Liz Hurley Left 'Mortified' After Media Bugged Devices, Court Heard

A PRIVATE investigator hired by a national newspaper bugged Ledbury celebrity, Liz Hurley’s home, a high court hearing has heard. 

Ms Hurley is among celebrities like Elton John and Prince Harry who have taken action against Associated Newspapers the publisher of the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers over years of alleged phone tapping and privacy breaches...

David Sherborne, who was representing Ms Hurley said in the written submission that she was left feeling “shocked and mortified” by the alleged targeting. He said a private investigator, acting on behalf of the Mail on Sunday, hacked their phones, tapped landlines, placed “a sticky window mini-microphone on the exterior of her home window” and bugged Mr (Hugh) Grant’s car to obtain “private communications with Mr Grant, her financial details, her travel arrangements and medicals during her pregnancy and birth of her son”. more

High profile individuals commonly have their homes, vehicles and aircraft swept for bugs.

Arizona Bill to Make Drone Spying a Crime Moves Forward

AZ - State lawmakers are moving to ensure people don’t get too nosy with their new drones.

In a party-line vote on Wednesday, members of the House Commerce Committee approved legislation that would make it a criminal offense to intentionally photograph, tape or otherwise observe someone else in a private place where that person has a “reasonable expectation of privacy.”

The only thing is that there hasn’t been a consensus as to when exactly someone crosses that line. more

Prosecutors: Veteran Deputy was Listening in on Jury Deliberations

NY - An Ontario County Sheriff’s Office veteran, Adam Broadwell, pleaded not guilty on Monday to felony charges of eavesdropping, possession of an eavesdropping device, and official misconduct. 

Broadwell is accused of listening in on a jury deliberation by using a device specifically designed for eavesdropping.

According to Assistant District Attorney Kelly Wolford, the jury was deliberating a felony case when Broadwell listened in on the conversation. The eavesdropping charges brought against Broadwell relate to his use of a device to enhance the sound of people talking in his area. 

However, Broadwell’s defense attorney, Clark Zimmermann, argued that the device used was a Bluetooth earbud set linked to an Android phone, which does not match the definition of an eavesdropping device. more

Our previous reports on Bluetooth earbud eavesdropping.

Inaudible Ultrasound Attack Can Control Phones and Smart Speakers

American university researchers have developed a novel attack called "Near-Ultrasound Inaudible Trojan" (NUIT) that can launch silent attacks against devices powered by voice assistants, like smartphones, smart speakers, and other IoTs.

The team demonstrated NUIT attacks against modern voice assistants found inside millions of devices, including Apple's Siri, Google's Assistant, Microsoft's Cortana, and Amazon's Alexa, showing the ability to send malicious commands to those devices.

The main principle that makes NUIT effective and dangerous is that microphones in smart devices can respond to near-ultrasound waves that the human ear cannot, thus performing the attack with minimal risk of exposure while still using conventional speaker technology. more

“Is this a bug?” (updated)

“Is this a bug?” is a question we are often asked.

Usually the answer is, “I understand why you are asking is this a bug. Some bugs do look similar to this. But, here is what you actually found.”

Real electronic eavesdropping devices are getting smaller. So are lots of other little electronic bits which are part of our everyday lives. Distinguishing between the two can be tricky. If the object you found makes you think, is this a bug, keep reading. You stand a good chance of finding your answer here.

Weekend Project - Two-Tube Spy Transmitter

From the look around his shack Helge Fykse (LA6NCA) really has a thing for old technology. The typewriter, the rotary phones, the boat-anchor receiver — they all contribute to the retro feel of the space, as well as the circuit he’s working on... The tiny transmitter is built into a small metal box, which is stuffed with the resistors, capacitors, and homebrew inductors needed to complete the circuit... Almost every component used has a vintage look... But does it work? Of course it does! more

Bad Bunny - Not Your Recording - Bad Bunny

Pop superstar Bad Bunny is being sued for $40m (£33m) by his ex-girlfriend, who says he used a recording of her in two songs without permission.

Carliz De La Cruz Hernández says she recorded the catchphrase "Bad Bunny baby" on her phone in 2015, before he became famous and before they split up.

The line has appeared on the Puerto Rican singer and rapper's 2017 single Pa Ti and the 2022 song Dos Mil 16. Bad Bunny was the most-streamed artist on Spotify for the past three years. more

Journalist Plugs in Unknown USB Drive Mailed to Him

...it exploded in his face

Although these are just a few examples, they should be enough to preclude one from inserting a mysterious, unsolicited USB drive mailed to them into a computer. Unfortunately, one Ecuadorian journalist didn't get the memos. more

In case you missed our memo...

USB Memory Security Recommendations

• Block ports with a mechanical port block lock.
• Place security tape over that.
• Create a “no USB sticks unless pre-approved” rule.
• Warn employees that a gift USB stick could be a Trojan Horse gift.
• Warn employees that one easy espionage tactic involves leaving a few USB sticks scattered in the company parking lot. The opposition knows that someone will pick one up and plug it in. The infection begins the second they plug it in.
• Don’t let visitors stick you. Extend the “no USB sticks unless pre-approved” rule to them as well. Their sticks may be infected.

Trending… IBM Takes The USB Memory Security Lead

“IBM has allegedly issued a worldwide ban against the the use of removable drives, including Flash, USB, and SD cards, to transfer data.

This new policy is being instituted to prevent confidential and sensitive information from being leaked due to misplaced or unsecured storage devices.

According to a report by The Register, IBM’s global chief Information security officer Shamla Naidoo issued an advisory stating that the company “is expanding the practice of prohibiting data transfer to all removable portable storage devices (eg: USB, SD card, flash drive).” This advisory further stated that this policy is already in effect for some departments, but will be further enforced throughout the entire company.” more

Spy Headlines this Week

• TikTok CEO on ByteDance: "I Don't Think That Spying is the Right Way to Describe It." more

• Facing spying claims, Mexico recorded phone call of prominent activist more

• The Spy Law That Big Tech Wants to Limit more

• Your refrigerator could be spying on you! Senate committee clamps down on smart devices more

• Greek intelligence allegedly uses Predator spyware to wiretap Facebook Security Manager more

• Senate Bill Would Be Big Step to Combatting Harmful Workplace Surveillance Practices more

• Archbishop admits spying on other Vatican officials more

• Everett school superintendent sues city for racial discrimination; charges mayor bugged her office more

• CIA's CTO and deputy director explain the future of high-tech spying more

• Spying, cocaine, money-laundering, historic losses: The sordid tale of the fall of Credit Suisse more

• Cell phone spying growing strong: How to know if you’ve been a victim of ‘stalkerware’ more

• Fox News producer was forced to spy on Maria Bartiromo, who execs called 'crazy,' more

• ESPIONAGE BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS FROM A FORMER CIA SPY more

Getting Clocked Can Disable Your Wi-Fi Cameras

This cheap "watch" is used by hackers and thieves to disable Wi-Fi cameras, and other things connected to Wi-Fi access points. (It has some legitimate uses, too.)

Watch Functions
- Deauther Attack: Disconnect 2.4G WiFi
- Deauther Beacon: Create fake networks
- Deauther Probe: Confuse Wi-Fi trackers
- Packet Monitor: Display Wi-Fi traffic
- Kicks devices off a WiFi network- Spam beacon frames
- Spam probe requests

Additional background information about deauthentication attacks via Atlas VPN...

How Hackers Disable WiFi Cameras
A deauth or deauthentication attack (DoS) disrupts connections between users and Wi-Fi access points. The attackers force devices to lose access and then reconnect to a network they control. Then, perpetrators can track connections, capture login details, or trick users into installing rogue programs... this attack does not need unique skills or elaborate equipment. Deauth attacks could also knock devices offline, like home security software.

How it it Used?

• Forcing hidden cameras to go offline. Over the years, frequent disputes forced Airbnb to forbid the use of cameras in rented apartments or rooms. Yet, more cunning homeowners can conceal cameras from their guests.
• Hotels that push paid Wi-Fi. There have been incidents when hotels employed deauthentication attacks to promote their Wi-Fi services. In fact, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) issued documents stating that blocking or interfering with Wi-Fi hotspots is illegal. One of the first offenders was the Marriott hotel, with financial motives for disrupting visitors’ access points. However, charging perpetrators with deauthentication attacks is a rare sight. Usually, victims might blame the interruptions on unstable Wi-Fi.
• Susceptible smart devices. Criminals could push connected devices offline for several reasons. One danger is that attackers might disable security systems. Thus, such interruption halts monitoring of the home, office, or another area. In worst-case scenarios, such deauth attacks could facilitate burglars entering buildings. Another example comes from a vulnerability in Ring Video Doorbell Pro (now fixed). The exploited flaw means using a Wi-FI deauthentication attack to force the device to re-enter the configuration mode. Then, eavesdroppers can capture Wi-Fi credentials orchestrated to travel in an unencrypted HTTP.
• Forcing users to join evil twins. Spoofed deauthentication frames force targeted devices to drop their connection. It could be a way to break the legitimate connection and trick users into joining fake hotspots. Deauth attacks could flood the access point so that devices cannot join for a period of time.

Our Tips: How to Make Sure They Don't Disable Your WiFi Cameras
Tip 1. Don't go wireless, use Cat6a shielded cable.
Tip 2. Use Power over Ethernet (PoE). Make sure it is properly grounded.
Tip 3. Make sure the power supply to the network is backed-up (UPS). Power failures do happen.
Tip 4. Hide the cables to deter sabotage.
Tip 5. If you absolutely, positively need a wireless video solution consider using a 4G cellular camera, or a dedicated video link.

WiFi Camera Attack Prevention
The prevention of deauthentication attacks does not offer many options. But there are effective strategies for mitigating their impact. Ensure that your network applies WPA2 encryption. If you use a pre-shared key, it must be complex and lengthy to withstand threats like brute-force attacks. Another improvement might be 802.11w, which validates deauthentication frames and discards spoofed ones. Older hardware and IoT might not support it, raising issues for some Wi-Fi clients.

Furthermore, remember you have minimal control over free public Wi-Fi and its security.

A VPN can assist if deauthentication attacks force clients to connect to evil twins. Atlas VPN creates a secure path between users and access points. Encrypted traffic will prevent attackers from capturing any meaningful communications or data. more

Researchers Shrink Camera to the Size of a Salt Grain

Researchers at Princeton University and the University of Washington have developed an ultracompact camera the size of a coarse grain of salt. The system relies on a technology called a metasurface, which is studded with 1.6 million cylindrical posts and can be produced much like a computer chip. Image courtesy of the researchers.

Micro-sized cameras have great potential to spot problems in the human body and enable sensing for super-small robots, but past approaches captured fuzzy, distorted images with limited fields of view.

Now, researchers at Princeton University and the University of Washington have overcome these obstacles with an ultracompact camera the size of a coarse grain of salt. The new system can produce crisp, full-color images on par with a conventional compound camera lens 500,000 times larger in volume... more

Spy History: Evolution of Aerial Spying Over the Past 200 Years

Last month, the US government shot down a Chinese spy balloon floating near a South Carolina beach. 

The Pentagon said it was there gathering intelligence. China said it was doing civilian research. Regardless, it was nothing new.

Governments have been spying on each other for hundreds of years...Here's how surveillance from the sky has developed over the years...

The first record of aerial surveillance happened toward the end of the 18th century. During the Revolutionary War, the French successfully used hot air balloons to monitor combat during the Battle of Fleurus against Britain, Germany, and Holland. more

From Phone Bugging to Kidnapping...

 ...these are the biggest security concerns of the super-rich...

Armed burglaries, kidnapping, offshore bank account hacking - when it comes to security risks of the super-rich, nothing is off the cards.

‘UHNWs often have unique security concerns due to their wealth and high profile’, says David Webb, Managing Director at Valkyrie, a specialist security consultancy firm. ‘These issues are not just specific to them but can also involve their families and close friends...

In addition to the investigation we conducted a TSCM sweep (Technical Surveillance Counter Measures aka bug search), cyber review and device compromise check, as it was believed the blackmailer had access to the clients systems and possibly had planted eavesdropping devices in his house and office – which ultimately proved true.’ more

KamiKakaBot: Corporate Espionage & Eavesdropping Tool

Suspected government-backed hackers are attacking...with malware called KamiKakaBot that is designed to steal sensitive information. Researchers from Amsterdam-based cybersecurity firm EclecticIQ attributed the attacks to the advanced persistent threat (APT) group Dark Pink...

Dark Pink's main goals were to conduct corporate espionage, steal documents, capture sound from microphones of infected devices, and exfiltrate messaging data, according to research by cybersecurity firm Group-IB. more

UK: No More Mr. Nice Guy, Spy

The day's headlines

• UK intelligence ramps up efforts to counter Russian spies

• MI5 to establish new security agency to counter Chinese hacking, espionage

According to the report, a new department of national security will be established within MI-5. Its goal will be to advise companies, research organizations, and universities that may be victims of industrial espionage. In addition, private and public entities will be able to contact the new body for advice on how to interact with partners from China and or how to safely use Chinese-made equipment...

London is also preparing to announce a $24 million increase in BBC funding to counter Chinese and Russian disinformation in vulnerable countries. In addition, funding for a Chinese language training program for UK diplomats will be doubled. more