"Most enterprises do not actually know whether their data security programs work or not..."

The business of trading in corporate secrets is bigger and more lucrative than ever, a Forrester study commissioned by Microsoft, RSA and EMC has found, with tech companies in particular targeted for theft.

Most people associate espionage with war and politics. In the tech-centric 21st century, the trading of secrets for cash is where the game is at and most enterprises are overly focused on compliance and not enough on protecting their secrets.

The study concluded that most enterprises do not actually know whether their data security programs work or not. (more) (The Forrester study)

Of course they don't know... Corporate secrets are vulnerable long before they are distilled into to computerized data. Risk mitigation begins with a counterespionage strategy that takes into account pre-data information security. 

Please, get a good counterespionage strategist on-board. IT security alone is too little, too late.

"Oyez! Oyez! Oyez!" not to mention "Uh-oh!"

Alfred Wong, a former Secret Service official who reportedly oversaw the installation of the taping system at the Nixon White House, and whose job at one point was to prevent the White House from being bugged, died last week of mesothelioma, a form of cancer, the Washington Post reported. He was 91.

Wong, of Potomac, Md., spent 24 years in the Secret Service before retiring in 1975 as deputy assistant director in charge of White House security, the Post reported.

Wong told USA Today in 1994, because his job was to prevent bugs from being installed in the White House, he was reluctant to install the tape recording system ordered by Nixon, the Post reported.

“My first response was that we shouldn’t do it, but then it was that we have to do it,” Wong told USA Today. “They wanted it done surreptitiously.”

Of course, the rest is history. (more) (more)

Spybusters InfoBonus...

Report on the US Secret Service and the White House taping system during the Nixon Administration - Secret Service Participation in Tapings (click here)

Update - Feed the Children Bugging Case

Oklahoma’s attorney general has opened a formal investigation of Feed The Children because of allegations of misuse of funds, an assistant attorney general disclosed Friday.

The investigation will involve scrutiny of the charity board of directors and its former president, Larry Jones, who was fired in November.

The charity has accused Jones of taking bribes, hiding porn magazines at the charity and "bugging” executives’ offices. The charity also alleges he misspent charity funds, pocketed travel money, kept gifts from appearances, secretly gave himself a raise and misused a charity employee as a nanny.

Jones denies wrongdoing... (more)

Even more interesting... Jones asked for the AG to get involved!

Bingo Bill Fallout

AL - ...lawmaker says his secretary won't talk on the phone for fear it's bugged. (more)

Turkish Tappy - Update

This is an amazing story. A private large-scale illegal wiretapping ring - busted. The ring included cell phone company employees, businessmen, a sports writer, a sports figure, former policemen and others! 

Although unusual, it is not unheard of... remember Rupert Murdocks' newsboys' caper last year?

Turkey - Teams from the Istanbul Police Department Organized Crimes Unit decided to take action after receiving over 100 complaints of illegal tapping. After conducting a detailed investigation for over two years, police forces initiated a simultaneous operation in four different districts yesterday morning at 07:00. Two high-level administrators and a staff member of a Global Systems for Mobile Communications Company as well as five well-known businessmen, a sports writer, former national footballer Ridvan Dilmen and six former police officers were amongst the total 26 detained...

According to the allegations, the businessmen detained were claimed to have used the assistance of a telephone tapping organization to listen to other businessmen, and used prior records of messages and conversations to their advantage as extortion. Allegations also surfaced against Ridvan Dilmen that he listened in to former footballer Tanju Çolak due to claims he was interfering in his relationship with his girlfriend. Supposedly, reports of over 100 different telephone calls were found in his e-mail address. Meanwhile, the five businessmen were detained yesterday in connection to allegations they used an illegal tapping organization to track their girlfriends. 

The telephone tapping organization is claimed to have worked in conjunction with a security company which offers private detective services.

The illegal organization is claimed to have worked with the GSM company administrators that were detained and were able to keep tabs on their victims, by listening in on their phone conversations, sharing their messaging information and by obtaining information from the base station were able to track their locations and times of calls. Supposedly the organization had specific rates for famous figures they conducted this service for, such as 3-5 thousand dollars for one to three months of tracking and 5-15 thousand dollars for three to six months of tracking. (more)

A tip worth repeating... High profile individuals and prominent executives - Hire a reputable specialist to check for bugs, taps and spycams on a regularly scheduled basis. Be sure to investigate your specialist's background and credentials. You really don't want to hire an organized crime "front company" to conduct your sweep.

Wanted: Speech Therapist. Near Cairo.

Members of an Egyptian family have been using paper and pencils for communications for 11 years after the head of the family found a listening device in their apartment, local media reported on Monday.

The bug was apparently installed by Muhammad’s first wife.

The man moved to a new apartment after that but the bugs moved with him and the family decided to use notes for communication when at home.

Muhammad’s six-year-old daughter had to learn to write early.

After eleven years, they got sick and tired of writing letters to each other and turned for help to specialists only when Muhammad’s ex-wife died.

The family was shocked when they learned that the bug was fake and never worked. (more)

Don't mention the 'explosive' diarrhea you picked up on your trip.

If you are boarding a plane within the European Union you may want to watch what you are saying, as under a new security programme someone is likely to be listening in...

 

The EU is funding a new security program which will be monitoring "suspicious" behaviour on airplanes in Europe. 

The project, designed to combat terrorism, uses a combination of cameras, microphones, explosives detectors and a sophisticated computer system which would give a pilot early warning of any danger. 

Brussels is funding research at Reading University at the moment and the project could be rolled out within the next few years. But the work has alarmed civil liberties campaigners who fear the growth of the big brother state. (more)

EU Investigates Mystery Buggings

European Union officials have launched an investigation after bugging devices were found at offices used by several delegations - including those of France, Germany and the UK.

Extra security measures have been adopted ahead of a meeting of EU leaders in Brussels on Thursday and Friday.

Spanish, Italian and Austrian offices had also been bugged, officials said...

EU spokesman Dominique-Georges Marro said it was "impossible at this stage" to determine who had planted the devices. (more)

Corporate Espionage: Five Areas Where You Could Be Caught Napping

1. Know Your Company’s Strengths.
While there aren’t many business managers who don’t know where their profit comes from, a significant number will automatically assume that it is only the strengths that drive those profits that someone else might wish to steal. The two do not necessarily equate. What may appear to you to be a minor part of your production chain could be the missing link for a domestic or overseas competitor.

2. Know Your Employees and the Stresses and Strains They’re Under.
The global financial crisis might be only one reason why some of your staff members are desperate for cash.  

3. Physical Security.
Know who’s coming in and out of your firm’s premises. Some companies have no policy on visitors, whether friends, customers or prospective clients. Even inquisitive members of the public sometimes gain access through sheer gall and boldness. Consider the areas to which general staff access should be restricted. Don’t forget to screen your cleaners, caterers, as well as your security guards. Anyone who has access to your premises during or after working hours is a potential threat, either through accessing sensitive information or planting listening devices.

4. Electronic Security.
This is a huge area where every business should regularly seek professional advice on the sort of equipment installed and the ways in which it is used. Anti-virus software and firewalls won’t offer much protection against a concerted attempt to penetrate your operations.

5. Personal Security.
Most employees – through no fault of their own – will lack the sense of security with which you would hope they’re endowed. You need to regularly reinforce for them your company’s security requirements, and the best way to do this is to keep it simple. (more)

Dumpster diving for advice provides far less than it costs...

"The Internet is a city of mental nourishment.

You can pick dumpsters for your food, or you can spend some money and visit a fine restaurant." ~ Chef Kevin

Do-it-yourself bugging (dumpster a la law suit)

"Morally it won’t be correct to eavesdrop on an individual’s personal discussion, but through electronics you can always and every time find a way of fulfilling your wishes no matter whether the act is ethical or not." (more)

Do-it-yourself de-bugging (dumpster a la lie)

"If you find yourself the victim of a nasty lawsuit, industrial espionage, or an intrusive ex-spouse, be on guard against audio surveillance... With proper equipment and the vigilance to use it on a regular basis, you can minimize the risk of electronic eavesdropping." (more)

Eat smart.

Meet the Canadians who busted GhostNet

A team of Canadian researchers revealed this weekend a network, dubbed GhostNet, of more than 1,200 infected computers worldwide that includes such "high-value targets" as Indonesia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Indian Embassy in Kuwait, as well as a dozen computers in Canada.

The revelation left government bodies around the world scrambling to determine what sensitive files may have been compromised by the cyber-spy network, which even now continues to spread and infect, its authors apparently undaunted by all the extra attention. (more)

The Smallest SpyCam in the World

Muvi by VEHO – Smaller than the average thumb!

2" x ¾" x ¾" It's the smallest spycam in the world. You can even wear it around your neck and use it as a webcam.

Muvi has a special VOX mode that lets you start/stop recording using your voice

Micro SD card slot

Despite its size the Muvi records in VGA quality (640x480). Incredible! Videos are stored on the included 2GB Micro SD card (1 hour of recording!), but for those of you who prefer real epics the Muvi can handle cards up to 8GB. (more) (sample videos)

Wiretapping + Blackmail = $$$

Turkey - Former Fenerbahçe soccer player Rıdvan Dilmen was arrested on Tuesday as part of a suspected organized crime group that allegedly wiretapped prominent figures, the Anatolia news agency has reported.

Thirty-six people, including Fenerbahçe's legendary player, were arrested in four different provinces in simultaneous operations conducted by the National Police Department.

These detainees allegedly wiretapped prominent figures such as businessmen, celebrities and soccer players. Police have also taken the testimony of another legendary soccer player, Tanju Çolak, under the scope of the operation. (more)

Spybusters' Tip - High profile individuals and prominent executives - Hire a reputable specialist to check for bugs, taps and spycams on a regularly scheduled basis. Be sure to investigate the specialist's background and credentials. You really don't want to hire an organized crime "front company" to conduct your sweep.

Keeping up with privacy news...

Privacy Journal specializes in reporting on the individual's right to privacy.

The monthly newsletter was founded in 1974, before there was an Internet, before there was e-mail, and before there was automated telemarketing. Thus, it's the oldest publication on privacy in the world.

It is always full of news on new technology and its impact on privacy, tips for protecting your privacy, and the latest on court decisions, legislation, professional conferences, and corporate practices.

Robert Ellis Smith, who is recognized as the leading expert on the right to privacy in the U.S., is the publisher. (more) 

In addition to the journal, PJ is an exceelnt source for specialized privacy information...

• Compilation of State and Federal Privacy Laws
• Ben Franklin's Web Site. A book about privacy in American history - from our founding to the present.
• The Directory of Privacy Professionals
and more.

"I'm gonna super-size your butt, clown!"

NJ - Police have charged a man who they say climbed in a drive-thru at a New Jersey McDonald's because he was tired of waiting for his Filet-O-Fish sandwich.

Rashon East was charged with simple assault and making terroristic threats after he turned himself in to South Brunswick police on Monday. East paid for the sandwich at the first window. Surveillance video then showed the man climbed out of the back seat and into the pickup window.

Police say East felt intense pressure to surrender because of media attention from videotape and pictures that were released. (more) 
 
Spybusters' Tip - Never underestimate the power of pro-active video surveillance. Logging entry / exit activity at your doors is one good counterespionage deterrent.