Who Gets the Bill for Government Wiretaps?

Is a major telephone company issuing a surcharge to its customers for legal government wiretapping in what it's calling a "lawful interception recovery fee"? 

A Facebook post that went viral, which showed an apparent copy of an AT&T bill with a section reading "Lawful Interception Recovery Fee" under "Surcharges and Other Fees."

Text that accompanied the post, attributed to a Facebook user Kallie Snyder, read: "I called and they said it's a new fee for the ... cost incurred from the government. I don't have anything to hide so if they want to tap my phone go ahead ... but why should I have to pay for it??!!! This is ridiculous, please share this so we can get the word out there. Oh, and check your bills people!!" (more)

100% urban legend hoax.
Phone companies charge the government.
So... if you are a taxpayer, you do pay.
It just doesn't show up as a tapped-line item on your 1040 form.

Spy Drone Pisses Off Dr. Wee

KUALA LUMPUR - The two men, who allegedly spied on the home of MCA Youth chief Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong (Deputy Minister of Education Malaysia) using a hexacopter, claimed that they were only testing the machine and not spying...

Both men have denied that they are members of a political party...

Dr Wee, when contacted, said the excuses given by the two men were ridiculous and urged police to investigate the matter further.

“Why would a photographer from Kluang come all the way to Cheras to take aerial photographs of my housing area and test the machine?” he said, adding that the footage in the camera showed it to be zooming in on only one or two houses.

He urged the authorities to push for more stringent rules and regulations on the use of such devices.

It was reported that the remote-controlled hexacopter, which had been allegedly spying on his bungalow in Bukit Tiara, Cheras on Aug 8, had fallen on the roof of the balcony of Dr Wee’s neighbour after hitting the lightning arrester. (more)

The Back Story
His neighbour’s 14-year-old son found the vehicle and informed his parents but his parents did not suspect anything amiss and told him to just throw it away.

However, the boy removed a chip attached to a tiny video camera from the vehicle and, together with his 15-year-old sister, played it on the computer. They made the shocking discovery and the family quickly informed Dr Wee.

Dr Wee collected the craft from his neighbor only on Thursday.

Dr Wee, who showed five short video clips extracted from the chip and recorded on Aug 5, said the hexa­copter was aimed in the direction of his house and his neighbour’s.

The video clip showed two men handling the hexacopter in its initial clip (Darwin Award!). In another, the camera screen paused when a security guard was going on his patrolling rounds and resumed when the guard moved away. (more)

IKEA Store Union's Covert Video Allowed

Canada - Two different panels of the BC Labor Relations Board have made findings in favor of a union’s covert video surveillance at the IKEA store in Richmond, BC. The store has operated behind a picket line since May 13.

With over 300 unionized employees on the outside looking in, and only 27 who have decided to cross the picket line, most store operations have continued. The kids’ ballroom is closed, and the 600 seat cafeteria isn’t serving up Swedish meatballs (or anything else), but otherwise the store is open and sales are being made. That has made the union suspicious that IKEA is getting work done in violation of the law against using replacement workers: - section 68 of the Labor Relations Code.

The union hired private investigators to covertly videotape activity inside the store. It then sought to rely on still pictures taken from the video of certain individuals alleged to be working in violation of section 68.

Both panels rejected IKEA’s argument that the covert video surveillance was in violation of the Privacy Act and the Personal Information Protection Act (“PIPA“) and therefore should not be admitted into evidence. The panels, deciding the cases before them independently, reached similar conclusions for similar reasons. (more)

Intel's IT Computer Network PanOptiCop - Code Name "SANTA"

Intel has created a Hadoop-based rig that analyses just about every network event in the company – four to six billion of them on business days - in close to real time so it can spot threats including industrial espionage.

Intel officials declined to name the tool, saying it would not be "productive" to disclose its name, but said it was created by an 80-strong team of big data specialists working from its Israel offices and makes extensive use of Apache Hadoop. Ron Kasabian, Chipzilla's general manager of Big Data, said the tool was developed because conventional malware detection tools – even those from Intel's security-focused subsidiary McAfee – can't find the especially novel or subtle attacks Intel fears.

Kasabian described the tool as analyzing “every access request by every employee, every time they access a file, sharepoint, email or ERP”. Watching all those activities is important because Intel's intellectual property like product designs and manufacturing processes must be very closely guarded. (more)

Snooping A Network Tells All (SANTA)
Oh come on, what else would you call it?

Some Stuff Around the House Which Might Be Spying on You

For Americans concerned about their privacy, the NSA data grabs are daunting, but what about the data grabs happening inside your own home, perpetrated not by the government, but by your coffee machine?

Consider every appliance and every piece of home electronics that you own. Does it gather data about how you use it? Does it connect to the Internet? If so, it could be used to spy on you. Your mobile devices, your TV, and now various other types of home appliances can be wired into a network that can track you. If those networks are hacked, information about your habits and behaviors could be available to people with nefarious goals. The same technological innovation that empowers us also makes us vulnerable to those who would exploit such advances against us.

Here are nine appliances and other systems inside your house that may be spying on you right now, or used to spy on you in the future... (more)

FutureWatch: The "Internet of Things" is in its infancy now. The problem of having more back doors to your home than one is only going to worsen.

Spybusters Tip # 723 - Be Smart - Use a Dumb Phone to Thwart Spyware

Sometimes you just need a dumb phone that can't spy on you. 

inKlien Global's tiny phone

6.5mm Ultra Thin AIEK M3 Cool Card Cell Phone

One that can't hold spyware. 
One that can't GPS track you. 
One that can't bite you with Bluetooth. 

Dumb phones are not always easy to find.  

Your local cell phone store wants you to buy smartphones with data plans. Your significant other isn't going to gift you a dumb phone. (A smartphone, maybe, but don't trust it.)

If you are in the market for a spybusting phone, or just a secret second phone, try looking at these...

inKlien Global "The world slimmest card size phone." (turn off Bluetooth)
johnsphones.com "The world's most basic cell phone."
Kyocera Marbl K127  (Virgin Mobile) Cellular Phone
Motorola W260g  Prepaid Phone (Tracfone)
Motorola C139  Prepaid Phone (Tracfone)


More Spybusters Tips:
• If you suspect your phone is spying on you, don't completely stop using it until you can collect evidence to prove your case. 
• Pick up a cheap, dumb, unblocked secret phone.
-- Don't give out the number.
-- Don't tell anyone you have it.
-- Use a pre-paid SIM card.
-- Use it for very confidential calls only, Let a little information leak via your smartphone. You don't want to tip off your spy that you have gone dark.
-- Completely turn off your smartphone when using your secret phone.
• Block your phone number from being sent. Press *67 before entering the number you want to call. Remember, calls to toll-free numbers like 700, 800, and 900 numbers (and their variants) can not be blocked.
• Rather text than phone? Return to those thrilling days of yesteryear... rent a pager. 

Before you snicker, review your spy service's history

The recent revelations by the whistleblower Edward Snowden were fascinating. But they - and all the reactions to them - had one enormous assumption at their heart. 

That the spies know what they are doing. 

It is a belief that has been central to much of the journalism about spying and spies over the past fifty years. That the anonymous figures in the intelligence world have a dark omniscience. That they know what's going on in ways that we don't.

It doesn't matter whether you hate the spies and believe they are corroding democracy, or if you think they are the noble guardians of the state. In both cases the assumption is that the secret agents know more than we do. 

But the strange fact is that often when you look into the history of spies what you discover is something very different... (more)

The Latest Holiday Season Spy Toy Rolls Out... and records!

...from the seller...
"The I Spy Tank uses all of the latest technology so that you are able to see what the I Spy Tank sees. 

With the Wi-Fi transmitter you are able to control the I Spy Tank with your iPhone, iPad or iPod.

Because of the built in Live Streaming Video Camera you are able to have battles with other I Spy Tanks. Why not see what your friends and neighbors are up to from your very own arm chair while your I Spy Tank goes and finds out. Why not use several I Spy Tanks to arrange war games with your friends? The possibilities are limitless!"

SPECIFICATIONS
WiFi Controlled
4 Channel
Use With Your iPhone / iPad / Android device to control vehicle
Records Video and Sound Up To 20 Metres Away
Records Straight To Your Device
Play Time : 60 Minutes
Charge Time : 120 Minutes
Distance Control : 30 Metres
Batteries Required : 6 x AA (not included)
Dimensions : L230 x W190 x H115mm
For ages 8 and up - Warning! Choking hazard due to small parts. 
iPad, iPhone, and iPod not included

"Paranoia is our friend."

The quote is from a legend in the corporate counterespionage business.  

The movie Paranoia - which opens today - is from a terrific novel written by Joe Finder. Joe is a stickler for accuracy and detail; part of the reason he is a New York Times bestselling author. 

If you want a peek under the skirt of business espionage see Paranoia this weekend.


Sign up here to win an autographed copy of the book. Movie times.

"Privacy is a myth."
#CHANGETHEGAME

FutureWatch: Powerless Bugs or Teslabestiola

Ambient Backscatter research is in its infancy. 
Imagine the possibilities.
Technical espionage could see its biggest advancement since the transistor.

Man Bugs his Ex's Home for Over Three Years

UK - A woman has been left terrified in her home and was turned against her closest friends after her ex-partner bugged her house for three and a half years, a court has heard.

The victim said she suspected her ex had planted a listening device in her Darlington home after he started talking about things which she did not believe he should know...

The man, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, said he installed the device to check on his young daughter.

As near as we can tell from the report, the bug looked like this one.

The device, which the man bought in London for £180 ($280.00), was installed behind a plug socket in the living room in November 2009, and could be accessed through his mobile phone...

In a statement read to the court by Ms Milson, the victim said she had nearly suffered a mental breakdown after finding out she had been bugged.

She said: “I feel sick to the pit of my stomach that he has been listening to me for over three years, he has always known too much about my life.

“He made me question myself and used what he heard against me. I am scared every single day, I am totally distraught and it has left me feeling differently about my home.” (more)

The price on these has dropped since 2009. 
The one shown above is now $79.95. 
The economy of scale, perhaps?

Baby Cam Hackers Can See You, Hear You, and Talk to You... and Your Kids

A hacker was able to shout abuse at a two-year-old child by exploiting a vulnerability in a camera advertised as an ideal "baby monitor".

ABC News revealed how a couple in Houston, Texas, heard a voice saying lewd comments coming from the camera, made by manufacturer Foscam.

Vulnerabilities in Foscam products were exposed in April, and the company issued an emergency fix.

Foscam said it was unable to provide a statement at this time.

However, a UK-based reseller told the BBC it would contact its entire customer database to remind them "the importance in setting a password to their cameras".

The spokesman added that it would be urging Foscam's head office - based in Shenzhen, China - to send out a memo to all its resellers suggesting they too contact their customers.

The BBC has found evidence of hackers sharing information on how to access insecure Foscam cameras via several widely-used forums. Using specialist search engines, people can narrow their results by location...
 
Foscam is not the only company to find itself the target of hackers. Last year, camera company Trendnet had to rush out an update to fix a security hole that left thousands of cameras exposed. (more) 

This is not a new problem. Manufacturers have been slow to respond. (Security Scrapbook warnings from 2/12 and 7/13). Why?

Espionage Idea: Imagine your country is the top manufacturer of surveillance cameras. You build in a back-door capability to monitor each one, and hope no one notices. Salt the Earth with your product. Target the units placed in sensitive areas. Wow, what power! And, then some hackers blow it for you. Damn hackers.

Example

Spy Cameras, Secret Audio Help Fight Movie Piracy

If all the sounds of the summer blockbuster "Man of Steel" were stripped away ...a light humming would still be heard. The barely audible noise is an audio watermark...

Designed by engineers at San Diego company Verance Corp., the watermark is a unique signal to Blu-ray disc players that the movie being watched was illegally recorded at a movie theater. After 20 minutes of playtime, the disc player shuts the movie down and offers the viewer the chance to continue watching—by paying for the movie through legitimate sources like Amazon.com Inc. and Netflix Inc.

...a San Diego startup, PirateEye, believes they can combat piracy using a vastly different technology.

The PirateEve camera, in theaters, can spot people recording a movie.
 
It installs cameras above theater screens that can detect recording devices in the audience and then send pictures of offenders to theater security.

PirateEye's camera-spotting technology was adapted from a military application that placed sensors under combat helicopters to scan the ground below for reflections from scopes on sniper rifles. 

Hollywood studios provided several million dollars in investment for the company, which has also been funded by private investors. (more)

Former Director's Wiretapping Conviction Could Spoil MGM's Licensing Bids

On Tuesday, the Wall Street Journal’s Alexandra Berzon reported that MGM is getting a hard look from regulators regarding former board member Terry Christensen, who resigned after being indicted in 2006 (and convicted in 2008) for his involvement in the illegal wiretapping of the ex-wife of billionaire Kirk Kerkorian, who currently holds 18.6% of MGM’s stock via his investment firm Tracinda Corp.

...sources said the Christensen matter could be a “potentially significant issue” for regulators pondering MGM’s pending licensing efforts not only in New Jersey, but also in Massachusetts and Maryland. (more)

Spy Malware Buried on Official Tibetan Website

Chinese-speaking individuals visiting the website for the Central Tibetan Administration are being targeted with a Java exploit that installs advanced malware on their machines.

According to researchers at security firm Kaspersky Lab, the official site for the Tibetan government-in-exile, led by the Dalai Lama, was seeded with a backdoor that takes advantage of a vulnerability in Java, CVE-2012-4681, which was fixed by Oracle roughly a year ago.

The incident bears the signature of a watering hole attack, in which espionage malware is planted on a legitimate site, and then the attackers wait for their desired victims to visit and take the bait. (more)