Comedian Armando Iannucci got past security guards at the US State department in Washington with a pass which "could have been produced by a child", in what he described as "probably international espionage".
Mr Iannucci was researching his latest film, the US-British political drama 'In the Loop', when he visited the department's headquarters... He flashed the card at the guards in the main reception of the building, said he had an appointment and was waved through.
The comedian then spent an hour walking around the building taking photographs, which were later used to help with the set designs for the film. (more)
Highly sensitive details of a US military missile air defence system found on a second-hand hard drive bought on eBay... 
British researchers found the data while studying more than 300 hard disks bought at computer auctions, computer fairs and eBay.
The experts also uncovered other sensitive information including bank account details, medical records, confidential business plans, financial company data, personal id numbers, and job descriptions.A spokesman for BT said they found 34 per cent of the hard disks scrutinised contained 'information of either personal data that could be identified to an individual or commercial data identifying a company or organisation.' And researchers said a 'surprisingly large range and quantity of information that could have a potentially commercially damaging impact or pose a threat to the identity and privacy of the individuals involved was recovered as a result of the survey.'
Dr Andy Jones, head of information security research at BT, who led the survey, said: 'This is the fourth time we have carried out this research and it is clear that a majority of organisations and private individuals still have no idea about the potential volume and type of information that is stored on computer hard disks. (more)
MI - Political consultant Sam Riddle says he's planning a party for everyone whose conversations were picked up on a federal wiretap of his cell phone.Riddle, who worked for Detroit City Council President Monica Conyers and has political clients around the country, said today he may need to get a room big enough for 100 people "if everyone brings a guest."To get into the party, attendees will need a letter from the Justice Department -- sent out under federal wiretap laws -- saying the attendee was intercepted having a conversation with Riddle. (more)
Tissue Box CameraMotion activated cam systemIt looks like a black tissue box but is it? The Tissue Box Recluse is an all-inclusive recording device in a simple tissue box. The enclosed DVR and camera become invisible as the plain black case blends into any background. This hidden camera is a simple to use and easy to deploy advanced recording system in an elegant tissue box.Inside this ordinary looking tissue box is actually a motion activated camera, with a recor
ding system using a SD card for Memory, The Tissue Box Recluse can go anywhere and record everything without attracting any attention. Just Set the box in your desired location and begin recording. The tissue box emits no wireless signals that may or may not be stable within an already RF rich environment. Your video is safely stored within the removable SD memory card unlike some wireless camera systems that may be intercepted. Captured video may be viewed on a PC using Windows Media Player. (more)Why do I mention it?So you will know what you are up against.
TX - This summer Dallas will become a nest of spies. At least that's the plan of the Museum of Nature & Science as it brings The Science of Spying, an international traveling exhibition from London to North Texas.
Opening Memorial Day weekend, the interactive The Science of Spying exhibit is part James Bond, part "Spy Kids" and part "Lie to Me." It gives eager spy wannabes of all ages an opportunity to experience the latest spy gadgets and techniques -- including remote-control spy planes, night-vision goggles, biometric scanning, infiltrating computer systems and the dolphin spy camera. Visitors will also learn how to detect liars, crack safes and find hidden clues.To bring home the lessons of the mysterious and daring world of spy craft, the Museum of Nature & Science is inviting the public to join in a sprawling Spy Adventure. In cooperation with its local promotion partners, the museum has created a web of virtual and real-world espionage activities beginning May 8. Participants who crack codes, uncover clues and demonstrate superior spy skills will receive discounts to the exhibit and a chance to win prizes.... . -.-. .-. - / -.-. - - - ..- .--. - - - -. / ..-. - - - .-. / .- / ..-. .-. .. / -.-. .... .. .-.. -.. .- - - -. ... / - .. -.-. -.- . - / .-.-.-
Father's Day weekend. Code: SPYB1 ~ Agent K
Philippines - Broadcast journalist Cecilia ‘Cheche’ Lazaro posted a P12,500 ($265.15) bail on Friday to avoid arrest stemming from a wiretapping case filed against her in 2008.Lazaro was accused by Government Service Insurance System Vice President Ella E. Valencerina of violating the anti-wiretapping law after airing parts of their phone conversation on her TV program “Probe".The veteran journalist posted bail at the Pasay Metropolitan Trial Court Branch 47 after the court issued a warrant for her arrest on Thursday. Several of Lazaro's production staff members as well as concerned teachers, accompanied her in Pasay City."It is mind-boggling why I am being singled out for prosecution for following the tenets of responsible journalism," Lazaro said. (more)
Hackers are demanding $10 million to release some eight million patient records claimed to be in their control following the compromise of Virginia's Prescription Monitoring Program (VPMP) website.
Whistleblower site Wikileaks published a copy of the ransom note left by the hackers on the website, which is used by pharmacists to follow incidents of drug abuse. The note said the intruders possessed 8.3 million patient records and 35.6 million prescriptions.
Also, the thieves said they created an encrypted backup of the data and deleted the original files.
"For $10 million, I will gladly send along the password," the note said... The VPMP website remains inaccessible. (more)
When they catch this dude, and they will, I'll give him/her a Keyboard Cat play off. ~ Kevin
via Security Director's Report (04/09) Vol. 2009, No. 4...
Globalization has resulted in an increased threat of corporate espionage. There are a variety of risks that companies are currently facing. Espionage exists in all industries, but those that are in the high-tech sector will face the most exposure.
Businesses also should be careful of foreign-government spying and U.S. companies that outsource data to India should be mindful of industrial espionage by the country's businesses. Many more competitive intelligence units have been created in order to spy on competitors, especially because it is now much easier to do so.
Spy devices, such as GPS tracking systems and listening devices, as well as Ethernet over Power (sic) help spies find information.
In addition to facing outside risk, companies are simply vulnerable to espionage. Physical defenses are poor and many spies have successfully paid internal employees to steal company data. However, there are solutions to espionage. (more)
Australia - A mystery intruder has been plundering cereal and sleeping on the couches for weeks at one of Sydney's marketing agencies...
Even more peculiar, was the absence of large amounts of cereal - about six bowls a night - from the stocks in the office kitchen, and evidence that the showers had been used...While the company hires creative people to promote clients' brands, it was a moment of genius from the woman who runs the kitchen that snared the unwanted visitor. She came up with the idea of hiding a camera in a cereal box...
The camera was linked to a computer and activated by motion sensors, snapping clear photos of the intruder on his next visit and emailing them to staff...
They showed the man slipping into the office via an overhead ventilation panel (the office is on the building's fifth and top floor) and then leaving via the fire escape...
"He was a particularly neat guy. He'd come in at 4am, have breakfast - and it was a hearty breakfast, six bowls - clean up after himself, shower and then leave."He'd made his home here.'' (more)
Rio de Janeiro accuse one of its 2016 Olympic rivals of spying.On the eve of the IOC Evaluation Commission's final day in Brazil, Rio's bid team revoked the journalist credentials of a man who claimed to be a reporter working for a news agency in Spain. It turns out the man is a paid consultant to Madrid's Olympic bid.Rio 2016 is reportedly considering filing a formal ethics complaint with the International Olympic Committee. Madrid admits the man works for its Olympic PR firm but denies he was sent as a spy. (more)
And sometimes the blues just get a hold of you..."
A total of 10 Lebanese men have now been arrested and charged with spying for Israel... All of those detained are said to have been linked to a spy cell headed by retired Brig.-Gen. Adib Al-Aalam, who was arrested on April 14. As with the others, the latest suspects were charged with gathering information on Lebanese and Syrian military and civilian installations in order to “facilitate” attacks by the Israelis. (more)
"Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose
And most times you choose between the two..."
U.S. drops charges against two alleged Israeli spies. (more)
Wonderin', wonderin' if you have made it..."Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has extended by a year the term of office of the head of the Mossad spy agency... (more)
"I'm Talkin' 'bout a sweet seasons on my mind..."
Lyrics by Carole King
WireTap is a half-hour radio show that airs on CBC Radio One Sunday afternoons... An hour-long version of WireTap is distributed in the United States by Public Radio International and is heard on multiple public radio stations. Hosted by Jonathan Goldstein, former producer of Public Radio International's This American Life, the show features stories that are told over the phone ostensibly by Goldstein's friends and family.The show has possibly been best described as "a weekly half-hour of conversation, storytelling and introspection, culled from equal parts real-world experience and the warp of Goldstein's imagination." Each show tends to follow a particular investigative theme; titles for past shows includes: "Life Lessons", "Reach for the Top", "Prized Possessions" and "Our Fathers".The series began in the summer of 2004 as a 10-episode experiment... As of 2008, Wiretap has a weekly listenership of 350,000. (more) (more) (more)
CT - A 37-year-old city man was arrested on eavesdropping charges after a baby monitor was found hidden under a women's bed in Belltown, a police sergeant said.
(The man) was charged with third-degree burglary and eavesdropping. Police believe (the man) set up the monitor to listen to the victim's room, Sgt. Paul Guzda said.
The 34-year-old woman reported to police March 30 that after hearing a strange noise sounding like electric static, she found a baby monitor under her bed, Guzda said. The monitor was plugged into a nearby electrical socket. (more)
48 years ago, this month, Mr. Spy vs. Spy came to the United States. The rest is history...
Antonio ProhÃas (January 17, 1921 – February 24, 1998), born in Cienfuegos, Cuba, was a cartoonist most famous for creating the comic strip Spy vs. Spy for MAD Magazine.
In the late 1940s, ProhÃas began working at El Mundo, the most important newspaper in Cuba. By 1960, he had become an internationally recognized and awarded political cartoonist. At this time, Fidel Castro's government took over the paper, and ProhÃas left Cuba for New York, where he found himself attracted to Mad.El Hombre Siniestro: (The Sinister Man) wore a wide-brimmed hat and overcoat and had a long pointed nose, becoming the prototype for the Spies. (more)In the late 1950s Antonio Prohias was the president of the Association of Cuban Cartoonists. On the first of May 1960, he fled from Cuba to America flat broke. Once in the states, he went directly to work at Mad magazine, and became an internationally respected and beloved cartoonist. He started 'Spy vs. Spy' as an anti-Castro cartoon, but it ended up as one of the most popular features in Mad magazine. Prohias drew 'Spy vs. Spy' for Mad until he retired in 1990. Even though Antonio P
rohias passed away in 1998, 'Spy Vs. Spy' can still be enjoyed in every issue of Mad Magazine. (more) (NPR audio report) (The first "Spy vs. Spy")Visitors to my office smile when the see Mr. Black Spy riding atop a 3-foot bomb, on its way down to pay Mr. White Spy a visit. One can only guess what the next frame of this story will be. One thing we all know, the last frame will be 
MAD... Mutually Assured Destruction. Wry ProhÃas humor. Neither side ever wins.Need something to make you, or a friend, smile? Go MAD. Let The Spy Guys make it happen. The International Spy Museum has an army of them waiting for you. Click here.
A total of 1,891 intercepts authorized by federal and state courts were completed in 2008, a decrease of 14 percent compared to the number terminated in 2007. The number of applications for orders by federal authorities fell 16 percent to 386. The number of applications reported by state prosecuting officials dropped 14 percent to 1,505, with 22 states providing reports, two fewer than in 2007. Installed wiretaps were in operation an average of 41 days per wiretap in 2008, compared to 44 days in 2007. The average number of persons whose communications were intercepted decreased from 94 per wiretap order in 2007 to 92 per wiretap order in 2008. The average percentage of intercepted communications that were incriminating was 19 percent in 2008, compared to 30 percent in 2007. (report)
Comedian Armando Iannucci got past security guards at the US State department in Washington with a pass which "could have been produced by a child", in what he described as "probably international espionage". 
Mr Iannucci was researching his latest film, the US-British political drama 'In the Loop', when he visited the department's headquarters... He flashed the card at the guards in the main reception of the building, said he had an appointment and was waved through. 
