Espionage Research Institute International Conference - September 7th-9th

This is a counterespionage conference you don't want to miss...

The Espionage Research Institute International's (ERII) annual conference will be held 7-9 September 2012 in Herndon, VA. The ERII conference provides a forum for ERII members to meet and discuss news and information related to the threats and recent discoveries in the fields of espionage and information security.

...and they make it easy to attend by holding it from Friday-Sunday (9/7-9).

A sneak peak...

David G. Major, President of the CI Centre, will be featured as a keynote speaker. Mr. Major's presentation on the topic of "2011/2012 Espionage Debrief: A Worldwide Year in Review" will be on the first day of the conference from 0900-1200 hrs.

Paul Turner of PDTG Inc., will be running a one (1) day Kestrel TSCM Professional Software familiarization and basic operation day at the Espionage Research Institute International (ERII) annual conference on Sunday September 09, 2012. His custom TSCM software is getting rave reviews.

Other presentations...

  • Understanding the TSCM (RF) Spectrum Environment
  • Surveillance Device Intelligence Briefing
  • Nation State Espionage Briefing
  • Cyber Espionage Briefing

The conference is always a worthwhile event. Join ERII and attend. The conference fee is $150.00 and hotel rooms are still available at $99.00 - until 8/30/12. Mention ERII when making reservations.

Where & When
Embassy Suites Dulles Airport
13341 Woodland Park Road
Herndon, VA 20171
Ph: 1-703-464-0200
September 7th through 9th, 2012
8:30AM-5:00PM

Join ERII and REGISTER for the Conference

The membership of ERII consists of TSCM, Counterespionage & Counterintelligence professionals and associates. TSCM is the abbreviation for "Technical Surveillance Counter Measures", it is the industry term for work that includes de-bugging sweeps, wiretap detection, and related counter-surveillance work. The purpose of TSCM is to help businesses,corporations and individuals protect themselves from unauthorized and illegal spying activities. One of the main functions of ERII is to help maintain high ethical standards in the TSCM, Counterespionage / Counterintelligence field.

Eavesdropping Find: Bandera City Hall Bugged

TX - No accusations were made last week at a budget workshop but evidence was brought to light that city security may be at risk... 

Bandera City Hall was checked for breaches recently, reported Mayor Pro Tem Maggie Schumacher during the city's Aug. 9 budget meeting. An unnamed security company scanned City Hall for listening “bugs” and other devices.

“There is no doubt by the (security) firm that offices had been bugged,” Schumacher said. “There were wires going into the police department.” The firm also found “cameras in the city secretary's office.”

“The report said there was so much evidence that [the City Hall] side of the building had been compromised,” Schumacher said...

Security at City Hall has been considered a potential problem since last year when former Bandera City Police Lt. Neil McLean allegedly told Schumacher that nothing was private in city offices, Councilmember John Hegemier told the Bulletin Monday.

Hegemier said Schumacher interpreted McLean's statement as meaning the offices had been bugged, though former City Police Chief Jim Eigner said they were not. (more)

Business Espionage: The Apple Bonkers Get Theirs

Apple won a decisive victory on Friday in a lawsuit against Samsung, 

Click to enlarge.

a verdict that will give Apple ammunition in a far-flung patent war with its global competitors in the smartphone business.

The nine jurors in the case, who faced the daunting task of answering more than 700 questions on sometimes highly technical matters, returned a verdict after just three days of deliberations at a federal courthouse in San Jose, Calif. They found that Samsung infringed on a series of Apple’s patents on mobile devices, awarding Apple more than $1 billion in damages.

That is not a big financial blow to Samsung, one of the world’s largest electronics companies. But the decision could essentially force it and other smartphone makers to redesign their products to be less Apple-like, or risk further legal defeats. (more)

Business Espionage on CNBC - Thu, 23rd 9p & 12a ET

I participated in the making of CNBC series, Crime, Inc. ("Secrets for Sale") and thought you might like to see it. Some of our advanced electronic surveillance detection instrumentation is shown, and business espionage issues are discussed. ~ Kevin

on CNBC. “CRIME INC #9 - SECRETS FOR SALE”
Premieres Thursday, August 23rd 9p | 12a ET
Re-broadcast: Sunday, August 26th 11p

 
Spying is an ever-present threat in the workplace.

Kevin D. Murray discusses business espionage prevention with Carl Quintanilla.

From the coworker in the next cubicle to foreign governments, the faces of corporate espionage are all around us. Boeing, Intel and Coca-Cola have all been targets. The losses - estimated by the FBI to be more than 13 billion dollars a year in the United States - can go undetected for years despite sophisticated security. Crime Inc. follows cases where livelihoods are threatened, reputations ruined and trade secrets are bought and sold. (more)

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

Business Counterintelligence Conference at Kwa Maritane Bush Lodge, South Africa - September 17-19

CBIA will be hosting South Africa’s first conference on business counterintelligence  September 17-19, 2012, at the Kwa Maritane Bush Lodge in the Pilanesberg, North West Province...

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One of the key aims of the conference is to involve and to provide decision makers, managers and business unit leaders with the insight to understand business counterintelligence and how it differs from other streams of information management and security practices.

Corporate information gathering is a fact of life, even more so during hard and tough economic times...

The conference will take participants on an eye-opening journey regarding information protection issues. Attendees will gain a practical understanding of the value added role counterintelligence plays in competitive strategy and the protection of business information. 

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Conference Topics
• What is the scope of the business espionage and information theft threat to businesses;
• Non-cyber methods of information gathering and economic espionage;
• Social engineering, tradecraft and other psychological tricks used to penetrate a target company;
• The “insider” threat and motivational factors;
• Importance of information security awareness training;
• How to protect sensitive data and high value employees;
• Countering electronic espionage in business;
• Technical surveillance countermeasures (TSCM) risk management;
• The evolving cyber threat. The cyberspace is now providing relative small scale operators the opportunity to become involved in business espionage and information theft;
• Background screening and vetting, pre-employment and existing employee screening;
• The dark side of social media and what it means for business;
• The threat of consumerisation and BYOD;
• Policies, procedures and guidelines on how to build an effective business counterintelligence capability;
• A corporate case study;
• Active dialogue session (Ask the Expert) – An interactive brainstorming session to solve common challenges and to share innovative solutions;
• Technical security product demonstrations.

(brochure) (conference program)

Security Alert: Conference room reservation system - Arrive® InfoPoint™

Affected Murray Associates clients can receive special attention due to our working relationship with DigitalSecurus.

DigitalSecurus has discovered that some touch screen smart devices for conference rooms have arrived in the United States infected with a computer virus/malware (malicious software).

The infection was discovered during a recent investigation into suspicious activity on a network belonging to a DigitalSecurus client. Further analysis in a lab environment by DigitalSecurus revealed a variant of the malware known as “Downadup/Conficker” virus in unopened InfoPoint AI-101 touch screen computers. DigitalSecurus contacted the manufacturer of the device, Arrive Systems, and has been working with them closely to investigate the circumstances surrounding the infection.

This malware is particularly dangerous to a network environment as it will attempt to spread itself to other computers. The virus also attempts to communicate with unauthorized computers on the Internet, possibly allowing unauthorized access to corporate files and other sensitive data.

The infection appears to have been installed onto the devices prior to shipping into the United States...

Companies using the InfoPoint AI-101 devices are advised to consider removing them from their network until they can be properly analyzed, made harmless, and patched with software updates. For further instructions on specific steps that can be taken users are encouraged to contact the manufacturer, Arrive Systems, at this link.

DigitalSecurus is an Alaskan based network security consulting firm that provides computer security consulting, analysis, forensics, security training, and computer incident response to corporations and organizations in the United States.

Hacker Targets: Computer, Smartphone, and now... Your Car

A team of top hackers working for Intel Corp's security division toil away in a West Coast garage searching for electronic bugs that could make automobiles vulnerable to lethal computer viruses... 

It's scary business. Security experts say that automakers have so far failed to adequately protect these systems, leaving them vulnerable to hacks by attackers looking to steal cars, eavesdrop on conversations, or even harm passengers by causing vehicles to crash.

"You can definitely kill people," said John Bumgarner, chief technology officer of the U.S. Cyber Consequences Unit, a non-profit organization that helps companies analyze the potential for targeted computer attacks on their networks and products. (more)

Another Butt Dialing Lands Man in the Can

PA - A Scranton man faces drug charges after he accidentally dialed 911 while he met with a drug dealer, recording the entire conversation at Lackawanna County dispatch center Wednesday, Scranton police said...

The Lackawanna County Communications Center called Scranton police to say there was an open line to a phone that was recording a conversation inside a vehicle on the 100 block of West Market Street regarding narcotics activity and a man named "Rick," according to the complaint.

Police tracked Mr. Kryzanowski to his apartment, where they found him talking with slow and slurred speech. Police also saw pill bottles and a bottle cap with water in it in plain sight, according to the complaint. (more) (more butt dialing stories)

Secrets for Sale — Premieres Thursday, August 23rd 9p | 12a ET

on CNBC Thursday, August 23rd 9p | 12a ET
“CRIME INC #9 - SECRETS FOR SALE”
 
Spying is an ever-present threat in the workplace.

Kevin D. Murray discusses business espionage prevention with Carl Quintanilla.

From the coworker in the next cubicle to foreign governments, the faces of corporate espionage are all around us. Boeing, Intel and Coca-Cola have all been targets. The losses - estimated by the FBI to be more than 13 billion dollars a year in the United States - can go undetected for years despite sophisticated security. Crime Inc. follows cases where livelihoods are threatened, reputations ruined and trade secrets are bought and sold. (more)

A 20-Year Battery Will Power the Next Generation Bugs

Imagine a battery powered bugging device, voice recorder, or GPS tracker that never needs to have it's battery changed or charged.

Current generation.

City Labs says, "...the company’s team of scientists and engineers has developed batteries with a 20+ year lifetime of continuous power without the requirement for replacement or recharging. The NanoTritium™ battery can energize a broad range of devices where battery replacement is difficult, impractical, or even life-threatening."

The power cell generates electricity using a layer of the radioactive-element tritium, mounted onto a semiconductor. 

Next generation.

The City Labs’ battery produces nanowatts of power; it is not strong enough to power a cell phone or laptop. This is a low-power battery that can run micro-electronics, anywhere that is hard, dangerous or expensive to reach. Applications include implants such as pacemakers as well as devices in industry (sensors on deep-water oil drills) and defense. (more)

Currently, these batteries, "...are used to keep encryption keys alive in SRAM for more than 20 years...". A second generation (coming soon) will be able to do a whole lot more.

Talk Like A Spy with Throw-Away Phone Numbers

Spybusters Tip # 723: The new Burner app for iPhone generates throw-away phone numbers, which can be used for undercover operations or by those who simply prefer a deep layer of privacy.

With Burner, users can create multiple new phone numbers for a day, a week, a month, or longer, and manage all inbound calls, SMS messages, and voicemails for each number. Once you are finished with the number, you can "burn" it by taking it out of service and wiping it from your phone, as if it never existed.

Each number is a separate line within the iPhone, which can be redirected to your main mobile number, or go straight to voicemail, according to the Burner app blog...

Android users may not yet have access to Burner, but they can shield themselves from unwanted calls with the White Pages' new Current Caller ID app, which provides a directory of information about the incoming call.

When your phone rings, it will display details about the caller's recent social updates and check the weather where they are. The feature is also available for SMS texts. Even if you're not interested in the bells and whistles, the app also provides stripped-down caller ID information.

The White Pages app is available for free download in the Google Play store. (more)

Cell Phone Eavesdropping is Back... and inexpensive

A small box, known in the Czech Republic as Agáta, may be listening in on your mobile phone calls at any moment. Agáta, or IMSI Catcher, is essentially an eavesdropping device that, by using relatively simple hardware, can track phone calls and SMS messages coming in and out of mobile phones in a specific radius... 

Former head of the Czech Military Intelligence Agency and a security analyst Andor Šándor underscored the danger of the widespread sale of Agátas:

"It’s been a known fact for a few years now that some companies do sell these devices. But if their use will not be in any way regulated, and access to these devices will not be in any way controlled, then a regular citizen can do absolutely nothing."

...Mr. Šándor claims that the most likely private users of Agátas are security firms or rival businesses, or even companies trying to win high-stakes tenders. (more) (home-brew IMSI Catcher)

Security Quote of the Day

"...we're at a critical moment where we need to find a different approach if we're going to protect intellectual property and the things we have at risk." — Peter G. George, President and Chief Executive Officer, Fidelis Security Systems, Inc. (more) (a different approach)

8th Raleigh Spy Conference August 22-24

Dramatic Revelations: Castro, J. Edgar Hoover, Deep Throat, CIA Secrets From the Deep and the New Profile of Today’s Terrorist Fidel Castro had foreknowledge of the JFK assassination.

Who was the real J Edgar Hoover? Deep Throat's motives were not what the public thought. How did the CIA scoop a satellite 12,000 below the sea? What is the new profile of today's terrorist? These are the topics for the 8th Raleigh Spy Conference August 22-24 at the NC Museum of History, presented by top experts drawing on the latest in declassified information. And the public is invited to learn and ask question and get to know each speaker personally... 

The Raleigh Spy Conference was founded in 2003 by magazine editor and publisher Bernie Reeves to address the increasing flow of declassified information available since the end of the Cold War. The Raleigh Spy Conference is recognized as the top intelligence conference specifically for the lay public by the Association of Former Intelligence Officers (AFIO). Three of the six conferences have been filmed and aired on C-SPAN. (more) (video)

James Bond turns 50

It’s the big 5-0 for 007 film franchise
One of the most successful film franchises of all time, featured in Friday’s Olympic opening ceremonies, is celebrating its golden anniversary this year. TODAY’s Matt Lauer takes a look back at half a century of Bond, James Bond.