How to Use Public Wi-Fi More Securely

via Eric Geier, PCWorld

• Every time you log in to a website, make sure that your connection is encrypted. The URL address should start with https instead of http.
  
• You also need to make sure that the connection stays encrypted for all of your online session. Some websites, including Facebook, will encrypt your log-in and then return you to an unsecured session—leaving you vulnerable to hijacking, as discussed earlier.
  
• Many sites give you the option of encrypting your entire session. You can do this with Facebook by enabling Secure Browsing in the Security settings.
  
• When you check your email, try to login via the Web browser and ensure that your connection is encrypted (again, look for https at the beginning of the URL). If you use an email client such as Outlook, make sure your POP3 or IMAP and SMTP accounts are configured with encryption turned on.
  
• Never use FTP or other services that aren’t encrypted.
  
• To encrypt your Web browsing and all other online activity, use a VPN, or virtual private network (this article will show you how).
  
• Keep in mind that private networks have similar vulnerabilities: Anyone nearby can eavesdrop on the network. Enabling WPA or WPA2 security will encrypt the Wi-Fi traffic, obscuring the actual communications, but anyone who also has that password will be able to snoop on the packets traveling over the network. This is particularly important for small businesses that don’t use the enterprise (802.1X) mode of WPA or WPA2 security that prevents user-to-user eavesdropping. (more)

Major Privacy Breach Discovered on Motorola Phones

An independent security researcher published proof this week that Motorola phones with the Blur service installed are sending a myriad of credentials and private information silently to Motorola servers, as well as communicating via a modified version of the Jabber protocol in a format reminiscent of botnet command-and-control.

The disclosure - which featured packet captures, screen shots, and a full analysis of all of the data being sent - includes reproduction instructions for anyone concerned about their Motorola phone behaving in a similar manner. 

Impacted phone owners appear to have little recourse at this time, as the service responsible for this information disclosure cannot be removed without rooting the phone and installing a stock version of Android. (more)

Espionage is No Secret

Governments around the world are responding with outrage about the revelations from National Security Agency traitor Edward Snowden...

Are they really that outraged? Not likely. Only the childishly naïve would believe foreign governments were unaware of international espionage. Not only is the U.S. spying on foreign governments, including their allies, virtually every government in the world is engaged in espionage against every other government accessible to them...

Think allies don’t spy on each other? Think again... There isn’t room on this page to list the espionage activities of nations like China. For the curious, simply type, China espionage into any Internet search engine. (About 77,100,000 results)

The tactics used in the espionage world shock and surprise polite society because they seem underhanded and dishonest. And, usually, they are. Just as importantly, they are usually necessary evils. (more)

Your tax dollars at work, really.

The Surveillance Group Ltd Denies Bugging the Ecuadorian Embassy

British security firm Surveillance Group Ltd has denied bugging the Ecuadorian Embassy in London.

"We have this morning heard an accusation the source of which is apparently Ricardo Patino, the Ecuadorian Foreign Minister suggesting that we have bugged the Ecuadorian Embassy.
This is completely untrue. The Surveillance Group do not and have never been engaged in any activities of this nature.
We have not been contacted by any member of the Ecuadorian Government and our first notification about this incident was via the press this morning.
This is a wholly untrue assertion."

– Timothy Young, CEO, Surveillance Group Ltd. (Press Release - 04/07/2013)

We are waiting see if the embassy produces some substantial evidence to support their claim. After all, "What is in a name?" R&J (II, ii, 1-2)

Hidden Microphone Found at Embassy Where Julian Assange Resides

A hidden microphone has been found inside the Ecuadorean embassy in London, where the WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is holed up, according to the country's foreign minister.

Ricardo Patiño said the device had been discovered a fortnight ago inside the office of the Ecuadorean ambassador, Ana Alban, while he was in the UK to meet Assange and discuss the whistleblower's plight with the British foreign secretary, William Hague.

"We regret to inform you that in our embassy in London we have found a hidden microphone," Patiño told a news conference in Quito on Tuesday.

"I didn't report this at the time because we didn't want the theme of our visit to London to be confused with this matter," he said.

"Furthermore, we first wanted to ascertain with precision the origin of this interception device in the office of our ambassador." (more)

Good luck.

In other news...
French company Spotter has developed an analytics tool that claims to have up to 80% accuracy in identifying sarcastic comments posted online.

Spotter says its clients include the Home Office, EU Commission and Dubai Courts. (more)

We retract the last comment.

Does using encryption make you a bigger target?

The short answer is, of course, "Yes."
Find out "Why?" here.

"How?" is also interesting...
In 'Golden Age' of Surveillance, US Has Big Edge

U.S. Looks to Blunt Corporate Espionage

The U.S. could be signaling stepped-up prosecution of Chinese companies accused of stealing trade secrets as it filed criminal charges against one of China's largest wind-turbine manufacturers and two of its executives, experts said.

"Maybe five years ago, it was sexier to chase drug cases than trade-secret cases," said Benjamin Bai, a partner at Allen & Overy in Shanghai. However, "the political climate is brewing the perfect storm in the U.S. for prosecutions to increase."

A recent law strengthening the U.S. Economic Espionage Act will likely encourage more prosecutions, said Mr. Bai, who has represented U.S. clients on intellectual-property issues. (more)

European Commission Conducts Bug Sweeps

The European Commission will sweep its offices for electronic listening devices and other security breaches following revelations of alleged U.S. surveillance programs targeting European leaders, a commission spokeswoman said Monday.

   

The allegations, reported Sunday by the German news magazine Der Spiegel, threaten to derail negotiations on a variety of issues with the United States, French President Francois Hollande said Monday...

Hollande's comments and the planned security sweep come amid building outrage in Europe over allegations that the National Security Agency had bugged EU offices in Washington and New York and conducted an "electronic eavesdropping operation" that tapped into an EU building in Brussels, Belgium. (more)

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The European Union has ordered a worldwide security sweep of all its premises following reports US intelligence has bugged its offices in Washington, Brussels and the United Nations. Jose Manuel Barroso, president of the EU's Executive Commission, "has instructed the competent commission services to proceed to a comprehensive ad hoc security sweep and check" in light of the most recent spying allegations leveled at the US, spokeswoman Pia Ahrenkilde Hansen told reporters. (more)
Note: It is generally standard practice for government agencies (and at-risk businesses) to conduct Technical Surveillance Countermeasures (TSCM, or bug sweeps) on a regular basis. Check with your Security Department to see if your office is being inspected regularly.

Wi-Vi Sees Movement Behind Walls Using Cheap Wi-Fi Tech

A new system allows researchers to track up to three separate people through a wall, solely with the help of low-power Wi-Fi signals.

The Wi-Vi system relies on two antennas to broadcast Wi-Fi signals and a receiver to read them, according to the researchers’ paper. The Wi-Fi signals degrade in quality each time they pass through a wall, so the receiver must be prepared to pick up on very weak signals. It is also quickly overwhelmed if there are too many to sort through...

 
Researchers think the Wi-Vi system could also be used to find survivors in destroyed buildings or count and track criminals. Compared to previous military-oriented tracking systems, Wi-Vi is cheap, compact and lightweight, which makes it practical for consumer uses such as personal safety. (more)

What does espionage look like in the 21st century?

A short interview (10:17) on the BBC...

(audio - available until 7/7/13)

Number of federal wiretaps rose 71 percent in 2012

The number of wiretaps secured in federal criminal investigations jumped 71 percent in 2012 over the previous year, according to newly released figures.

Federal courts authorized 1,354 interception orders for wire, oral and electronic communications, up from 792 the previous year, according to the figures, released Friday by the Administrative Office of the United States Courts. There was a 5 percent increase in state and local use of wiretaps in the same period. (more)

Stealth Wear for the Reg Blank in All of Us

The Tin Foil Hat folks have upgraded for the 21st Century. 
New types of stealth clothing are being developed. 
They thwart video and infrared surveillance techniques.  

Here is a brief rundown...


Stealth sunglasses.

 







Stealth handbag.


Stealth cap.

 
Stealth clothing.



TV Hat (More for video viewing rather than video stealth, but worth a peek :)

"What's a Reg Blank?" I hear you say... 
Reg is a "blank", a person not indexed in the government's database. (more) (video)
He sez... "All day every day, making tomorrow seem like yesterday."

Need a Tin Foil Hat to go with all your new anti-there gear? Check here.

New Video Game Steeped in Surveillance, Wiretapping and SpyCaming

One of several surveillance-related games at E3, "Watch Dogs" casts players as Aiden Pearce, a vigilante who can tap into security cameras and listen in on phone calls across a virtual rendition of an automated Chicago...

The timing of "Watch Dogs" is remarkable in light of recent revelations about the National Security Agency's controversial data-collection programs. They were revealed in media stories by The Guardian and The Washington Post, leaked by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden. 

Is "Watch Dogs" a case of a video game imitating life — or the other way around? (more)

SpyCam in Restaurant Can - "Don't like it? Don't go to the restroom!"

A visit to a restroom is usually a private thing but some customers at a Texas restaurant say that’s not the case. This comes after one man discovered a security camera in the restroom of Wolfie’s restaurant in Lake Conroe.

It’s not the place you’d expect to be under surveillance but the management says it’s for safety. The cameras are high up above the door so customers do not see them until they are about to exit.

There is a sign posted in the hallway stating the reason for the cameras but legal experts say it should not be done.

Management was asked about the tactic and they say it’s because some customers have destroyed property.

They also said if patrons do not like the cameras they do not have to go to the restroom. (more)

Spybusters Tip #543 - On "High Tech" Car Burglars

The news media is overflowing with reports of "High Tech" car burglars. They appear to be opening locked cars while holding a "black box" which "has police all over the nation stumped as to how it works."

Here, at the Spybusters Countermeasures Compound, we believe the black box is nothing more than a radio signal jammer. 

The thief is nearby when the person locks their car using a wireless fob. They interfere with the locking signal and the car never really locks. Once the owner walks away, they strike.

Spybusters Tip #543: When locking your car, make sure you test that it is really locked before walking way. This is especially important if you see anyone nearby. (sing-a-long)