US - A hacker appears to have broken into personal accounts of the nation’s top spy chief.
The reported teenager is part of the group that hacked into CIA Director John Brennan’s personal emails last year and is using the new access for pro-Palestinian activism. According to Vice Motherboard, which broke the news on Tuesday, the hacker claimed to have broken into a personal email and phone account of Director of National Intelligence James Clapper and his wife. more
Wednesday, January 13, 2016
Sunday, January 10, 2016
Business Espionage: The Hoverboard Knockoff
The hoverboard hubbub at CES in Las Vegas Thursday was something straight out of a corporate espionage movie...
US marshals raided a booth set up by Chinese company Changzhou First International Trade. It was promoting its Trotter electronic skateboard—what Bloomberg describes as looking "like a seesaw with one big wheel in the middle."
The problem: Silicon Valley startup Future Motion says the product is a knockoff of its own Onewheel skateboard, invented and designed by Kyle Doerksen.
"When we got word that a company was exhibiting a knock-off product, we engaged in the formal process, which involved sending a cease and desist letter and ... getting a restraining order ... then enforced by the US marshals," Doerksen tells the BBC. more
The problem: Silicon Valley startup Future Motion says the product is a knockoff of its own Onewheel skateboard, invented and designed by Kyle Doerksen.
"When we got word that a company was exhibiting a knock-off product, we engaged in the formal process, which involved sending a cease and desist letter and ... getting a restraining order ... then enforced by the US marshals," Doerksen tells the BBC. more
Business Espionage: Employee's Steal Bends Steel Company With Her Bare Hands
Australia - On the day long-serving BlueScope software development manager Chinnari Sridevi "Sri" Somanchi was to be made redundant in June 2015, she was suddenly busy on the phone.
For the next two hours her redundancy meeting was delayed while Ms Somanchi was locked on the lengthy call, as her manager circled her desk trying to get her attention.
What the company did not know at the time, and now alleges, was Ms Somanchi was spending those precious hours downloading a cache of company secrets so financially important to BlueScope it has launched emergency legal action in the Federal Court of Australia and Singapore, where she is now based, to stop the information falling into the hands of its competitors.
The case of alleged international espionage has left the company reeling.
Ms Somanchi has been accused this week of downloading a trove of company documents – about 40 gigabytes – over a four-year period, including the codes she allegedly downloaded just before her redundancy meeting.
BlueScope is now trying desperately to retrieve "highly sensitive and commercially valuable" information allegedly stolen by Ms Somanchi, who it describes as a disgruntled former employee...
The case of alleged international espionage has left the company reeling and urgently seeking a judge's help to find and destroy trade secrets before they fall into the hands of competitors.
Losing its customized software to a rival firm would so badly damage BlueScope that it was not seeking penalties because "it is difficult to see how damages could adequately compensate BlueScope for the loss", a senior manager's affidavit said. The business unit at risk generates $US45 million in turnover each year. more
For the next two hours her redundancy meeting was delayed while Ms Somanchi was locked on the lengthy call, as her manager circled her desk trying to get her attention.What the company did not know at the time, and now alleges, was Ms Somanchi was spending those precious hours downloading a cache of company secrets so financially important to BlueScope it has launched emergency legal action in the Federal Court of Australia and Singapore, where she is now based, to stop the information falling into the hands of its competitors.
The case of alleged international espionage has left the company reeling.
Ms Somanchi has been accused this week of downloading a trove of company documents – about 40 gigabytes – over a four-year period, including the codes she allegedly downloaded just before her redundancy meeting.
BlueScope is now trying desperately to retrieve "highly sensitive and commercially valuable" information allegedly stolen by Ms Somanchi, who it describes as a disgruntled former employee...
The case of alleged international espionage has left the company reeling and urgently seeking a judge's help to find and destroy trade secrets before they fall into the hands of competitors.
Losing its customized software to a rival firm would so badly damage BlueScope that it was not seeking penalties because "it is difficult to see how damages could adequately compensate BlueScope for the loss", a senior manager's affidavit said. The business unit at risk generates $US45 million in turnover each year. more
Business Espionage: Former Cardinals Executive Pleads Guilty To Hacking Astros
Chris Correa, the former scouting director of the St. Louis Cardinals, has pleaded guilty to five criminal charges in connection with unauthorized access of the Houston Astros' database.
Correa appeared before a U.S. district court judge in Houston on Friday and had his sentencing hearing scheduled for April 11.
The maximum penalty for each of the five counts, The Houston Chronicle reported, is up to five years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000 and restitution. more
Correa appeared before a U.S. district court judge in Houston on Friday and had his sentencing hearing scheduled for April 11.The maximum penalty for each of the five counts, The Houston Chronicle reported, is up to five years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000 and restitution. more
Buy Banksy Spy Art - Get a free House
Consider yourself a bargain hunter with a penchant for modern art? Well why not buy a Banksy mural for just £210,000 ($304,900 UDS) and to sweeten the deal the owner will throw in a three-bedroom house.
A property in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, featuring the artist's Spy Booth piece is on the market after its stressed owner said he was sick of the circus caused by the mural.
Spy Booth shows three 1950s-style agents, wearing brown trench coats and trilby hats, using devices to tap into conversations at a telephone box. more - with video
A property in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, featuring the artist's Spy Booth piece is on the market after its stressed owner said he was sick of the circus caused by the mural.
Spy Booth shows three 1950s-style agents, wearing brown trench coats and trilby hats, using devices to tap into conversations at a telephone box. more - with video
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| click to enlarge |
Monday, January 4, 2016
"Official? Nah, I'm just hanging out here."
UK government wants to send tech companies officials to jail
for disclosing snooping details on users.
Under a new sweeping law, many tech companies like Twitter, Yahoo and Google may face prison if they tip off their customers about spying operations by police and the security services.
These tech giants have a policy of notifying users when it’s suspected that a state-level actor is attempting to hack into their account. Twitter, Facebook and Google had previously assured their users that they would also warn them of any potential government spying. more
for disclosing snooping details on users.Under a new sweeping law, many tech companies like Twitter, Yahoo and Google may face prison if they tip off their customers about spying operations by police and the security services.
These tech giants have a policy of notifying users when it’s suspected that a state-level actor is attempting to hack into their account. Twitter, Facebook and Google had previously assured their users that they would also warn them of any potential government spying. more
Surveillance Cameras Get Twittered
There is an air of mystery when you first notice @FFD8FFDB...
The Twitter bot tweets a grainy, context-free picture escorted by a line of peculiarly formatted gibberish every few minutes.
Only after you begin digging into the actual working of the bot that it becomes clear that the project is developed on a profoundly disquieting foundation that throws light on one of the major privacy escapes in the modern telecommunication set-up.
Basically, the software behind @FFD8FFDB browses the Internet for webcams whose operators have left them unsafe, taking screenshots from the feeds, and then tweets them. more
Time to check your surveillance cameras for password protection. ~Kevin
The Twitter bot tweets a grainy, context-free picture escorted by a line of peculiarly formatted gibberish every few minutes.
Only after you begin digging into the actual working of the bot that it becomes clear that the project is developed on a profoundly disquieting foundation that throws light on one of the major privacy escapes in the modern telecommunication set-up.Basically, the software behind @FFD8FFDB browses the Internet for webcams whose operators have left them unsafe, taking screenshots from the feeds, and then tweets them. more
Time to check your surveillance cameras for password protection. ~Kevin
Et tu Earhart?
A new book about Amelia Earhart contains the controversial claim that she wasn’t really killed when her plane crashed in the middle of the Pacific in 1937 but instead was taken prisoner by the Japanese as a spy...
...she and navigator Fred Noonan vanished without a trace during an attempt to circumnavigate the globe.
What happened to the duo and their twin-engine aircraft during the round-the-world bid has remained one of aviation’s enduring mysteries.
Now ‘Amelia Earhart: Beyond the Grave,’ by WC Jameson, which is published tomorrow, January 5, makes the controversial claim that Earhart was actually sent to the South Pacific on a surveillance operation that had been authorized by United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Mr Jameson claims that her plane was fitted with cameras with which to film Japanese military outposts and that she was actually shot down and taken prisoner.
He also claims that she was released in 1945 and returned to the United States under an assumed identity.
This flies in the face of the long-standing official theory that the pair ran out of fuel and crash landed in the middle of the Pacific Ocean near Howland Island. more
...she and navigator Fred Noonan vanished without a trace during an attempt to circumnavigate the globe.
What happened to the duo and their twin-engine aircraft during the round-the-world bid has remained one of aviation’s enduring mysteries.
Mr Jameson claims that her plane was fitted with cameras with which to film Japanese military outposts and that she was actually shot down and taken prisoner.
He also claims that she was released in 1945 and returned to the United States under an assumed identity.
This flies in the face of the long-standing official theory that the pair ran out of fuel and crash landed in the middle of the Pacific Ocean near Howland Island. more
A Tale of Two Spy Cams
Despite the fast-moving pace of technology, there is one thing that's fairly uncommon, and that is a USB-powered speaker.
It's something that just simply isn't seen very often, and for fairly obvious reasons. Now, why am I pointing this out? Well, if you happen to encounter what looks like a normal computer speaker and there's a USB cord coming out the back of it, you should probably be a little suspicious about the speaker's true intentions.
After removing the back... That white thing is not a speaker -- it's actually a web cam. Someone created this unique spy speaker with bad intentions. more
Sometimes, spycams pose as legitimate web cams.
I came across this recently...
Clue. Legitimate web cams don't need infrared LEDs positioned around the lens. ~Kevin
It's something that just simply isn't seen very often, and for fairly obvious reasons. Now, why am I pointing this out? Well, if you happen to encounter what looks like a normal computer speaker and there's a USB cord coming out the back of it, you should probably be a little suspicious about the speaker's true intentions.
After removing the back... That white thing is not a speaker -- it's actually a web cam. Someone created this unique spy speaker with bad intentions. more
Sometimes, spycams pose as legitimate web cams.
I came across this recently...
Clue. Legitimate web cams don't need infrared LEDs positioned around the lens. ~Kevin
Wednesday, December 23, 2015
Sunday, December 20, 2015
Irony Alert: Video Voyeur Sentenced - He Was Caught Spying by Spying
Former Border Patrol agent Armando Gonzalez was sentenced to 21 months in federal prison for planting a hidden camera in the women’s restroom at a Chula Vista Border Patrol facility.
The camera, which Gonzalez used to violate the privacy of female employees who used the restroom, was discovered when he made reference to it in an email sent from his personal account to a friend and fellow voyeur-cam enthusiast...
Back Stories...
Back Stories...
- Department of Homeland Security’s surveillance of private emails credited with discovery of Border Patrol agent’s hidden camera voyeurism...
- Further, drone footage taken through Mr. Gonzalez’s bedroom window clearly shows him viewing the camera’s digital feed on this personal computer. more
The Spy Pen in the Pen, or... Why You Need a Recording in the Workplace Policy
In March, state computer technician Rob Jones was on a routine job assignment at Maury Correctional Institution east of Goldsboro, working on a computer in an office used by private maintenance contractors.
Jones wanted to write a note but did not have a pen, so he grabbed one from the desk and clicked it.
Instead of a protruding pen point, Jones saw a blue light. He clicked again and the light changed to amber.
Jones didn’t know what the pen was, but he apparently knew it didn’t belong inside a maximum security prison. Jones took the pen to his office, unscrewed the top and found a USB plug. When he plugged it into a computer he saw the pen was actually a video camera.
Spy cameras, like cellphones and weapons, are contraband in prison. Jones gave it to his supervisors, whose investigation showed that a maintenance worker employed by The Keith Corp. brought the spy pen into the prison.
The investigation found that Andrew Foster, the top Keith employee at Maury, used the camera several months before to secretly record a meeting with the prison superintendent, whom Foster believed had mistreated him. Foster sent the recording to his bosses in Charlotte, who watched it but did not report the contraband to prison officials. more
P.S. I provide a "Recording in the Workplace" policy template (no charge) to all my clients.
Instead of a protruding pen point, Jones saw a blue light. He clicked again and the light changed to amber.Jones didn’t know what the pen was, but he apparently knew it didn’t belong inside a maximum security prison. Jones took the pen to his office, unscrewed the top and found a USB plug. When he plugged it into a computer he saw the pen was actually a video camera.
Spy cameras, like cellphones and weapons, are contraband in prison. Jones gave it to his supervisors, whose investigation showed that a maintenance worker employed by The Keith Corp. brought the spy pen into the prison.
The investigation found that Andrew Foster, the top Keith employee at Maury, used the camera several months before to secretly record a meeting with the prison superintendent, whom Foster believed had mistreated him. Foster sent the recording to his bosses in Charlotte, who watched it but did not report the contraband to prison officials. more
P.S. I provide a "Recording in the Workplace" policy template (no charge) to all my clients.
Smartphone App: Record, Store & More
There are plenty of apps for recording your phone calls, but Yallo one has some extra tricks... like adding a subject line to your phone call.
iPhone Call Recording App features:
Android App features:
- "Not urgent if you're busy."
- "Emergency. Pick up."
- "Quick question, promise."
- "This is the kidnapper."
iPhone Call Recording App features:
- Outgoing Call Recording
- Free Incoming Call Recording - Unlimited!
- Saved on a Secure Cloud - Free Up Space
- Truly Unlimited Call Duration
- Keep Your Caller ID
- Mark Favorite Calls
- Custom Call Title
Android App features:
- Go Yallo: No cell reception? No problem! With Go Yallo you are still available for calls to your regular number via WiFi and Yallo.
- For the Record: Record and playback your calls, send them to your email, HD call quality. Save calls and listen later. Forward a recorded call to somebody else. Search based on keywords and phrases used in the call.
- Call Caption: Want to let someone know why you’re calling so they can decide to pick up or not? Call Caption is the answer. Write a quick message that gives someone the context in advance.
- Existing Phone Numbers Welcome: No need to get a new number or transfer your existing one. Yallo works with your current number.
- Flexible: Make any device your phone, regardless of where your SIM card is. Out of juice or lost your phone? No problem. Log into Yallo on someone else’s phone and voila! it is your phone. Outgoing calls have your caller ID and incoming calls to your regular number, now come to your newly adopted phone.
The Ultimate Smartphone Brain Sucking Spider
As Razyone describes its product, "InterApp is a game-changing tactical intelligence system, developed for intelligence and law enforcement agencies, enabling them to stealthily collect information from the cloud using smartphone application vulnerabilities."
InterApp can allow its operators to break into nearby smartphones that have their WiFi connection open, and then, employing a diverse arsenal of security vulnerabilities, gain root permission on devices and exfiltrate information to a tactical server.
InterApp can steal passwords and data from targeted smartphones.
According to Rayzone, InterApp can steal a user's email address password and content, passwords for social networking apps, Dropbox passwords and files, the user's phone contact list, and his photo gallery.
Additionally, the gadget can also acquire the phone's previous geographical locations and plot them on a map, IMEI details, MSISDN data, MAC address, device model, OS info, and personal information on the target, such as gender, age, address, education, and more...
Even better, InterApp's hacking operations leave no forensics traces on a target's smartphone, or so Rayzone claims. more
InterApp can allow its operators to break into nearby smartphones that have their WiFi connection open, and then, employing a diverse arsenal of security vulnerabilities, gain root permission on devices and exfiltrate information to a tactical server. InterApp can steal passwords and data from targeted smartphones.
According to Rayzone, InterApp can steal a user's email address password and content, passwords for social networking apps, Dropbox passwords and files, the user's phone contact list, and his photo gallery.
Additionally, the gadget can also acquire the phone's previous geographical locations and plot them on a map, IMEI details, MSISDN data, MAC address, device model, OS info, and personal information on the target, such as gender, age, address, education, and more...
Even better, InterApp's hacking operations leave no forensics traces on a target's smartphone, or so Rayzone claims. more
Friday, December 18, 2015
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