Spycam Story #627 - SpyCam Incident Settlements Top $600,000.00

PA - A suburban Philadelphia school district has settled another lawsuit over its alleged spying on students through laptop webcams.

A lawyer says Joshua Levin has settled his lawsuit against the Lower Merion School District. Lawyer Norman Perlberger tells The Philadelphia Inquirer (http://bit.ly/uihP4S ) the 2009 Harriton High School graduate will get more than the $10,000 offered to some other students, but says he can’t specify the amount.

The district has paid more than $600,000 to resolve litigation over software that allowed school employees to remotely activate webcams to track missing computers. (more)

SpyCam Story #626 - The Slime of the Ancient Sub-Mariner

A 40-year-old man has pleaded guilty in the Perth Magistrates Court to covertly filming more than 40 women while they were showering in backpacker hostels across Perth.

Allyn Wilson Fitzgerald used his iPhone to record 70 video clips of women in showers over a 12 month period.

The court heard Fitzgerald was a former serviceman with the Australian Navy and was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. He had been a submariner for 12 years. (more)

Top German cop uses spyware on daughter, gets hacked in retaliation

A top German security official installed a trojan on his own daughter's computer to monitor her Internet usage. What could possibly go wrong?

Nothing—well, at least until one of the daughter's friends found the installed spyware. The friend then went after the dad's personal computer as a payback and managed to get in, where he found a cache of security-related e-mails from work. The e-mails, in turn, provided the information necessary for hackers to infiltrate Germany's federal police.

Wait, it gets worse...

The hackers got into the servers for the "Patras" program, which logs location data on suspected criminals through cell phone and car GPS systems. Concerned about security breaches, the government eventually had to take the entire set of Patras servers offline. (more)

Cellphone Spying Getting Easier for Abusers, Stalkers

NJ - “You could now listen in 100% completely undetected” — that’s the promise one company makes on its website to anyone who wants to eavesdrop on someone else’s cellphone.

Spy technology is now available to the average person who wants to glean cellphone information, read private emails, and track someone’s location using global positioning systems. And increasingly, experts say, the technologies are being used by spouses and partners to track, harass and stalk... 

“Any time you have technological advancements, you also have the downside that comes along with it as far as privacy is concerned,” said Kevin D. Murray, a consultant on eavesdropping detection and counterespionage services, based in Oldwick, NJ.

Murray, who advises business and government, said people who are concerned about privacy or who transmit sensitive information should know that smart phones are vulnerable. Someone with access to a smart phone can load spyware on it within minutes.

He urges wary individuals to restrict access to their phones by using a strong and unique password and by always keeping their phone in sight. Another form of protection, he said, is to use an old-fashioned phone without Internet capabilities. Phone companies, he said, aren’t likely to improve security because it’s not in their financial interest, since they make money from transmissions.

Many of the companies that sell spyware are based outside the country, making them tough to prosecute, Murray said. (more)

Killers who shot dead debt collector jailed after he 'bugged' his own murder

You can't make this stuff up...

UK - Two lovers were jailed yesterday after their murder victim 'bugged' his own clothing (apparently using a cell phone) before his brutal death. Scott Davidson, 23, was sentenced to life imprisonment whilst his 19-year-old girlfriend Rachel Horton will serve eight years in a young offenders' institution.

Martin Ithell, 49, was shot and stabbed in the neck eight times after he was invited round by the pair to collect an outstanding £26,000 loan with the pair oblivious to the recording device he had strapped to his body.

As Ithell’s friends eavesdropped round the corner from the couple’s house, they heard Mr Ithell ask them: 'Hi, have you been doing some painting?' before a shot rang out and the line went dead. (more)

Home SpyCam Success Story

PA - The man who was arrested after police said surveillance video caught images of him breaking into a Brookline home on New Year's Day told detectives Thursday that he also broke into the home in the fall.

Raymond J. Walsh, 50, of Brookline, now faces additional charges of burglary and theft. Mr. Walsh was arrested Sunday after a woman's surveillance system sent her electronic alerts that included time-stamped photos of a man walking through her home in the 1400 block of Bellaire Place.

When detectives interviewed Mr. Walsh Thursday, he admited the New Year's break-in and also said he broke into the home at the end of September and stole $100, according to a criminal complaint filed in court. (more)

One Man Makes the Corporate Security World Less Secure Today

Mark Cheviron didn't come into work today. He retired yesterday, after 30+ years as Corporate VP - Director Corporate Security & Administrative Services at ADM (a Fortune 39 company with 30,000 employees). 

In some respects, corporate security everywhere is less secure today for losing his leadership and innovations, which he freely shared with the community. 

On the other hand, he single-handedly re-invented the modern corporate security department and left us a model for future generations to follow.

Mark was the first security director ADM hired. Immediately, his one-man department began to grow. Today, the security department has many specialized sub-departments, each staffed with some of the best investigators I have ever met. They handle cases all over the world, and have personnel permanently stationed overseas. 

I've had the chance to watch the growth of this security department from almost Day One. Here are the secrets to Marks' success from my vantage-point. I am sure there is more to it, but you'll have to ask Mark.

1. Make sure the security department is a company profit-center, and document your profitability. There were several years where I saw millions of dollars returned to the company due to Mark's efforts. For all I know, he did this every year.

2. Employ honest, talented, hard-working people to assist with the task. Inspire them, and hold them to account. 

His inspiration was infectious. Accountability to him was a welcome part of the package. He made you want to be your best, at all times. 

During these last two years at ADM, he made a concerted effort to get his team ready to carry on successfully once he retired. Why? Because, from Day One, right up until the end, he had pride in his work and he cared.

That's it. Two secrets to corporate security department success. Simple, right?

After my first five years with Mark, I understood his methods and vision. I told him, "You have the hardest working, most productive security department I have ever seen." Today, I can still say, "You have the hardest working, most productive security department I have ever seen," without anyone thinking I am being self-serving. Feels good.

I don't know if Mark is interested in acting as a consultant to corporate security departments looking to restructure and become profit-centers, but if he does, open the corporate vault. It will be worth every million you pay him to get what he knows.

~Kevin

FutureWatch: Help! - A security app to record your demise.

via gizmag...

Help! Users of the app would activate it simply by touching an icon on their home screen, whenever they found themselves in what could become a dicey situation - such scenarios could include being at a protest that is threatening to become a riot, being followed on the street at night, getting into an altercation with another person, or anything else that could escalate into a problem.

When the icon was pressed, the smartphone would surreptitiously begin recording audio and video, and sending it to a remote server. Once the connection to the server was broken (by the app being turned off, the phone's battery dying, or perhaps by the phone being violently smashed), an email would be sent to up to five preselected personal contacts. This email would tell them that the user possibly needed help.

Care to help Help!?

The developer of Help!, Joseph Reilly, is currently raising development funds for his app on Kickstarter. He plans on starting out with a version for Android devices, with an iOS version soon to follow, if funds allow. (more)

Security Directors: FREE Security White Paper - "Surreptitious Workplace Recording ...and what you can do about it."   

PI excuse 2012: "I lost the guy in the crowd." 2020: "What crowd?"

Scientists have made an entire event impossible to see. They have invented a time masker.

Think of it as an art heist that takes place before your eyes and surveillance cameras. You don't see the thief strolling into the museum, taking the painting down or walking away, but he did. It's not just that the thief is invisible - his whole activity is.

What scientists at Cornell University did was on a much smaller scale, both in terms of events and time. It happened so quickly that it's not even a blink of an eye. Their time cloak lasts an incredibly tiny fraction of a fraction of a second. They hid an event for 40 trillionths of a second, according to a study appearing in Thursday's edition of the journal Nature. (more)

"Is that an ear mullet, or are you just happy to record her?"

Bogartski all you see with this Bluetooth Headset Camera! Lightweight and easy-to-use. The Bluetooth Headset Cam has the ability to record video or take still photos. Recorded images will always look sharp even if the user is in motion or using the camera in low light. 4GB internal storage and rechargeable Lithium battery. (more)

Why do I mention it?

So you will know what you're up against.

Joe Finder asks, "Who's Listening In?"

via Joe Finder - author who introduced the “private spy” — who finds out things powerful people want to keep hidden — in the New York Times bestselling novel VANISHED. 

Now, in BURIED SECRETS, Nick Heller returns, finding himself in the middle of a life-or-death situation that’s both high-profile and intensely personal.

"I found Kevin Murray’s website, Counterespionage.com, while doing research for VANISHED about surveillance techniques. Kevin’s spent more than 30 years helping corporations and individuals protect themselves from eavesdropping and information theft, and has even written a book on the subject: Is My Cell Phone Bugged? 

He’s answered a lot of questions for Nick Heller, and was kind enough to answer a few more for the newsletter." Read the interview with Kevin Murray.

'Cheaters' Spy Shop: TV Show Opens Online Store

via the Huffington Post... 
"Cheaters," a syndicated reality series that investigates cheating spouses and records the often-violent confrontations that ensue...now series creator Bobby Goldstein thinks he's found a better product for his corporate brand: A website that sells spy goods.

It's called Cheaters Spy Shop, and sells all sorts of surveillance gear for suspicious minds, including recovery sticks that can pull up anything currently on the iPhone and even recover deleted information; mobile software that will send a person all texts and pictures being sent, web history, call logs, and GPS location every 30 minutes; and even motion-activated hidden cameras that record any movement and activity in high resolution. "We also sell audio recorders that look like pens," Allen Watson, president of the Cheaters Spy Shop, told HuffPost Weird News... 

Meanwhile, Kevin D. Murray, who does eavesdropping audits and counterespionage consulting, says that the idea of doing your own investigation of a suspected cheat may sound appealing, but often causes more problems than it's worth.

"Private electronic eavesdropping and stalking is illegal on both a federal and state level," he told HuffPost Weird News. "Conducting electronic surveillance oneself can create far more problems than it solves. A person with a legitimate concern should hire a licensed private investigator to collect the facts. Do-it-yourselfers lack the experience and emotional detachment to conduct successful investigations."

Murray also thinks that, even if the Cheaters Spy Shop offers its share of disclaimers on the use of the product, they could still be risking legal problems.

"Any person who assists another with illegal electronic surveillance is equally guilty," said Murray, author of the e-book, Is My Cell Phone Bugged?. "For example, a guy might ask the guy at Radio Shack, 'How can I secretly record my wife?' and that guy might say, 'Just buy this voice-activated recorder and hide it under the dashboard of her car.'"

"When it hits the fan, guess who the lawyers come looking for? Big-pockets Radio Shack," he said. "There have also been similar cases where private investigators just dispense advice like this. They get prosecuted, and the spouse who actually did the bugging gets off due to 'matrimonial immunity.'"

Murray says modern electronic surveillance has been regulated by law since 1968, but due to benign neglect and more pressing crimes, enforcement is rare. However, he said that on a few occasions, when the marketplace has become a little too hot, there is enforcement.

"From what I see, the pot is about to boil over again. Look for laws about spyware on cell phones, and raids on 'spy shops' in 2012," he warned.

But while he thinks the Cheaters Spy Shop could be putting itself at risk, Murray doesn't seem that concerned. At the end of the interview, he hinted he may contact the shop about carrying his book.

"It's a yin-yang thing," he explained. (more)

Dilbert vs. The Recycling Bin

...which can lead to some crafty employee solutions to sensitive wastepaper security. 

This blue bin was discovered recently by Murray Associates information security consultants...

It's enough to straighten Dilbert's tie.

Spybusters Security Tip # 512: Never store confidential materials awaiting shredding in an unlocked container. If there is an on-going need to shred small amounts of materials daily, buy a deskside crosscut shredder... and be sure to use it.

Make "I'm taking back my privacy!" a News Years Resolution

Suppliers of the best-known anti-tracking tools — Ghostery, Adblock Plus and TrackerBlock — all reported big jumps in usage in the second half of 2011. Ghostery, for instance, is being downloaded by 140,000 new users each month, with total downloads doubling to 4.5 million in the past 12 months, says Scott Meyer, CEO of parent company Evidon. 

Meanwhile, the goal of newcomer Abine, supplier of Do Not Track Plus, is to make anti-tracking as common as anti-virus for personal computing devices, says CEO Bill Kerrigan, who formerly headed anti-virus giant McAfee's global consumer business.

Abine projects the number of Internet users in North America using anti-tracking tools and services will be 28.1 million by the end of 2012, up from 17.2 million today. "We want to drive the next level of adoption," Kerrigan says. "No one is suggesting don't use Facebook or Google. At the same time, we are suggesting there is a better way for consumers to experience those type of products without necessarily being tracked at every step they take in their digital life." (more)

Hacker Justifies Exposing Wireless Security Weakness. Wait... in 1903!

A century ago, one of the world’s first hackers used Morse code insults to disrupt a public demo of Marconi's wireless telegraph

LATE one June afternoon in 1903 a hush fell across an expectant audience in the Royal Institution's celebrated lecture theatre in London. Before the crowd, the physicist John Ambrose Fleming was adjusting arcane apparatus as he prepared to demonstrate an emerging technological wonder: a long-range wireless communication system developed by his boss, the Italian radio pioneer Guglielmo Marconi. The aim was to showcase publicly for the first time that Morse code messages could be sent wirelessly over long distances. Around 300 miles away, Marconi was preparing to send a signal to London from a clifftop station in Poldhu, Cornwall, UK.

Yet before the demonstration could begin, the apparatus in the lecture theatre began to tap out a message. At first, it spelled out just one word repeated over and over. Then it changed into a facetious poem accusing Marconi of "diddling the public". Their demonstration had been hacked...

The stream of invective ceased moments before Marconi's signals from Poldhu arrived. The demo continued, but the damage was done: if somebody could intrude on the wireless frequency in such a way, it was clearly nowhere near as secure as Marconi claimed. And it was likely that they could eavesdrop on supposedly private messages too. 

Fleming, fired off a fuming letter to The Times of London. He dubbed the hack "scientific hooliganism", and "an outrage against the traditions of the Royal Institution". He asked the newspaper's readers to help him find the culprit. 

He didn't have to wait long. Four days later a gleeful letter confessing to the hack was printed by The Times. The writer justified his actions on the grounds of the security holes it revealed for the public good. Its author was Nevil Maskelyne, a mustachioed 39-year-old British music hall magician. (more)