Saudis Declare Vulture Innocent of Espionage

We can all rest easy now...
Prince Bandar bin Saud Al Saud has cleared a vulture of charges that it was spying on behalf of the Israeli government. Last week, Saudi officials had "detained" the vulture, fearing that its GPS tracker, which was labeled "Tel Aviv University," suggested the bird was an Israeli spy. After a long week of international mockery, an apparently embarrassed Prince Bandar bin Saud Al Saud stepped in to order the vulture's release and chide Saudi officials and journalists who had accused it of international espionage. ABC News' Alexander Marquardt reports Saud's statement. (more)

Smiley the SpyCam

HD resolution video spycam. Records for two hours - video and audio! Look for people wearing it at your next trade show... possibly cammo'ed in with a panaply of buttons, name badges and other dorkful signage.

Close-up it reeks of 'what's wrong with this picture', but it could be sooo noticeable that no one will give it a close look. (Hey, how long can you stand to look at a smiley face. I flinch and wretch in under 10 milliseconds.)

Our secret agent in the photo knows that a backup cam is SOP in case someone wretches on her coat and she has to remove it. Underneath is the same thing, just a little more subtle...

Where does she shop?

Our spies tell us right here.

Why do I mention it?

So you will know what you're up against.

Renault's next car might be called the "Denial"

China denied any link to the industrial espionage scandal at French carmaker Renault, dismissing reports that French intelligence services were investigating the possibility as "baseless". (more)

One of the three executives suspended by French car giant Renault on suspicion of spying has denied any wrongdoing. (more)

And, I know I had nothing to do with it. 

Heck, maybe it never happened. 

Yeah, that's the ticket. 

It never happened.

Business Espionage - "I worry about it every day... I'm sure it is happening." - GM CEO

The chief executive of one of the world's biggest car makers has acknowledged that industrial espionage is a major threat to the company that worries him "every day".

General Motors' chief executive, Dan Akerson – speaking as revelations of leaked corporate secrets rocked rival Renault – said he is sure there are "attacks on GM's intellectual property". "I worry about it every day," Mr Akerson said, expressing sympathy with Renault's plight. "I don't know of any individual cases but I'm sure it's happening." (more)

You can also bet he is doing something about it. ~Kevin

FutureWatch - New French Laws to Crackdown on Espionage... other countries will follow the lead.

via the Wall Street Journal...

The media buzz surrounding the apparent attempt by three Renault SA executives to pass on confidential data on the car maker's electric vehicle program is spurring the French government to tighten legislation that could result in leaks of sensitive corporate information being treated as a crime akin to selling defense secrets. (more)

The big switch to business espionage was flipped at the end of the Cold War. Economic power trumped military power. Some governments were a little slow to realize this. Businesses were even slower. This may mark an awareness turning point. 

Does your company have a counterespionage consultant on board?

Time/CNN: How Common is Corporate Espionage?

At first glance, news that Renault's cutting-edge electric-car program appears to have fallen victim to industrial espionage is especially remarkable due to the suspects: three top company executives, including a member of the firm's management committee. But the alarm that the revelation has provoked in France is also a measure of how big a threat corporate spying has become to French industry — and an indication of just how common that covert activity has become elsewhere, too.

"It's a broad threat to French industry, [and though] the expression 'economic war' is often outrageous, it is appropriate this time," French Industry Minister Eric Besson told RTL radio on Jan. 6, referring to the Renault saga. "It highlights the risks that our companies face from industrial spying." (more)

He speaks for all countries. ~Kevin

Ex Asst. County Attorney Charged with Eavesdropping

FL - Former Assistant County Attorney Paras Desai was arrested by St. Johns County Sheriff's Office detectives Monday afternoon and charged with eavesdropping and eight counts of illegal interception of communication, all third-degree felonies...

The narrative in the warrant said, "The defendant intentionally intercepted oral communications without the consent of the victim. (He) secretly recorded a phone conversation with (county Environmental Division Director) Jan Brewer. The victim had no knowledge of the recording and did not give her consent." (more)

Fob-a-dobba-zap-botta-boom! Your car is mine.

Car thieves of the future might be able to get into a car and drive away without forced entry and without needing a physical key, according to new research that will be presented at the Network and Distributed System Security Symposium next month in San Diego, California.

The researchers successfully attacked eight car manufacturers' passive keyless entry and start systems—wireless key fobs that open a car's doors and start the engine by proximity alone...

The researchers suggest things that car owners and manufacturers can do to protect themselves. Car owners can shield their keys when they're not in use, to prevent attackers from communicating with them. Alternatively, manufacturers could add a button to fobs that would allow owners to deactivate and reactivate them...

David Wagner, a professor of computer science at the University of California at Berkeley who has studied the cryptographic systems used in keyless entry systems, doesn't think the research ought to make car owners anxious. He says "there are probably easier ways to steal cars." (more)

Learn holography at home in your spare time... and other geeky things

In a rut? 

Expand your mind. 

Take a college course on-line. 

(Some are free!)

This one really intrigues me...

MIT's Holographic Imaging.

MAS.450 is a laboratory course about holography and holographic imaging.

What is MIT OpenCourseWare? 

"MIT OpenCourseWare (OCW) is a web-based publication of virtually all MIT course content. OCW is open and available to the world and is a permanent MIT activity.

MIT OpenCourseWare is a free publication of MIT course materials that reflects almost all the undergraduate and graduate subjects taught at MIT." Nice, huh?

Realize, however...

• OCW is not an MIT education.
• OCW does not grant degrees or certificates.
• OCW does not provide access to MIT faculty.
• Materials may not reflect entire content of the course.

Still, what a deal!

Want to learn more?

The folks at onlinecollegecourses.com published this cool list yesterday... “100 Excellent Open Course Links for the Ultimate DIY Geek.”

Kryptos iPhone Voice Encryption App

In CES Show news, the Kryptos iPhone voice encryption security app (Military Grade 256 bit encryption) is on display in booth number 1035D at the CES Show, and they are offering free app downloads until January 10th. (more)

Remember when phone encryption was expensive and clunky?
Now it is a download away and costs only $4.99 per month for the service!

Like the first fax machine, useless ...until someone else buys one. But if it catches on...

Encryption should be mandatory at Board meetings when some members attend via phone.

I have it on my phone. Anyone need a secure Board member? ~Kevin

If you'll be my bodyguard I can be your long lost pal...

Pssst, Paul. Read these stories...

Bodyguard News – The last 30 days

• A bodyguard for one of Japan's most senior opposition politicians has been arrested after trying to peep on a woman washing in her bathroom. (more)

• A Pakistani politician who stood up against the country's tough anti-blasphemy laws has been gunned down by one of his own bodyguards in a brazen daylight attack in the capital Islamabad. (more)

• Is Kate Gosselin's bodyguard selling her photos to the paparazzi? (more)

• As Michael Jackson’s lifeless body lay on a bed in his mansion, a bodyguard obeyed a frantic doctor’s instructions to bag up medicine bottles and intravenous bags and shield the Jackson children from seeing their father — all before being told to call 911, court testimony revealed yesterday. (more)

• ...an overzealous bodyguard of Fuji musician, Malaika decided to take the law into the hands by landing a thunderous slap on the face of a fan who momentarily went unconscious after kissing the canvas. (more)

• President Jacob Zuma's wife Nompumelelo MaNtuli Zuma was not concerned over reports that she had a relationship with a bodyguard. (more)

• Bodyguard business is booming... 'The more uneasy the country is, the more work we tend to have,' says an organizer of an industry event in San Diego this month. (more)

Vodafone lacks Vote-a-confidence

Australia - Vodafone has ordered an immediate investigation into alleged breaches of its internet site, which has reportedly been revealing the personal details of millions of customers... criminal groups are paying for the private information of some customers including home addresses and credit card details. Others have also obtained logins to check their spouses' communications.

The details are reportedly accessible from any computer because they are kept on an internet site rather than Vodafone's internal system.

Mobile phone dealers have also admitted that anyone with full access to the system can look up a customer's bills and make changes to accounts. (more)

One Day - Three Great Spy Headlines

France accused of being Europe’s worst industrial spy (more)

France is named as Europe’s worst industrial spy in the latest releases this week based on documents from the Web site Wikileaks... Technology stolen by the French is hurting Germany’s economy even worse than spying done by some of the world’s worst industrial spying operations in Russia and China...

Suspicions fall on China in Renault spying case (more)

Nicolas Sarkozy orders intelligence services to find out whether Beijing was involved in stealing electric car secrets...

France needs tough law on industrial spying (more)
France needs tough laws against industrial espionage to defend itself in a "war" for new technology...

I can't make up news this weird. 

The spies are running the asylum!

~Kevin

Get Professional Help

Business Espionage: Renault's Short Circuit

A case of corporate espionage in electric vehicles at Renault SA, which has led to the suspension of three managers, was serious enough to "threaten strategic assets," the carmaker said Thursday...

The high-level suspensions at Renault highlight how seriously carmakers are taking the risks of corporate espionage, especially as they engage in a high-stakes race to develop technology that is different from traditional internal combustion engines. 

The case carries other business risks for Renault. A Nissan executive said he was angry that Renault had leaked information, especially as Nissan is the source of much of the technology for the lithium-ion batteries that are being developed for electric vehicles at the Renault-Nissan alliance. (more)

VW with leaky battery technology.