"Secure" Integrated Circuit Chip Salami'ed into Spilling Secrets

A technique has been developed to bypass elaborate physical protections and siphon data off the most secure chips potentially including those used to protect military secrets.

The proof-of-concept technique demonstrated by researchers at Berlin's Technical University and security consultancy IOActive was successfully applied to a low-security Atmel chip commonly used in TiVo video recording devices. But the research team found that their complex and expensive attack could be applied to successfully pry data from highly-secure chips.

The attack used a polishing machine to mill down the silicon on the target chip until it was 30 micrometers thin.

The chip was then placed under a laser microscope fitted with an infrared camera to observe heat emanating from where encryption algorithms were running.

A focused ion-beam was then shot at the chip which dug a series of two micrometer -deep trenches in which wiretap probes were inserted.

Together, the elaborate techniques if bolstered by the use of more expensive equipment not available to the researchers could potentially bypass the most advanced chip security mechanisms. (more)

SpyCam Nails Airline Baggage Handlers at JFK

Seven baggage handlers at JFK Airport were arrested Wednesday for allegedly stealing thousand of dollars in items from checked baggage.

After receiving customer complaints of missing items, Israeli airline EL AL installed a camera in the belly of one of their 747 jets.

Over a five month period they caught seven employees - often wearing gloves - rifling through passenger's suitcases and stuffing luxury items in their pockets and down their pants. (more)

Sports Spying - Italian Football

Italy - In a frankly bizarre twist, Sampdoria caught a Genoa scout dressed in camouflage gear spying on their training ahead of Sunday’s derby.

The two local rivals will face off at Marassi on Sunday.

It seems Genoa were hoping to gain an advantage, but were left red-faced when Primavera youth team goalkeeping Coach Luca De Prà was caught spying on Samp’s training session.

It was Sampdoria who revealed the strange story with a statement on their official website and photograph of the man dressed in full camouflage gear to hide in the bushes outside the Bogliasco camp. (more)

Wizard of Id... More True than They Know

Alps Slayings Could be Linked to Industrial Espionage - Prosecutor

French authorities said Friday they were investigating the possibility that the British family shot dead while on holidays in the Alps a year ago was executed over industrial espionage. (more)

School v. Students - Monitoring Social Media for Anti-Social Behavior

Authorities in California are now snooping on school students’ social media postings to catch law-breaking, bullying and other harmful activities. But parents worry the move is yet another example of Big Brother prying into ordinary Americans’ lives.

Glendale Unified School District, the third-largest in Los Angeles County, has paid Geo Listening Company over $40,000 to follow its students on social media networks. The stated aim is to prevent law-breaking, bullying and doing harm to themselves and others.

Under the scheme, the online activities of Glendale’s 13,000 middle-school and high-school students are closely monitored. (more)

Sometimes the Bird Really is a Spy

Over the past few years there have been a flock of spy stories about birds, the latest being a stork in Egypt. He was interrogated and let go, only to be found dead two days later. "...a wildlife organization claiming that it was 'eaten by local villagers.'" (more)

This story is different. Some birds do spy.

The John Downer Productions team created a set of highly realistic robotic penguins to spy on living birds for a recent BBC documentary. Some penguins are timid around humans, and may flee when a normal camera team approaches. So, these robots allow scientists and filmmakers to get up close with the colony and capture intimate details of day to day life in a penguin colony. 

The robots are more than simple spycams. They can:
• Remember the identities of individual penguins based on their patterns of spots.
• Get blown over and right themselves.
• Fall off a ledge without breaking.
• And even carry “egg-cams” to drop off at strategic locations (more)

Business Espionage: BMW Accused of Spying on Paris Electric Car-Share Company

The group that runs Paris car-sharing scheme Autolib’ said Tuesday it had filed a criminal complaint accusing German carmaker BMW of using spies to gather information on its electric cars. 

The Bollore group said it had filed the industrial espionage complaint after two employees of a firm employed by BMW were spotted three times tampering with charging points and Autolib’ vehicles parked in Paris.

BMW denied any wrongdoing...

The group that runs Paris car-sharing scheme Autolib’ said Tuesday it had filed a criminal complaint accusing German carmaker BMW of using spies to gather information on its electric cars.

The Bollore group said it had filed the industrial espionage complaint after two employees of a firm employed by BMW were spotted three times tampering with charging points and Autolib’ vehicles parked in Paris.

BMW denied any wrongdoing.

How to Check an iPhone for Spyware

a tip via Techlicious...
"The best way to detect if your iPhone has been hacked is to download an app like Lookout that tells you whether your phone has been "jailbroken". 

If the answer is yes (and you didn't jailbreak it), there's a good chance your suspected spy did. 

To remove an iPhone hack, simply update to the latest version of iOS. And to protect against future hacks, make sure that your phone is password protected so no one can get physical access to jailbreak it again...

Once you clear the hack, reset all of your passwords for social accounts and iCloud to prevent other means of spying on you."

The New York Times Quote of the Day :)

QUOTATION OF THE DAY

"This is the golden age of spying."

PAUL KOCHER, a cryptographer, on the National Security Agency's ability to circumvent encryption systems in gathering private Internet information.

IT Industry Admits ‘Losing Battle’ Against State-Backed Attacks

More than half of senior IT security professionals believe the industry is losing the battle against state-sponsored attacks, according to a survey.

Nearly 200 senior IT security professionals were surveyed by Lieberman Software Corporation at the Black Hat USA 2013 conference in Las Vegas, with 58 per cent of saying they believe the profession is losing the battle against state-sponsored attacks.

And 74 per cent of respondents were not even confident that their own corporate network has not already been breached by a foreign state-sponsored hacker, while 96 per cent believe that the hacking landscape is going to get worse over time. (more)

FutureWatch: Look for a migration of sensitive information away from Internet connectivity, followed by a rise in traditional espionage techniques. This shift will amplify the need for traditional security countermeasures, such as TSCM.

Business Espionage: HTC - Cell Phone Company Takes a Hit

Taiwan -- Investigators stormed into HTC yesterday to investigate some of the company's design staff, who are suspected of stealing trade secrets and defrauding HTC of nearly NT$10 million.

Ironic HTC homepage.

HTC accused three of its senior design professionals of fraud. The suspects were alleged to have set up new businesses on their own. Investigators started interrogating the suspects and searching their homes and offices yesterday afternoon.

The Bureau of Investigations said that it had received a complaint from HTC saying that three senior employees in the design development department were suspected of designing cellphone cases and lying about it being contract work. The suspects allegedly conspired with a manufacturer to issue fake invoices amounting to nearly NT$10 million for performing design work. Upon receiving the money from HTC, the manufacturer allegedly transferred it to the suspects. (more)

The Newest Eavesdropping Gadget for PIs and Spies - Also a Security & Safety Tool

When people around you put on headphones or earbuds you begin to speak freely. Big mistake. You may have been lulled into a false sense of security by an eavesdropper using The Fuser. 
"The Fuser increases your awareness of the natural sounds around you using its built-in microphone to “mix” the music in your headphones with the outside world, allowing you to enjoy your music while still hearing yourself and others around you talk, laugh, work, play.*
 
Listen to music at work and still engage with co-workers. Take a road trip and not ignore others in the car. Relax at the beach with your music and still hear the waves crash… The possibilities are endless. (Oh, and by the way) *Fuser can also be used without a music device as a powerful hearing aid." (more)

P.S. This is also an excellent safety device for when you are walking, jogging, bicycling, or in any other situation where you need to be alert to your surroundings.

Industrialists Hit by Cyber Espionage

India - Cyber espionage, the practice of spying to obtain secret information like proprietary or classified details, confidential sales data, turnover, clients' contacts, diplomatic reports and records of military or political nature, have hit city industrialists.

"Cyber espionage is the new trend of cyber crime that is threatening mid-scale and small-scale industries in Ludhiana. Here one could target his business competitors or simply steal other company's details to sell it further in the market. Ludhiana offers them a ready-made market as many start-ups and small scale companies are operational here," said Tanmay Sinha, a cyber expert and an entrepreneur based in Ludhiana.

"In most of the instances, cyber espionage attempts benefit the attacker as these attacks are not random but are well-planned and targeted towards one group. Moreover, these are done by the criminals after studying the history of the target," he added.

Ludhiana police cyber cell has received more than 10 complaints of cyber espionage in the last two months. (more)

Smartphone Spy Lens

Why mention this?
Our PI friends need to know, and so you will know what you're up against.

"The Smartphone Spy Lens is a tiny gizmo you attach to your phone to take photos at a 90° angle. You can slyly hold your phone in texting position, while photoing straight ahead!

Periscope around a corner. Snap candid shots of your camera-shy kids. Take a photo of your dinner plate without having to climb up on the table.

Its high quality glass and mirrored interior ensures no photo quality is lost. Attach the included metal ring around your phone's lens and the Spy Lens magnetizes securely onto it.



Since it twists 360° you'll have all the advantages of a camera with a swivel screen. Hold it high and still see what you're shooting. Hold it low without dropping into an army crawl to set your focus.

With the Spy Lens in place you can lay your phone down and still shoot straight ahead. Turning any surface into an impromptu tripod for self ports, group pix and steady videoing." (more)