7 p.m.
New Paltz Police have recovered video and said the suspect appears to be a white man with a build, 35 to 40 years of age and approximately six feet tall.
He is bearded with a mustache and is wearing wire rimmed circular glasses. He has a pony tail that does down mid-way on his back. The police are asking for public assistance it identifying this man. Anyone with information is asked to call the police at 845-255-1323. All calls will remain confidential and police will also take anonymous tips. (more) (more)
"Signs yer' phone be tapped."
Happy St. Patrick's Day"Is someone listening to your private calls? Know the warning signs." Someone at VoIP-News has had a wee bit too much Guinness. The only thing they didn't mention were the buggin' leprechauns.
Seriously, there is a lot of misinformation on the Internet. If you are concerned about illegal bugging, wiretapping or electronic tracking, please contact a competent counterespionage specialist.
Resources...
Security Director News
Security Management
International Association of Professional Security Consultants
True Stories from Eavesdroppingland - Auto Bug
"I've never asked Dad if he killed Mum."It was Martin's discovery that Maureen had kissed Mr Potter - after bugging her car - that led to him hitting his wife.
Oliver recalls pulling them apart and seeing his mum with a bloody nose. He believes it was the final nail in his parents' 16-year marriage... (more)
Extortionography: Edison Carter's or TVigilantes?
Australia - A former Sydney mayor has told a court he will plead not guilty to soliciting the murder of a male prostitute last year.
The 71-year-old former mayor of Waverley, James Robert Markham, was secretly filmed by Channel Nine's A Current Affair program, allegedly explaining his motives to hire a hitman to carry out the murder...
The alleged hitman, Channel Nine producer Andrew Byrne and reporter Ben Fordham have been charged with breaching the Listening Devices Act. (more)
The 71-year-old former mayor of Waverley, James Robert Markham, was secretly filmed by Channel Nine's A Current Affair program, allegedly explaining his motives to hire a hitman to carry out the murder...
The alleged hitman, Channel Nine producer Andrew Byrne and reporter Ben Fordham have been charged with breaching the Listening Devices Act. (more)
Monday, March 16, 2009
Or, about new 2 wiretaps every business hour.
Bulgaria - Sofia City Court approved requests for about 4000 wiretaps in 2008, the court's head, Svetlin Mihailov, let it be understood on March 16 2009.
Presenting the report on the court's activity in 2008, Mihailov said, as quoted by Dnevnik daily, that the court rejected only 30 requests because they dealt with document fraud, in which there was nothing to be gained by tapping the suspects' phones, he said. (more)
Presenting the report on the court's activity in 2008, Mihailov said, as quoted by Dnevnik daily, that the court rejected only 30 requests because they dealt with document fraud, in which there was nothing to be gained by tapping the suspects' phones, he said. (more)
Got RFID Credit Cards? Wanna Keep Them?
The Only Stainless Steel Wallet.Woven using 25,000 stainless steel threads that are three times thinner than a piece of paper --.001"--this is the only wallet with a hand as smooth as silk and the strength that surpasses leather.
Resistant to corrosive materials such as salts, acids, and seawater, the tightly woven steel also passively resists radio-frequency hacking--the latest identity theft technique that attempts to scan newer credit cards. (more)
More wallet and passport protectors. (more) (more) (more)
County Spends Thousands for Bug Sweep...
By Ray Stern, Phoenix New Times Blog...
Maricopa County Supervisors Spend $14,600 Sweeping for Bugs
It seems like the very definition of paranoia: Spending thousands of dollars sweeping for hidden electronic devices -- and finding none. But that's what Maricopa County Supervisors are doing -- with your money. The county has now spent $14,600 sweeping for bugs on the 10th floor of the county building at 301 West Jefferson Street, and no bugs have been discovered. (more)
Bad press?
Not really, just the usual sensationalized reporting without all the facts.
To an underpaid reporter, $14,600 sounds like a lot of money. Can't blame him for ranting.
HOWEVER, if our reporter dug deeper...
Bug sweeps protect against fraudulent bidding on multi-million dollar county contracts throughout the year. (Just one of many good examples.) Periodic sweeps are cheap insurance and proper due diligence.
Eavesdropping detection audits are a standard practice in business and government. Combined with other professional security measures the proper outcome is "no bugs found." Not conducting eavesdropping detection sweeps may be considered negligence. And that might be the topic of an even better article!
Even the reporter had to admit that my colleague was above reproach...
The county is using Arizona Technical Security, a Scottsdale company. Jeff Evert, the company's owner, told New Times that if the county had hired him to do anything, he wouldn't talk about it. He wouldn't budge even when told we were looking at the bill. At least someone in this world has ethics, right?
Right, and Ray Stern should interview Jeff to learn the value of bug sweeps. And as for Max Wilson, Chairman of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, your taxpayers should be proud of you for properly safeguarding their money. ~Kevin
Maricopa County Supervisors Spend $14,600 Sweeping for Bugs
It seems like the very definition of paranoia: Spending thousands of dollars sweeping for hidden electronic devices -- and finding none. But that's what Maricopa County Supervisors are doing -- with your money. The county has now spent $14,600 sweeping for bugs on the 10th floor of the county building at 301 West Jefferson Street, and no bugs have been discovered. (more)
Bad press?
Not really, just the usual sensationalized reporting without all the facts.
To an underpaid reporter, $14,600 sounds like a lot of money. Can't blame him for ranting.
HOWEVER, if our reporter dug deeper...
Bug sweeps protect against fraudulent bidding on multi-million dollar county contracts throughout the year. (Just one of many good examples.) Periodic sweeps are cheap insurance and proper due diligence.
Eavesdropping detection audits are a standard practice in business and government. Combined with other professional security measures the proper outcome is "no bugs found." Not conducting eavesdropping detection sweeps may be considered negligence. And that might be the topic of an even better article!
Even the reporter had to admit that my colleague was above reproach...
The county is using Arizona Technical Security, a Scottsdale company. Jeff Evert, the company's owner, told New Times that if the county had hired him to do anything, he wouldn't talk about it. He wouldn't budge even when told we were looking at the bill. At least someone in this world has ethics, right?
Right, and Ray Stern should interview Jeff to learn the value of bug sweeps. And as for Max Wilson, Chairman of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, your taxpayers should be proud of you for properly safeguarding their money. ~Kevin
Security Director Alert - Default Admin Codes
David Rusenko sez... Here's a fun little tip: You can open most Sentex key pad-access doors by typing in the following code: ***00000099#* The first *** are to enter into the admin mode, 000000 (six zeroes) is the factory-default password, 99# opens the door, and * exits the admin mode (make sure you press this or the access box will be left in admin mode!)
Important...
Even though you assigned custom passcodes to system users, your system's master code may still be set at the default passcode. This is a vulnerability common to many access control products. Time to check & change.
To see if you have a Sentex lock (mostly used in multi-tenant buildings and for driveway gates) check here and here. ~Kevin
...and I love the smell of my new shoes (BLAMP!)
Finland - The parliament of Finland voted to approve a controversial new law that gives employers the right to monitor their employees’ emails if they suspect any kind of deviant or illegal behaviour is going on. Dubbed the “Lex Nokia” law, or the data retention law, the bill was approved by 96 members of parliament, while 56 voted against it. (more)
Social Networking - Corporate Security Risk
via Forbes...
Social networking already has passed through the firewall of every company on the planet. Now CIOs need to ask, "What else snuck in with it?"
Facebook, LinkedIn and MySpace already are a part of employees' lives. They're also one of the greatest tools for hackers to gain entry into the corporate enterprise, no matter how impenetrable a company thinks it is from the bad guys. And it's not just the 20-something employees. With workers of all ages showing growing angst over their jobs, they've been flooding onto LinkedIn to build up their contact lists in case they get laid off.
Top executives at Netragard, which specializes in ethical hacking, claim their team can gain access to any data inside almost any enterprise rather quickly, often in minutes, by latching onto employee names and gaining access through social networking sites. (more)
Social networking already has passed through the firewall of every company on the planet. Now CIOs need to ask, "What else snuck in with it?"
Facebook, LinkedIn and MySpace already are a part of employees' lives. They're also one of the greatest tools for hackers to gain entry into the corporate enterprise, no matter how impenetrable a company thinks it is from the bad guys. And it's not just the 20-something employees. With workers of all ages showing growing angst over their jobs, they've been flooding onto LinkedIn to build up their contact lists in case they get laid off.
Top executives at Netragard, which specializes in ethical hacking, claim their team can gain access to any data inside almost any enterprise rather quickly, often in minutes, by latching onto employee names and gaining access through social networking sites. (more)
Saturday, March 14, 2009
...or, $109,589.04 plus flight expenses, per day.
US - The Pentagon said Thursday that it intends to spend $400 million to develop a giant dirigible that will float 65,000 feet above the Earth for 10 years, providing unblinking and intricate radar surveillance of the vehicles, planes and even people below. ”It is absolutely revolutionary,” Werner J.A. Dahm, chief scientist for the Air Force, said of the proposed unmanned airship - describing it as a cross between a satellite and a spy plane. (more)
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