The report then graded eight performance areas -- on a scale of 100 -- for an average grade of 77 for 2019. more
Thursday, February 6, 2020
US Weapons-Makers Plagued by Industrial Espionage
The U.S. defense industrial base received a "mediocre C" report-card grade as it struggles to stay ahead of adversaries, such as China, that rely on stealing American military secrets to remain competitive, according to a new report from the National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA).
"Vital Signs 2020: The Health and Readiness of the Defense Industrial Base," a data-based report compiled by NDIA and the data analytics firm Govini, analyzed 44 statistical indicators ranging from potential threats to digital systems to surge capacity over the last three years.
The report then graded eight performance areas -- on a scale of 100 -- for an average grade of 77 for 2019. more
The report then graded eight performance areas -- on a scale of 100 -- for an average grade of 77 for 2019. more
Book: Chinese Communist Espionage: An Intelligence Primer
Chinese Communist Espionage: An Intelligence Primer
Chinese espionage hinges on a sophisticated network of spies focused on state-sponsored tech theft, according to a new book that dispels outdated theories of how Beijing collects intelligence around the world.
Why it matters: Old tropes cast all ethnic Chinese as potential amateur spies, a belief which has led to racial profiling. In reality, China's intelligence agencies employ highly trained professionals who operate much like spies from any other country.
Details: Published late last year by the Naval Institute Press, doubles as an explainer of how Chinese espionage works and as a brief encyclopedia of key figures.
Chinese espionage hinges on a sophisticated network of spies focused on state-sponsored tech theft, according to a new book that dispels outdated theories of how Beijing collects intelligence around the world.
Why it matters: Old tropes cast all ethnic Chinese as potential amateur spies, a belief which has led to racial profiling. In reality, China's intelligence agencies employ highly trained professionals who operate much like spies from any other country.
Details: Published late last year by the Naval Institute Press, doubles as an explainer of how Chinese espionage works and as a brief encyclopedia of key figures.
- The book's authors are Peter Mattis, a former CIA counterintelligence analyst, and Matthew Brazil, a former US Army officer and diplomat.
- Their main message: That Chinese espionage is neither mysterious nor totally different than that practiced by other nations. more
Business Club Teacher Charged in Spy Camera Case
A Wisconsin high school teacher facing federal child pornography charges was charged Wednesday in Minnesota with trying to secretly record students in their Minneapolis hotel rooms on a business club trip.
Hennepin County prosecutors charged David Kruchten, 37, of Cottage Grove, Wisconsin, with three felony counts of interfering with the privacy of a minor under 18.
Kruchten is a teacher at Madison East High School and was chaperoning students on a trip to Minneapolis in December. Authorities allege Kruchtenhid cameras in a smoke detector and two air fresheners planted in students’ hotel bathrooms at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Minneapolis....
The automatic air fresheners and a smoke detector were “oriented to face toward the toilet and shower area. One of the victims noticed an air freshener on her bathroom counter and went to press a button that she believed would activate the spray. When she pressed it, the device opened up to reveal the inner workers of a surveillance camera and other related electronics,” the complaint said. more find spycams yourself sing-a-long
Hennepin County prosecutors charged David Kruchten, 37, of Cottage Grove, Wisconsin, with three felony counts of interfering with the privacy of a minor under 18.
Kruchten is a teacher at Madison East High School and was chaperoning students on a trip to Minneapolis in December. Authorities allege Kruchtenhid cameras in a smoke detector and two air fresheners planted in students’ hotel bathrooms at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Minneapolis....
The automatic air fresheners and a smoke detector were “oriented to face toward the toilet and shower area. One of the victims noticed an air freshener on her bathroom counter and went to press a button that she believed would activate the spray. When she pressed it, the device opened up to reveal the inner workers of a surveillance camera and other related electronics,” the complaint said. more find spycams yourself sing-a-long
Tuesday, February 4, 2020
In the Era of Hacking, Bugs Remain a Critical Espionage Threat
via Scott Stewart, Vice President Tactical Analysis at Stratfor
HIGHLIGHTS
HIGHLIGHTS
- While cyberattacks offer a powerful means for corporate surveillance, it is important to remember that it is just one option in the espionage toolbox.
- Some information, such as in-person conversations, cannot be obtained through hacks and thus require the use of other tools, such as human intelligence collection insiders or covert audio and video recorders and transmitters (bugs).
- Today, bugs are cheaper, smaller and easier to obtain than ever — and the number being deployed and discovered is vastly under-reported, masking the true scope of the threat.
- Therefore, in order to adequately combat corporate espionage, organizations must also implement security measures to protect against bugging. more
Brazen B&E to Plant Spy TV
NY - State Police have arrested a Town of Moreau man for breaking into a home and hiding a recording device in a bedroom.
State Police in Wilton arrested 39-year-old Todd D. Derush. Police say Derush unlawfully entered the home of the victim and hid a recording device in their bedroom. Derush's actions were in violation of a full stay away order of protection barring Derush from being on the property, according to State Police. more
State Police in Wilton arrested 39-year-old Todd D. Derush. Police say Derush unlawfully entered the home of the victim and hid a recording device in their bedroom. Derush's actions were in violation of a full stay away order of protection barring Derush from being on the property, according to State Police. more
Spies in the Skys
SPY ONE
From 1957, when he first started working on the project, until 2011 when it was declassified, Dave McDowell was sworn to secrecy.
But now, the results of this once top-secret Kodak program is on full display at the Strasenburg Planetarium.
“Awe” is how McDowell described what he felt standing in front of the exhibit. “It’s something we designed and built in Rochester, and this one didn’t fly in space, but 48 others exactly like it did.”
The top-secret project was the optical system for Gambit-1, a national reconnaissance satellite. Kodak engineers designed and built what was essentially a large camera encased in a capsule. It was a revolutionary technology at that time, and it played a significant role in U.S. national security in the Cold War era. more
SPY TWO
On January 20, something rather strange happened in orbit. A Russian satellite suddenly maneuvered itself so that it was closely shadowing a US spy satellite.
The pair are now less than 186 miles (300 kilometers) apart—a short distance when it comes to space. While we don’t know for sure what’s going on, the Russian satellite’s actions strongly suggest it is there to spy on the US one—and there is very little the US can do about it. more
From 1957, when he first started working on the project, until 2011 when it was declassified, Dave McDowell was sworn to secrecy.
But now, the results of this once top-secret Kodak program is on full display at the Strasenburg Planetarium.
“Awe” is how McDowell described what he felt standing in front of the exhibit. “It’s something we designed and built in Rochester, and this one didn’t fly in space, but 48 others exactly like it did.”
The top-secret project was the optical system for Gambit-1, a national reconnaissance satellite. Kodak engineers designed and built what was essentially a large camera encased in a capsule. It was a revolutionary technology at that time, and it played a significant role in U.S. national security in the Cold War era. more
SPY TWO
On January 20, something rather strange happened in orbit. A Russian satellite suddenly maneuvered itself so that it was closely shadowing a US spy satellite.
The pair are now less than 186 miles (300 kilometers) apart—a short distance when it comes to space. While we don’t know for sure what’s going on, the Russian satellite’s actions strongly suggest it is there to spy on the US one—and there is very little the US can do about it. more
Monday, February 3, 2020
How to Turn a Tesla Into a Surveillance Station
Truman Kain, senior information security analyst at Tevora, has developed a new device called the Surveillance Detection Scout. As Wired describes it, the DIY computer plugs into the dashboard USB port of a Tesla Model S, 3 or X and uses the car’s built-in cameras to read license plates and faces to alert the driver if someone is following them.
“It turns your Tesla into an AI-powered surveillance station,” Kain told the magazine. “It’s meant to be another set of eyes, to help out and tell you it’s seen a license plate following you over multiple days, or even multiple turns of a single trip.” more
“It turns your Tesla into an AI-powered surveillance station,” Kain told the magazine. “It’s meant to be another set of eyes, to help out and tell you it’s seen a license plate following you over multiple days, or even multiple turns of a single trip.” more
Sunday, February 2, 2020
Encryption Using Palindrome Number (Never odd or even.)
Posted in honor of this special day*
This paper provides a technique for message security in which palindrome number is used for encryption message. Colour is important in authentication process as it acts as a password. Using this technique message can be protected from on-line cyber crime and accessible to an authorized individual when required. more
Who cares? The important thing is this historical date...
02/02/2020
*Palindrome Day... for the first time in 909 years! Wow, yet another palindrome!
Here in the U.S., it is also a trifecta: Palindrome Day, Groundhog Day and Superbowl Sunday.
This paper provides a technique for message security in which palindrome number is used for encryption message. Colour is important in authentication process as it acts as a password. Using this technique message can be protected from on-line cyber crime and accessible to an authorized individual when required. more
Who cares? The important thing is this historical date... 02/02/2020
*Palindrome Day... for the first time in 909 years! Wow, yet another palindrome!
Here in the U.S., it is also a trifecta: Palindrome Day, Groundhog Day and Superbowl Sunday.
Saturday, February 1, 2020
FutureWatch: You've Probably Been Photo-Napped by an App
Clearview AI, devised a groundbreaking facial recognition app. You take a picture of a person, upload it and get to see public photos of that person, along with links to where those photos appeared.
The system — whose backbone is a database of more than three billion images that Clearview claims to have scraped from Facebook, YouTube, Venmo and millions of other websites — goes far beyond anything ever constructed by the United States government or Silicon Valley giants...
The computer code underlying its app, analyzed by The New York Times, includes programming language to pair it with augmented-reality glasses; users would potentially be able to identify every person they saw...
Searching someone by face could become as easy as Googling a name. Strangers would be able to listen in on sensitive conversations, take photos of the participants and know personal secrets. Someone walking down the street would be immediately identifiable — and his or her home address would be only a few clicks away. It would herald the end of public anonymity. more
The computer code underlying its app, analyzed by The New York Times, includes programming language to pair it with augmented-reality glasses; users would potentially be able to identify every person they saw...
Searching someone by face could become as easy as Googling a name. Strangers would be able to listen in on sensitive conversations, take photos of the participants and know personal secrets. Someone walking down the street would be immediately identifiable — and his or her home address would be only a few clicks away. It would herald the end of public anonymity. more
Quote of the Month
“Absent a very strong federal privacy law, we’re all screwed.”
—Al Gidari, a privacy professor at Stanford Law School.
(via The New York Times article above)
—Al Gidari, a privacy professor at Stanford Law School.
(via The New York Times article above)
Friday, January 31, 2020
Five Mile GPS Tracker Doesn't Require Cellular Service
GoFindMe is a real-time GPS tracker that works
without cell service. By built-in GPS & long-range radio technology,
it allows you to stay in touch with people even if your phone fails by
rich handy features such as:
-Real time location tracking
-Send & receive texts, built-in voice and GPS coordinates
-One-button emergency SOS
-Automatic trace record
-Sync up group activity
-Set customized safe zone
-Pin meeting place or home base
-Mesh network to extend connectivity range
more
But what if you can't find it when you need it?
-Real time location tracking
-Send & receive texts, built-in voice and GPS coordinates
-One-button emergency SOS
-Automatic trace record
-Sync up group activity
-Set customized safe zone
-Pin meeting place or home base
-Mesh network to extend connectivity range
more
But what if you can't find it when you need it?
Thursday, January 30, 2020
NIST - Detecting and Responding to Ransomware and Other Destructive Events
In response to growing ransomware attacks on businesses and governments small and large, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has released draft guidelines to help organizations prepare for “data integrity cybersecurity events” that threaten their operations...The free guide, which will be available for public comment through Feb. 26, focused specifically on potential tool sets for mitigating and containing cybersecurity attacks as well as what strategies security teams could adopt to respond...
Security teams and organization leaders can read the full report and provide public comment through NIST’s website. more
Facebook Tracks You - You can stop the spying, sort of.
If you’ve ever thought Facebook is listening or watching you when you’re not on the social media site, you are right. ... The Washington Post says Facebook-owned apps like Instagram and Messenger are tracking you, too.
But now developers at the social media giant have rolled out a tool that may stop most of it, or at least tell you how Facebook is spying on users’ daily lives. It’s called off-Facebook activity...
Click the small triangle at the top right of Facebook and go to settings. Then click “Your Facebook Information” on the left column, then select Off-Facebook Activity to manage the information the company gleans from your life. Here you can either manage it or clear the entire history from your account.
But the company also has a caveat. You may clear your current history, but new activity will be shared back to Facebook in the future. more
But now developers at the social media giant have rolled out a tool that may stop most of it, or at least tell you how Facebook is spying on users’ daily lives. It’s called off-Facebook activity...
Click the small triangle at the top right of Facebook and go to settings. Then click “Your Facebook Information” on the left column, then select Off-Facebook Activity to manage the information the company gleans from your life. Here you can either manage it or clear the entire history from your account.
But the company also has a caveat. You may clear your current history, but new activity will be shared back to Facebook in the future. more
 |
| Geez... just like barnacles. |
FBI: Harvard Doc Can't Have Rice Cake and Eat it Too
Federal law enforcement officials arrested a top Harvard scientist on Tuesday for allegedly lying to the U.S. government about his involvement in a massive Chinese program that authorities say is responsible for stealing proprietary information from U.S. institutions.
Authorities arrested Dr. Charles Lieber, 60, chair of the department of chemistry and chemical biology at Harvard University...
"...received more than $15,000,000 in grant funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Department of Defense (DOD),” The Department of Justice said in a statement. “These grants require the disclosure of significant foreign financial conflicts of interest, including financial support from foreign governments or foreign entities.”
“Unbeknownst to Harvard University beginning in 2011, Lieber became a ‘Strategic Scientist’ at Wuhan University of Technology (WUT) in China and was a contractual participant in China’s Thousand Talents Plan from in or about 2012 to 2017.” more
Authorities arrested Dr. Charles Lieber, 60, chair of the department of chemistry and chemical biology at Harvard University...
"...received more than $15,000,000 in grant funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Department of Defense (DOD),” The Department of Justice said in a statement. “These grants require the disclosure of significant foreign financial conflicts of interest, including financial support from foreign governments or foreign entities.”
“Unbeknownst to Harvard University beginning in 2011, Lieber became a ‘Strategic Scientist’ at Wuhan University of Technology (WUT) in China and was a contractual participant in China’s Thousand Talents Plan from in or about 2012 to 2017.” more
 |
| The original traveling professor. |
Hershey Sues Former Top Official - Alleges Corporate Espionage
The
Hershey Company is accusing a former top executive of committing
corporate espionage, and it and wants a federal judge to order him to
repay hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The target of Hershey’s lawsuit filed suit in U.S. Middle District Court is Doug Behrens, who is now chief customer officer of KIND LLC, a snack food maker and a competitor of Hershey.
The suit reads like the intro to a spy novel. more
Spybusters Tip #509: When someone resigns, is fired, or is laid-off... lock them out. This includes access cards, passwords, and email accounts.
Saturday, January 25, 2020
January's Hot Mic Moments... so far
Leaked audio appears to catch Trump demanding the firing of Marie Yovanovitch: “Get rid of her!”
“Get her out tomorrow," a voice that is apparently President Trump’s says in the recording. more
Hot mic catches Pence telling Netanyahu 'He's unstoppable' “We are contending. He’s unstoppable, like someone else I know,” the vice president was overheard telling Israel's prime minister. more
Trudeau's hot mic comments cause consternation in Canada... Trudeau was caught on camera at a Buckingham Palace reception for NATO seemingly trash talking President Donald Trump. more
“You Called Me a Liar”: CNN Hot Mic Catches Warren-Sanders Blowup more
Biden heard on hot mic joking with Sanders about his arm gestures at debate. more
Patrick Cantlay involved in classic hot-mic fail at Sentry Tournament of Champions... Patrick Cantlay can expect to receive a stern letter from PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan, and it won’t have anything to do with his pace of play. This one will be for “conduct unbecoming a professional.” more
Steve Kerr went BALLISTIC on a ref during the Warriors' game against the Sacramento Kings on Monday night -- and the whole profanity-laced rant was caught on a hot mic!!! more
It turns out it was Virginia State Senator Dave Marsden who called gun rights advocates "children" on a hot mic at a public meeting over the weekend. But calling them "children" was just the beginning. Things just got worse. Much worse. more
Five 'hot mic' moments that got leaders in trouble... more
"If you don't have something nice to say about somebody, don't say it." ~my mom
"Always assume you are being recorded." ~common sense
"Been there. Done that. Have the T-Shirt." ~hackneyed phrase
“Get her out tomorrow," a voice that is apparently President Trump’s says in the recording. more
Hot mic catches Pence telling Netanyahu 'He's unstoppable' “We are contending. He’s unstoppable, like someone else I know,” the vice president was overheard telling Israel's prime minister. more
Trudeau's hot mic comments cause consternation in Canada... Trudeau was caught on camera at a Buckingham Palace reception for NATO seemingly trash talking President Donald Trump. more
“You Called Me a Liar”: CNN Hot Mic Catches Warren-Sanders Blowup more
Biden heard on hot mic joking with Sanders about his arm gestures at debate. more
Patrick Cantlay involved in classic hot-mic fail at Sentry Tournament of Champions... Patrick Cantlay can expect to receive a stern letter from PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan, and it won’t have anything to do with his pace of play. This one will be for “conduct unbecoming a professional.” more
Steve Kerr went BALLISTIC on a ref during the Warriors' game against the Sacramento Kings on Monday night -- and the whole profanity-laced rant was caught on a hot mic!!! more
It turns out it was Virginia State Senator Dave Marsden who called gun rights advocates "children" on a hot mic at a public meeting over the weekend. But calling them "children" was just the beginning. Things just got worse. Much worse. more
Five 'hot mic' moments that got leaders in trouble... more
"If you don't have something nice to say about somebody, don't say it." ~my mom
"Always assume you are being recorded." ~common sense
"Been there. Done that. Have the T-Shirt." ~hackneyed phrase
Wednesday, January 22, 2020
FutureWatch: Mind-Reading Called Brain-Hacking - Food for Thought
Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Harari predicted a future where governments and corporations will be able to gather enough data about citizens around the world that, when combined with computational power, will let them completely predict – and manipulate – our decisions. Harari calls this concept "brain-hacking".
"Imagine, if 20 years from now, you could have someone sitting in Washington, or Beijing, or San Francisco, and they could know the entire personal, medical, sexual history of, say, every journalist, judge and politician in Brazil," said Harari.
"You could control a whole other country with data. At which point you may ask: is it an independent country, or is it a data colony?" more Previous mind-reading posts.
Tuesday, January 21, 2020
Android Users Beware: These Top Camera Apps May Secretly Be Spying
The latest warning has come from the research team at CyberNews, exposing “camera apps with billions of downloads [that] might be stealing user data and infecting them with malware.”
...But that’s exactly what some of the top beauty camera apps have been found guilty of doing. more
...But that’s exactly what some of the top beauty camera apps have been found guilty of doing. more
- BeautyPlus – Easy Photo Editor & Selfie Camera
- BeautyCam
- Beauty Camera – Selfie Camera
- Selfie Camera – Beauty Camera & Photo Editor
- Beauty Camera Plus – Sweet Camera & Makeup Photo
- Beauty Camera – Selfie Camera & Photo Editor
- YouCam Perfect – Best Selfie Camera & Photo Editor
- Sweet Snap – Beauty Selfie Camera & Face Filter
- Sweet Selfie Snap – Sweet Camera & Beauty Cam Snap
- Beauty Camera – Selfie Camera with Photo Editor
- Beauty Camera – Best Selfie Camera & Photo Editor
- B612 – Beauty & Filter Camera
- Face Makeup Camera & Beauty Photo Makeup Editor
- Sweet Selfie – Selfie Camera & Makeup Photo Editor
- Selfie camera – Beauty Camera & Makeup camera
- YouCam Perfect – Best Photo Editor & Selfie Camera
- Beauty Camera Makeup Face Selfie, Photo Editor
- Selfie Camera – Beauty Camera
- Z Beauty Camera
- HD Camera Selfie Beauty Camera
- Candy Camera – selfie, beauty camera & photo editor
- Makeup Camera-Selfie Beauty Filter Photo Editor
- Beauty Selfie Plus – Sweet Camera Wonder HD Camera
- Selfie Camera – Beauty Camera & AR Stickers
- Pretty Makeup, Beauty Photo Editor & Selfie Camera
- Beauty Camera
- Bestie – Camera360 Beauty Cam
- Photo Editor – Beauty Camera
- Beauty Makeup, Selfie Camera Effects & Photo Editor
- Selfie cam – Bestie Makeup Beauty Camera & Filters
Dude, you gotta be a government before you shoot spies!
FL - A man is facing charges after authorities say he fired shots at children he thought were spying on him from canoes outside his home.
Deputies with the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office
said they were called to the home in the 1500 block of Murphy Road in Pierson after the victims said they were fishing in a lake when 30-year-old Michael Adams fired several shots their way...
Adams was arrested and booked into the Volusia County Branch Jail on two counts of aggravated assault with a firearm. more
Deputies with the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office
Adams was arrested and booked into the Volusia County Branch Jail on two counts of aggravated assault with a firearm. more
Plumbing for Secrets in Davos
The report in the Tages-Anzeiger newspaper said the pair presented diplomatic passports and left the country. more
‘Spy Games’ - 10 Civilians Vie for $100,000 Prize
One can’t deny that there is a certain charm and pull around the life of
a spy - from going on undercover missions to just enjoying the finer
things in life à la James Bond, and if you are keen on seeing how one
goes about acquiring the skills needed to be a good spy, then Bravo’s
latest offering ‘Spy Games’ might just be what you have been looking
for...
One can’t deny that there is a certain charm and pull around the life of a spy - from going on undercover missions to just enjoying the finer things in life à la James Bond, and if you are keen on seeing how one goes about acquiring the skills needed to be a good spy, then Bravo’s latest offering ‘Spy Games’ might just be what you have been looking for. more
One can’t deny that there is a certain charm and pull around the life of a spy - from going on undercover missions to just enjoying the finer things in life à la James Bond, and if you are keen on seeing how one goes about acquiring the skills needed to be a good spy, then Bravo’s latest offering ‘Spy Games’ might just be what you have been looking for. more
Thursday, January 16, 2020
"I found this thing. Is it a bug?"
At Murray Associates we occasionally receive calls asking, "I found this thing. Is it a bug?"
Usually, the identification is easy:
Today,
a call comes in from a well-respected private investigator in Boston.
He has a corporate client whose employee "found this thing."
She takes a photo, sends it to him, who sends it to us... via low resolution text message...
Rough guess...
A Bluetooth item finder, similar to a Tile, but a Chinese knockoff branded with some corporate logo. Possibly a promotional item?
We
later learned it was in her bedroom, mounted to the wall, not found in a
covert location. She had pulled it off the wall to take the photo. We
did not receive a photo of the mounting piece, or a mention of its
placement.
Later we eventually received a photo of the flip side...
Hummm... not too helpful, but no evidence of on the front of a pinhole for video, or a microphone on the circuit board. No battery seen, but the two large solder tabs and circles on the circuit board indicate there is a battery on the other side of the board.
Why would someone mount something like this on a bedroom wall?!?!
One possibility emerged... "How to find your lost iPhone with Tile."
Nope. Tiles have their logo on them. Ours looks different.
Another possibility... Yahoo changed their logo last Fall.
Could they have sent out a promotional "Tile" with their newly designed exclamation point logo on it?
Close, but no prize.
Okay, let's start fresh.
Say, the Tile is a MacGuffin.
Look elsewhere.
What other wall-warts do we know of?
HVAC sensors, for one.
Google search....
Ah ha.... that's what this thing is.
Case closed.
This was a good investigative process refresher for us, and a thing we will all remember next time "this thing" shows up.
Extra Credit:
~Kevin
Usually, the identification is easy:- it's a piece of electronic jewelry (blinky earring, or pin);
- an old annoy-a-tron;
- or Bluetooth tag, like a Tile item finder.
Today,
a call comes in from a well-respected private investigator in Boston.
He has a corporate client whose employee "found this thing."She takes a photo, sends it to him, who sends it to us... via low resolution text message...
Rough guess...
A Bluetooth item finder, similar to a Tile, but a Chinese knockoff branded with some corporate logo. Possibly a promotional item?
We
later learned it was in her bedroom, mounted to the wall, not found in a
covert location. She had pulled it off the wall to take the photo. We
did not receive a photo of the mounting piece, or a mention of its
placement.Later we eventually received a photo of the flip side...
Hummm... not too helpful, but no evidence of on the front of a pinhole for video, or a microphone on the circuit board. No battery seen, but the two large solder tabs and circles on the circuit board indicate there is a battery on the other side of the board.
Why would someone mount something like this on a bedroom wall?!?!
One possibility emerged... "How to find your lost iPhone with Tile."Nope. Tiles have their logo on them. Ours looks different.
Another possibility... Yahoo changed their logo last Fall.Could they have sent out a promotional "Tile" with their newly designed exclamation point logo on it?
Close, but no prize.
Okay, let's start fresh.
Say, the Tile is a MacGuffin.
Look elsewhere.
What other wall-warts do we know of?
HVAC sensors, for one.
Google search....
Case closed.
This was a good investigative process refresher for us, and a thing we will all remember next time "this thing" shows up.
Extra Credit:
~Kevin
Wednesday, January 15, 2020
The Case of “Eddie Spaghetti” and the First Spycam News of 2020
We are only halfway through, the first month, of the first year, in a new decade... and the spycam pandemic is off to a roaring start.
Like corporate espionage and other forms of illegal electronic surveillance, only the failures make the news. The vast majority of illegal covert electronic surveillance goes undetected.
Learn how to spot spycams and keep scheduling your corporate TSCM inspections.
-----
Canada - Edward Casavant, 55, (who gave himself the nickname, “Eddie Spaghetti”) pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography, making child pornography, voyeurism and sexual exploitation of a person with a disability, and was sentenced to six years in prison. more
OH - A former Hillsdale Middle School and High School art teacher convicted of voyeurism was sentenced Tuesday to 180 days in jail. more
CA - Peterborough man charged with voyeurism after allegedly using electronics to peer through windows. more
Singapore - The alleged victims of a Singaporean undergraduate accused of illicitly filming 12 women want a gag order on his identity to be lifted, despite being fully aware of the risk of being identified. more
ID - Kory Ray West, the 34-year-old man accused of concealing a video camera in the bathroom of a Blackfoot home where he had been staying, and of stealing items of underclothing from bedrooms, could serve up to seven years in prison for his crimes. more
NY - The husband of a New York prosecutor who filmed his child's nanny on bathroom spycam, could have charges against him dropped, after he claimed he only used it to watch himself undress. more
HI - An $8,000 project to install covert security cameras in the Council Chambers of the county building in order to monitor an active shooter or hostage situation was kept secret from most council members and the public, county officials said. more
CA - Ring of fired: Amazon axes multiple workers who secretly snooped on netizens' surveillance camera footage. more
KY - A former teacher at a Kentucky high school admitted to filming students in a bathroom...
UK - staff and parents with children at Denmead Junior School were in shock at the grim discovery of an iPhone in a vent. Action
was taken by the school. A 23-year-old man from Waterlooville (was arrested) on
suspicion of voyeurism. He has been released under investigation. more
CT - An investigation that began in South Windsor in August that led to a Manchester man being charged with voyeurism after filming people in a locker room at L.A. Fitness resulted in more charges being filed against him Friday stemming from similar incidents in Farmington, police said. South Windsor police said that Selby had placed his cellphone in one of the lockers and left the door open. more
CA - A Desert Hot Springs man who was previously required to register as a sex offender pleaded not guilty Friday to charges of filming people inside a grocery store bathroom in Cathedral City...10 misdemeanor counts of unlawful use of a concealed camera to secretly videotape.... 2013 - Prosecutors alleged he concealed a video camera in a paper bag and entered a woman's restroom in a Los Angeles Macy's department store dressed as a woman and secretly videotaped women using the restroom. more
Wales - A sportsman who once represented Anglesey in the Island Games has admitted installing a camera in toilets where people, including youngsters, got changed. more
Like corporate espionage and other forms of illegal electronic surveillance, only the failures make the news. The vast majority of illegal covert electronic surveillance goes undetected.
Learn how to spot spycams and keep scheduling your corporate TSCM inspections.
-----
Canada - Edward Casavant, 55, (who gave himself the nickname, “Eddie Spaghetti”) pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography, making child pornography, voyeurism and sexual exploitation of a person with a disability, and was sentenced to six years in prison. more
OH - A former Hillsdale Middle School and High School art teacher convicted of voyeurism was sentenced Tuesday to 180 days in jail. more
CA - Peterborough man charged with voyeurism after allegedly using electronics to peer through windows. more
Singapore - The alleged victims of a Singaporean undergraduate accused of illicitly filming 12 women want a gag order on his identity to be lifted, despite being fully aware of the risk of being identified. more
ID - Kory Ray West, the 34-year-old man accused of concealing a video camera in the bathroom of a Blackfoot home where he had been staying, and of stealing items of underclothing from bedrooms, could serve up to seven years in prison for his crimes. more
NY - The husband of a New York prosecutor who filmed his child's nanny on bathroom spycam, could have charges against him dropped, after he claimed he only used it to watch himself undress. more
HI - An $8,000 project to install covert security cameras in the Council Chambers of the county building in order to monitor an active shooter or hostage situation was kept secret from most council members and the public, county officials said. more
CA - Ring of fired: Amazon axes multiple workers who secretly snooped on netizens' surveillance camera footage. more
KY - A former teacher at a Kentucky high school admitted to filming students in a bathroom...
Police...reported finding a recording
device set up in the bathroom of the nurse's station. Police said the
video recorder captured the person putting the device in place. more
MI - A Canton man pleaded guilty last month
to three felony charges associated with illegal voyeurism at an
Aqua-Tots swim school in his hometown... Police said they were dispatched to the Canton Aqua-Tots swim school for young children...because a woman saw a recording device targeting her changing stall. She reported her suspicions to staff. more
CT - An investigation that began in South Windsor in August that led to a Manchester man being charged with voyeurism after filming people in a locker room at L.A. Fitness resulted in more charges being filed against him Friday stemming from similar incidents in Farmington, police said. South Windsor police said that Selby had placed his cellphone in one of the lockers and left the door open. more
CA - A Desert Hot Springs man who was previously required to register as a sex offender pleaded not guilty Friday to charges of filming people inside a grocery store bathroom in Cathedral City...10 misdemeanor counts of unlawful use of a concealed camera to secretly videotape.... 2013 - Prosecutors alleged he concealed a video camera in a paper bag and entered a woman's restroom in a Los Angeles Macy's department store dressed as a woman and secretly videotaped women using the restroom. more
Wales - A sportsman who once represented Anglesey in the Island Games has admitted installing a camera in toilets where people, including youngsters, got changed. more
Surveillance in Tombstone Territory
 |
One recent example we've come across is the Tombstone Cam... Click to enlarge. more The last time we heard of a bugged funeral.
The Crazy Story of How Soviet Russia Bugged an American Embassy’s Typewriters
After tens of thousands of fruitless X-rays, a technician noticed a small coil of wire inside the on/off switch of an IBM Selectric typewriter. Gandy believed that this coil was acting as a step-down transformer to supply lower-voltage power to something within the typewriter. Eventually he uncovered a series of modifications that had been concealed so expertly that they had previously defied detection.
A solid aluminum bar, part of the structural support of the typewriter, had been replaced with one that looked identical but was hollow. Inside the cavity was a circuit board and six magnetometers. The magnetometers sensed movements of tiny magnets that had been embedded in the transposers that moved the typing “golf ball” into position for striking a given letter. more
Monday, January 13, 2020
Security Tip #792: Be Gone Phishing
via Krebs on Security
"Savvy readers here no doubt already know this, but to find the true domain referenced in a link, look to the right of “http(s)://” until you encounter the first backward slash (/). The domain directly to the left of that first slash is the true destination; anything that precedes the second dot to the left of that first slash is a subdomain and should be ignored for the purposes of determining the true domain name."
"For instance, in the case of the imaginary link below, example.com is the true destination, not apple.com: https://www.apple.com.example.com/findmyphone/" more
Double checking links before clicking can save you from sleeping with the phishers. Hover over links, but don't click, to see where you might be going.
"Savvy readers here no doubt already know this, but to find the true domain referenced in a link, look to the right of “http(s)://” until you encounter the first backward slash (/). The domain directly to the left of that first slash is the true destination; anything that precedes the second dot to the left of that first slash is a subdomain and should be ignored for the purposes of determining the true domain name."
"For instance, in the case of the imaginary link below, example.com is the true destination, not apple.com: https://www.apple.com.example.com/findmyphone/" more
Double checking links before clicking can save you from sleeping with the phishers. Hover over links, but don't click, to see where you might be going.
Death by Spycam
The wedding hall was booked and home furnishings all bought... but the bride — one of thousands of women to fall victim to an epidemic of high-tech voyeurism in South Korea — is not here.
Lee Yu-jung took her own life after a colleague secretly filmed her in the changing room of the hospital where they both worked, the country’s first reported spy-cam death.
Footage of Lee was found among a bigger video cache of women, all illegally snatched in the country’s spy-cam epidemic, often with cheap devices as small as a key ring. more
Lee Yu-jung took her own life after a colleague secretly filmed her in the changing room of the hospital where they both worked, the country’s first reported spy-cam death.
Footage of Lee was found among a bigger video cache of women, all illegally snatched in the country’s spy-cam epidemic, often with cheap devices as small as a key ring. more
Spybuster Tip #632: Fortify Your Two-factor Authentication
Two-factor authentication is a must, but don't settle for the SMS version. Use a more secure authenticator app instead.
The most popular authenticator apps are Google Authenticator and Authy, but password managers 1Password and LastPass offer the service as well, if that helps you streamline. If you're heavy into Microsoft's ecosystem, you might want Microsoft Authenticator. While they all differ somewhat in features, the core functionality is the same no matter which one you use. more
Tuesday, January 7, 2020
The Art of Investigation (book)
The editors and contributing authors* are the best in their field, and bring a wealth of real-world knowledge and experience to the subject. There are several publications available on the nuts-and-bolts of the process and stages of an investigation. That ground has been covered. However, little has been published on the investigative skills required, the traits necessary, and the qualities endemic to an inquisitive mind that can be cultivated to improve an investigator’s professional skill-set.
Each chapter discusses the applicability of the traits to the contributor’s own work and experience as an investigator. more
*Robert Rahn (Lt. Ret.) is one of the excellent contributors.
ISBN-13:
978-1138353787
ISBN-10:
1138353787
FutureWatch: The Demise of the Common Spies
WTF happened? Quite a bit...
9/11, for one. It's not so easy to fly under the radar these days.
In 2014, U.S. spies were exposed when the Office of Personnel Management was hacked. About 22 million fingerprints, security clearance background information, and personnel records allegedly fell into Chinese hands. In 2015 it happened again.
One can be fairly sure this isn't just a problem for U.S. spies. Other countries get hacked, too. You just don't hear about it.
If all this wasn't bad enough, a spy's best friend turned on him in the 2000's. Technology.
Video cameras are planted everywhere, and facial recognition is becoming more accurate every day. It is being used at airports, in buildings, and with in conjunction with city surveillance cameras. This list will grow, of course.
The latest advancement is analysis of video streams using artificial intelligence logarithms. Suspicious movements, packages left unattended, predictions of future movements and crimes are analyzed by mindless machines 24/7, waiting to trigger an alert.
On the communications side spyware is a concern. Smartphone and GPS tracking don't help spies hide either.
It has been reported that some countries are compiling real-time databases which incorporate the above-mentioned speed bumps with: taxis, hotel, train, airline, credit card, customs and immigration information. As soon as one enters the country, they know where you are—minute by minute. And, if one takes too long going between locations, or a dual timeline appears (being in different places at the same time), a security alert is generated.
Couple all this with countries sharing information, e.g. EU, being a spy who needs to make in-person contacts becomes nearly impossible.
Think staying out of view is a good spy strategy? For now, perhaps. However, progress is being made by constructing a person's face by the sound of their voice.
The future of spying (no, it won't go away) will be radically different out of necessity. One can only guess how, but I understand they are working very hard on mind-reading.
Be seeing you.
Surveillance is Hot at CES 2020
At CES show, devices that see, hear, track people are promoted. Privacy concerns? Not so much.
From the face scanner that will check in some attendees to the cameras-everywhere array of digital products, the CES gadget show is all-in on surveillance technology...
All these talking speakers, doorbell cameras and fitness trackers come with the promise of making life easier or more fun, but they're also potentially powerful spying tools.
And the skeptics who raise privacy and security concerns can be easily drowned out in the flashy spectacle of gee-whiz technology. more
From the face scanner that will check in some attendees to the cameras-everywhere array of digital products, the CES gadget show is all-in on surveillance technology...
And the skeptics who raise privacy and security concerns can be easily drowned out in the flashy spectacle of gee-whiz technology. more
Monday, January 6, 2020
Information Security and Cryptography Seminar
Information Security and Cryptography —Fundamentals and Applications
June 8-10, 2020 in Zurich, Switzerland
Lecturers: Prof. David Basin and Prof. Ueli Maurer
This seminar provides an in-depth coverage of Information Security and Cryptography from both a conceptual and an application-oriented viewpoint. At the same time, the mathematical, algorithmic, protocol-specific, and system-oriented aspects are explained in a way understandable to a wide audience.
A full description of the seminar, including all topics covered, is available at https://www.infsec.ch/seminar2020.html. Early registration is until February 28th.
The seminar takes place in Zurich Switzerland. The lectures and all course material are in English. more
Thursday, January 2, 2020
U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission Issues Guidance on IP and Tech Risks
...Among the risks faced by companies is the risk of theft of technology,
data and intellectual property through a direct intrusion by private
parties or foreign actors, including those affiliated with or controlled
by state actors.While not exclusive, examples of situations in which technology, data or intellectual property may be stolen or compromised through direct intrusion include cyber intrusions into a company’s computer systems and physical theft through corporate espionage, including with the assistance of insiders... more
Your Smart TV is Spying on You — How to stop it...
Those smart TVs that sold for unheard of low prices over the holidays come with a catch. The price is super low, but the manufacturers get to monitor what you're watching and report back to third parties, for a fee.
Or, in some cases, companies like Amazon (with its Fire TV branded sets from Toshiba and Insignia) and TCL, with its branded Roku sets, look to throw those same personalized, targeted ads at you that you get when visiting Facebook and Google.
It doesn't have to be this way. You have the controls to opt out. Within just a few clicks, you can stop the manufacturers from snooping on you in the living room... more and a bonus sing-a-long!
It doesn't have to be this way. You have the controls to opt out. Within just a few clicks, you can stop the manufacturers from snooping on you in the living room... more and a bonus sing-a-long!
2020 Quote of the Year - First Contender
“The biggest thing (coming in 2020) is connected everything,” said Carolina Milanesi, a technology analyst for the research firm Creative Strategies. “Anything in the home — we’ll have more cameras, more mics, more sensors.” *
----
via The New York Times...
The 2010s made one thing clear: Tech is everywhere in life... In 2020 and the coming decade, these trends are likely to gather momentum. They will also be on display next week at CES, an enormous consumer electronics trade show in Las Vegas that typically serves as a window into the year’s hottest tech developments. more
* Thus, a need for more TSCM; the yin to espionage yang.
----
via The New York Times...
The 2010s made one thing clear: Tech is everywhere in life... In 2020 and the coming decade, these trends are likely to gather momentum. They will also be on display next week at CES, an enormous consumer electronics trade show in Las Vegas that typically serves as a window into the year’s hottest tech developments. more
* Thus, a need for more TSCM; the yin to espionage yang.
Wednesday, January 1, 2020
The Crazy Story of How Soviet Russia Bugged an American Embassy’s Typewriters
Nonetheless, a recent book authored by Eric Haseltine, titled The Spy in Moscow Station (Macmillan, 2019), is a true story of bug hunting that should be of interest to all.
It recounts a lengthy struggle by Charles Gandy, an electrical engineer at the United States’ National Security Agency, to uncover an elaborate and ingenious scheme by Soviet engineers to intercept communications in the American embassy in Moscow. more
Tuesday, December 31, 2019
Get Ready for a Wild Security Ride in 2020
Drones are considered mainstream business tools and are used from surveillance and delivery to agriculture and mining.
Now Santa's Toys Know if You Are Naughty or Nice
Christmas is over, which means there may be a few extra toys for children in the house.
Cybersecurity experts are warning parents to pay attention to what kinds of toys their children are playing with, saying some could be capable of doing much more than what you're aware of.
...toys with Bluetooth or that can connect to Wi-Fi have the potential to not only spy on those playing with them but could also collect data later capable of predicting children's thoughts and behaviors. more
Cybersecurity experts are warning parents to pay attention to what kinds of toys their children are playing with, saying some could be capable of doing much more than what you're aware of.
...toys with Bluetooth or that can connect to Wi-Fi have the potential to not only spy on those playing with them but could also collect data later capable of predicting children's thoughts and behaviors. more
This Month in Spycam News
UK - A school caretaker who installed a hidden camera in a toilet used by female teachers was sentenced to prison after the device recorded him committing the crime... When investigators searched Stupples' house, they discovered 76 videos and nearly 150,000 photos recorded from 50 separate instances of people using the toilet... Even as Stupples initially denied installing the hidden camera, his defense soon fell apart after prosecutors told the court how the accused was "very clearly visible" in one of the videos that showed him installing the device. more
US - Charges are expected to be filed Friday against a one-time registered sex offender suspected of mounting a small video camera inside a grocery store bathroom in Cathedral City. more
US - A Georgia army officer with high-ranking clearance has been arrested on charges of distribution of child pornography after an FBI agent caught him sharing nude pictures of a teenage relative captured via a spy camera. more
CA - A 56-year-old Owen Sound man is facing voyeurism charges after police allege he had been secretly filming a resident for months. Detectives with the Owen Sound Police uncovered a video camera that had been hidden in a fake heating vent in the washroom of an apartment... Police say the man worked maintenance for the building in which the incident occurred and allege the camera was installed in anticipation of a new tenant moving into the unit earlier this year. more
UK - A "deviant" voyeur secretly filmed a woman trying on a dress in a supermarket changing room - but was caught when her nine-year-old daughter saw what was happening. more
US - Charges are expected to be filed Friday against a one-time registered sex offender suspected of mounting a small video camera inside a grocery store bathroom in Cathedral City. more
US - A Georgia army officer with high-ranking clearance has been arrested on charges of distribution of child pornography after an FBI agent caught him sharing nude pictures of a teenage relative captured via a spy camera. more
CA - A 56-year-old Owen Sound man is facing voyeurism charges after police allege he had been secretly filming a resident for months. Detectives with the Owen Sound Police uncovered a video camera that had been hidden in a fake heating vent in the washroom of an apartment... Police say the man worked maintenance for the building in which the incident occurred and allege the camera was installed in anticipation of a new tenant moving into the unit earlier this year. more
UK - A "deviant" voyeur secretly filmed a woman trying on a dress in a supermarket changing room - but was caught when her nine-year-old daughter saw what was happening. more
Friday, December 27, 2019
Walt Disney World Employee Charged with Illegal Recording
A Walt Disney World employee made an illegal audio recording of her interview with Disney security officials while being questioned about thefts at the theme parks, according to prosecutors.Alicia Reese later shared that secret recording with Patrick Spikes, a former Disney employee who is accused of breaking into a theme park attraction and stealing props, deputies allege.
Prosecutors have charged Reese with an illegal interception of oral communications, a felony punishable by up to five years in prison.
Reese and Spikes have pleaded not guilty to the charges against them. Reese, who had been an employee of ESPN Club restaurant at Disney’s Boardwalk Resort, was interviewed by two Disney security investigators in March about thefts from the company. more
Thursday, December 26, 2019
The 11 types of business failure – and how you can learn from the mistakes of others
(Guess what made the list.)
Some rivalries between business groups have led to allegations of unethical advertising practices, and even corporate espionage... more
It's easy to "blunder" when it comes to corporate espionage. By definition, espionage is a covert practice. Because you don't see it, you don't believe it is happening. Successful espionage is invisible. Only failures make the news. Successful corporations employ specialists to monitor for espionage.
The Top 200 Worst Passwords of 2019
Independent researchers, who requested to stay anonymous, compiled and
shared with us a list of 200 most popular passwords that were leaked in
data breaches just this year. The database is quite impressive — 500
million passwords in total. And if you think that’s a lot of leaked
passwords, we have some bad news for you — it’s just the tip of the
iceberg. more
Here are the Top 20 to get you started...
Top 2020 New Years Resolution... Fortify your passwords.
Here are the Top 20 to get you started...
World's Smallest Video Camera (unfreakinbelieveable!)
This company in Taiwan has been reducing the size of video cameras year after year. I would like to say this is the smallest possible, but they continue to surprise.
If you have privacy concerns caused by the flood of covert video surveillance cameras, stop by here and learn how to fight back.
If you have privacy concerns caused by the flood of covert video surveillance cameras, stop by here and learn how to fight back.
Trend Micro Reveals Security Worries for 2020
In 2020, tried-and-tested cyber crimes – such as extortion, obfuscation and phishing – will remain, but new risks will inevitably emerge.
Full 5G implementations will introduce new security threats and the increased migration to the cloud will see more organizations facing risks from their cloud and supply chain.
In addition, the sheer number of connected assets and infrastructures will open doors to threats, and fake images, videos, or audio will be used to manipulate enterprise business procedures.
This is according to a new report from security firm Trend Micro, titled: “The New Norm: Trend Micro Security Predictions for 2020.”
...of special interest to our clients...
Full 5G implementations will introduce new security threats and the increased migration to the cloud will see more organizations facing risks from their cloud and supply chain.In addition, the sheer number of connected assets and infrastructures will open doors to threats, and fake images, videos, or audio will be used to manipulate enterprise business procedures.
This is according to a new report from security firm Trend Micro, titled: “The New Norm: Trend Micro Security Predictions for 2020.”
...of special interest to our clients...
Machine learning and AI will be abused to listen in on connected devices like smart TVs and speakers to snoop on personal and business conversations, which can then provide material for extortion or corporate espionage. moreIOT devices used for espionage, extortion.
Thursday, November 21, 2019
"Electronic Device" Found in Mayor's Office
MI - Flint Police are investigating after an electronic surveillance device was found inside Flint City Hall.The device was found in the mayor's office, Interim Police Chief Phil Hart said.
Hart said he cannot speak as to what the capabilities of the electronic surveillance device are at this time.
No other information has been released because it is still under investigation. more
Former Flint Police Chief Timothy Johnson believed the device could've been in City Hall when Former Mayor Karen Weaver was in office.
He said she was concerned when she moved into City Hall that it had been bugged with recording devices. So Johnson said they checked her office, even removing ceiling tiles.* But, he explained, Weaver's was the only office they checked. more
* A professional technical surveillance countermeasures inspection is quite a bit more thorough.
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