Report: Chinese Government Installs Bugs in Hong Kong Cars

Beijing is allegedly using audio spying devices on dual-plate Chinese-Hong Kong vehicles to gather information.

Apple Daily reports the eavesdropping devices were originally installed under the name "inspection and quarantine cards” back in July 2007. The Shenzhen Inspection and Quarantine Bureau installed the devices free of charge to thousands of vehicles across Hong Kong.

The devices are about the size of a PDA, screwed into the car’s front window. 

People in Hong Kong, in particular criminals, began to notice something was awry when the authorities were able to pick out cars carrying illegal goods across borders without problem or hesitation.

"For every ten cars we ran we only had [smuggled goods] in three or four to reduce the risk, but the border agents caught all of them. The accuracy was unreal!" one smuggler told Apple Daily.

Zheng Liming, an Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering at City University in Hong Kong, took a look at the listening device and determined that it was indeed an eavesdropping device. (more)

CCTV Cufflinks - Wear them to a Far Eastern Embassy when you pick up your Visa

Show your CCTV solidarity with these solid metal mini-peeper cufflinks. You never know, once there you might be featured on CCTV news, shown being lead away in a pair of official cufflinks. (more)

Ingenious & Insidious - Power Cord Hidden Camera

The Power Cord Hidden Camera is an inconspicuous camera housed in a standard-looking power cord that sits on your desk and records everything that happens while you're gone. 

Its slim, sleek and discreet design doesn't draw any extra attention. 

The device looks like an ordinary charger or computer cable, so no one will think twice that it's anything other than a loose cable forgotten on your desk.

Simply pair the camera with any of a number of portable DVRs, plug it in, and you're ready to start recording. And, with a built-in motion sensor, you'll only get the footage you need. (more)

Why do I mention it?

So you will know what you're up against.

This Week in World Spy News

Egypt - An alleged Israeli spy arrested in Egypt has been identified by Israeli media as an American citizen who made aliyah in 2005. (more)

Egypt - A former Israeli military officer was questioned by Egyptian authorities Sunday and detained for 15 days on suspicion of spying for Israel, according to a spokesman for Egypt's general prosecutor. (Probably same as above but with a different last name reported... interesting.) (more)

Thailand - The government insists it has solid evidence to present to the international community concerning Cambodia's alleged spying along the border. It also rejected Phnom Penh's accusation the spy claims are fabricated to justify aggression against Cambodia. (more)

USA - Did aliens crash a flying saucer in Roswell, New Mexico more than 60 years ago? ...a new book ("Area 51: An Uncensored History of America's Top Secret Military Base") takes a look at Area 51, rekindles debate over both questions - and introduces a Nazi connection to the mix. The book chronicles what happened on that base in the 1940s, '50s and '60s -- she spent years interviewing those who worked there. "They're kind of a fraternity of formerly secret spies and scientists and spy pilots and engineers, all of whom know one another," Jacobsen observes. They spent most of their lives hiding what they did at work every day. (more)

Germany - For the first time a Chinese agent has been convicted of spying on practitioners of Falun Gong, the meditation and spiritual discipline that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in 1999 vowed to crush. The guilty party, John Zhou, was given a two-year suspended sentence on June 8, along with a hefty fine. (more)

USA - New spy kit - Internet-to-Go

Pakistan - A US national has been arrested for allegedly scouting nuclear facilities near the Pakistani capital and is expected to be deported soon as the Interior Ministry has already cancelled his visa. Matthew Craig Barrett, 27, was remanded to judicial custody for 14 days by a court in Islamabad. (more) 

Eritrea - Four Britons held in Eritrea on spying and terrorism charges since December have been released, the Foreign Office (FCO) has said.

The four men - who all worked for the same security firm - are believed to be on their way back to the UK. (more)

Spain - Jose Mourinho's agent Jorge Mendes denies 'spying' on Barcelona for Real Madrid. The Fifa agent, whose clients also include Cristiano Ronaldo and Angel Di Maria, claims he has done nothing wrong after reports of espionage in the Spanish press. (more)

USA - Former CIA counterterrorism officer Philip Giraldi is on a mission. He says he wants to expose how costly and dangerous Israeli espionage is to the United States. Giraldi is the Executive Director of the Council for the National Interest Foundation which just released a 12 page overview called The Spy Who Loves Us. He says Israel conducts more espionage against America than any other US ally... Israel profits from selling US technology... Israeli spying has bankrupted some American companies. (more)

USA - Former National Security Agency exec Thomas Drake has agreed to plead guilty to a misdemeanor count of exceeding authorized use of a computer. Drake had been facing trial on Espionage Act charges... Drake was under fire for allegedly passing along classified documents to a newspaper reporter about an ill-fated NSA program. (more)

Drake to NSA, "Be seeing you."

Affordable spying – for all... Surveillance gadgets such as Mark Kennedy's 'spy watch' are now within the reach of ordinary citizens (more)

Weird SpyCam App Pitch of the Day

from the app seller's web site...
"SECURET SpyCam 1.5.4 helps you to turn your android phone camera or webcam into a visual motion triggered Spycam. Your device will automatically capture any motion being occurred in your area and saves it. You may spy on your friends to avoid some problems. Also it helps to arrest Criminals or thieves." (more)

Why do I mention it.

So you will know what you are up against.

High Flying Lowe's Intelligence Aerostat Corp 150 Years Old Today

Long before Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance became a buzz phrase or acronym (ISR), Civil War-era inventor Thaddeus Lowe came up with the idea of taking to the skies to spy on the enemy.

Lowe pitched President Abraham Lincoln on the idea of balloon reconnaissance 150 years ago tomorrow, which led to formation of the Union Army Balloon Corps in July 1861, with Lowe carrying the nifty title of "chief aeronaut."

Lowe's simple concept lives on in today's Army, which uses high tech aerostats equipped with cameras and sensors instead of human observers to eyeball the battlefield.

This summer the Army plans to test the ultimate extension of Lowe's balloon-based recon idea with a sensor packed in a football-field long airship. The service has an eye toward deployment in Afghanistan next year. (more) (movie) (book) (book)

"Sorry about that, Chief." (very sorry)

 Leonard Stern, an Emmy Award-winning writer, producer and director whose career in television spanned "The Honeymooners," "Get Smart" and "McMillan & Wife" and whose additional career in publishing included co-creating the classic Mad Libs word game books, has died. He was 88. (more)

99.7 Percent of Android Devices 'Leaking' Data

via itbusinessedge.com...

German researchers have discovered a loophole in Android devices the could potentially leak data if the devices are used over an open Wi-Fi network. According to recumbu.com, authentication codes for Web-based services, like Google Contacts and Google Calendar, are often sent between a phone and Google’s servers unencrypted and in a plain-text format. This means that anyone eavesdropping on the traffic could access information such as a user's contacts library, phone numbers and email addresses.

In a blog post, the researchers say:
Beyond the mere stealing of such information, an adversary could perform subtle changes without the user noticing. For example, an adversary could change the stored email address of the victim's boss or business partners hoping to receive sensitive or confidential material pertaining to their business.

The loophole affects more than 99 percent of Android phones, notes BBC News. However, researchers are not suggesting that attacks are actively exploiting the loophole. Google has not commented on the researchers' discovery. (more)

Bugged Xbox Guitar Hero Reveals Killer. (Not Megadeth, a real killer.)

A trusted uncle playing Guitar Hero on an Xbox was the key to extracting information from a suspect in a fatal Saskatoon shooting...

According to testimony from the uncle, the man agreed to secretly record his nephew for police. In exchange for that help, the police agreed to drop an outstanding drinking and driving charge against the uncle.

To record the suspect, police rigged an Xbox game in the uncle's house with a hidden microphone. Then, during a midnight-to-dawn session of the uncle and nephew playing the game Guitar Hero, the youth was recorded giving his account of the shooting. (more)

Mobile Malware - "The genie is out of the bottle."

Amil Klein, CTO at Trusteer, explained how mobile malware has evolved to a stage where it can now bypass most banking security.

Graham Ingram, the general manager of AusCERT, backs this up.

"The genie is out of the bottle. The hardware is there, the software is there, the capability is there ... these guys will turn it around quickly, now. They know what to do, as soon as the reward is there — and it is clearly there — they will move rapidly into it, and I think that is going to shock a few people because we will wake up one morning and it will all be happening."

SpyCam Story #612 - NYC Hidden Camera Alert

Watch yourselves... especially at: pharmacies, home improvement stores, retail stores, museums, landmarks, fast food joints and anything involving tours. 

Locations in New York City are currently being scouted for hidden camera locations for a new TV show. Expect filming all summer long.

Remember Candid Camera? Well, this one is for the next generation. 

You've been warned, but if you get caught we're all going to laugh at you on truTV.

"All right, who called me Bullet Head!?"

There's something a little disturbing about the thought of jamming something that looks like a bullet into your ears, but then again, MUNITO's SITi (Standard Issue Titanium) Nine Millimeter Earphones clearly aren't your grandma's earbuds. 

Not only are their metal bodies modeled after 9 mm shell casings, but their flexible tips are actually trademarked as SiliconeHollowPoints. 

Lest you think that these earphones are all novelty, they do have some half-decent specs. (more)

Memo to self: Replace REI OSCOR Blue headphones with these.

Tip: How to recover from a malicious web picture attack

Security researchers have found thousands of photos from searches within the Google Images site that have been infected with malicious code. In many cases, clicking on one of these poisoned images triggers a script that makes it seem like the computer has become infected with viruses. Another Web site pops up trying to wheedle your credit-card number in exchange for fake antivirus software. (more)

Tip: If this happens, just force-quite the application. If you downloaded the photo, trash it.

PC - Press the Control-Shift-Esc keys, then End Task.

MAC - Press the Option-Command-Esc keys, click on the program and click the Force Quit button.

SPYPEDIA Library is On-Line and Open for Business

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A continually updated, rich, open source database for professionals in the counterintelligence, security, and counterterrorism disciplines; educators; authors; researchers; academia; students; and all who hold an interest in CI and CT.  

What's Available...
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• Hours of video documenting CI and security lessons, vital issues, key facts, and important cases.

• CI history - congressional hearings on espionage related activities, government reports, source documents, and spy trials.

• CI and CT expert reviews of current movies, books, and television shows. (more)

PA School Laptop SpyCam Lawsuits Keep Coming

(Recap - How it began... Michael and Holly Robbins of Penn Valley, Pa., said they first found out about the alleged spying last November (11/09) after their son Blake was accused by a Harriton High School official of "improper behavior in his home" and shown a photograph taken by his laptop.)

PA - A former student at a suburban Philadelphia high school has sued his school district for allegedly spying on him and his family using a school-issued Mac laptop, according to court documents.

The Lower Merion School District of Ardmore, Pa. was first sued in February 2010 by another student using similar charges. That case, dubbed "Spygate" in some media reports, was settled last October when Lower Merion agreed to pay Blake Robbins $175,000 and cover $425,000 in court costs.

On Monday, Joshua Levin, a 2009 graduate of Herriton High, charged the district with violating his civil rights and privacy by remotely activating the notebook's built-in camera to take photographs and screenshots.

Today, Lower Merion spokesman Doug Young called Levin's lawsuit "solely motivated by monetary interests and a complete waste of the taxpayer's dollars."

Last year, Lower Merion acknowledged it had activated cameras on the school-provided MacBook system to track lost or stolen laptops, but denied it was using them to spy on students.

Levin begged to differ.

According to his lawsuit, Lower Merion used his laptop to take more than 8,000 photographs and screenshots between September 2008 and March 2009. A report commissioned by the district uncovered more than 30,000 photographs and another 27,000 screenshots taken when the tracking and security software was activated by district IT personnel. (more)