Coffee Unlike the Starstrucks Kind

There was a time when a nickle of joe was all one could get. The Europeans even had a joke about it. "Why is American coffee like making love in the bottom of a boat?" (Contact me directly for the rude punch line if you don't know it.)

Tinted water. Blaaaach, pewey!

   

Then came the hard stuff in all its rocky Italian stallion iterations. We loved it... but secretly we all knew it was over the top. Given no other choices, we stayed starstruck.

So, I'm in my local wine shop the other day. Andrea, the proprietress, says, "Try this, you'll love it!" (She is right 98% of the time.) But, instead of a bottle of wine, she hands over a black bag—filled with coffee beans. I take it home, set it aside until the starstrucks is exhausted from the old A-9 grinder. Yesterday, I fill the mill with the new black gold. Ten minutes later, I am sipping what coffee should have tasted like all along. Smooth, mellow, aromatic and delicious... and that's without milk or sugar.

I only recall having this experience once before (in 2001) when a security director friend asked his mother to bring back a pound of coffee for me, from a small plantation in Costa Rica. 

Later in the morning, I am at my town post office. Serendipity. Another patron walks in and hands the postmaster–a black bag filled with coffee beans. They begin talking coffee. I pipe up with, "I just tried that for the first time this morning. You'll like it." Surprise. It turns out the coffee company is located in my tiny town! And, the other postal patron, Matt, is a partner in the company. We kept talking.

Did you know, the darker the roasted beans, the less caffeine they have? Seriously, no java jive. Turns out the lighter colored roasted beans are the ones you want with breakfast. Heavy roasting brings out the oils and dissipates the caffeine. I also learn that Matt specializes in organic beans, some from super small-yield estates—like the kind my friend, Ted gave me ten years ago!

Ok, I'll spill the beans. If you are interested in getting better mocha java lava into your vena cava (and other veins) visit a Fair Trade USA certified coffee partner and look for their organic products. The coffee in my black bag came from Black River Roasters. Real java-heads, however, will want to grow their own. Buy your own plantation!

So... what does this have to do with spies and electronic surveillance? Nothing, not even the black bag reference. Sometimes one just has to take a coffee break from the world of espionage and reflect on the good things in life. ~Kevin

Rupert Murdoch's Newspapers Are Spying On... Each Other

Well, the whole News Of The World phone-hacking scandal just took a rather amusing turn.

The Independent reports that Rebekah Brooks, former editor of The Sun, was one of the victims. Private detective Glenn Mulcaire, working on behalf of News reporters, hacked her phone "more than 20 times."

Considering the big names in the story -- Sienna Miller, Jude Law, etc. -- Brooks, a relatively minor figure, wouldn't normally be news. Except that in addition to editing The Sun, Brooks previously served as an editor at NotW, the very paper accused of spying on her. (more)

Weird Book Promotion Offers Up Spying Devices as Prizes

via The Mirror...

UK - "To celebrate the book release of Private London by James Patterson, we have the ultimate gadget package up for grabs.

Our prize includes a state-of-the-art Nokia mobile handset worth £595, which records all messages and calls with a device which can be listened to from another phone, a Sony digital radio which has a surveillance camera and sound recorder, a keyboard with bugging device, a voice recorder disguised as a USB stick and a mains adapter with a bugging device that can listen to the surrounding sound in room - which can be listened to live from anywhere in the world. This is the ultimate spy package for any budding investigator, and has all the gadgets they need to mimic their spy idols such as Dan Carter in Private London.

Our winner will also get a copy of Private London which follows Dan Carter, the head of the London office of Private, the world's largest and most technologically advanced investigation agency." (more)

Why is this newsworthy?

It points out that electronic eavesdropping laws and attitudes in the rest of the world are not quite the same as in the United States. We advise our clients of this, and once in while a very good example comes along which emphasizes the point.

New Feature in iPhone iOS5 - Unsecured Call Alert

New in iOS 5 is the Unsecured Call alert. This new feature of iOS 5 actually issues a popup alert when you receive an incoming call from an unrecognized number or from a blocked caller ID. 

Here’s what appears on the iPhone screen as a consequence: Unsecured Call : The cellular network you are using is not encrypted. This call can be intercepted by unauthorized listeners.

The science behind this new feature is the fact that hacks and security breaches can actually make listening in on to your phone calls possible, bringing in use, IMSI catcher, a fake GSM cell tower.

It’s a genuine problem with all GSM phones... (more)

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.