The Cartoon You Won't See in Your Paper Today

"Today's strip that did not run in papers.
Seems harmless to me, but I guess these are sensitive times."
Stephan Pastis
@stephanpastis
Syndicated Cartoonist, Creator of Pearls Before Swine Comic Strip, 
Author of Timmy Failure book series

Click to enlarge.

Stormy Weather, or Subterranean Homesick Blues at the National Weather Service

If it’s on Facebook, can it be secret?

Members of the National Weather Service Employees Organization (NWSEO) thought they had a secret Facebook page that was available only to them.

But not only did National Weather Service (NWS) management officials know about the page, they accessed it and made scornful comments about the postings, according to the union.

That amounts to “illegal surveillance” of union activities, according to the labor organization’s complaint filed Wednesday with the Federal Labor Relations Authority.

In the past six months, Weather Service officials “engaged in the surveillance of internal union communications about and discussions of protected activities” on the labor organization’s “ ‘secret’ (that is, ‘members only’) Facebook page,” according to the complaint. more sing-a-long

Brand-Name Wireless Keyboards Open to Silent Eavesdropping

Wireless keyboards from popular hardware vendors are wide open to silent interception at long distances, researchers have found, without users being aware that attackers can see everything they type.

Bastille Research said the keyboards transmit keystrokes across unencrypted radio signals in the 2.4 GHz band, unlike high-end and Bluetooth protocol keyboards, which transmit data in an encrypted format, making it more difficult for attackers to intercept the scrambled keystrokes.

It means attackers armed with cheap eavesdropping devices can silently intercept what users type at distances of 50 to 100 metres away.

Such interception could reveal users' passwords, credit card numbers, security question replies and other personally sensitive information, Bastille said. Users would have no indication that the traffic between the keyboard and the host computer was intercepted.

Furthermore, attackers could inject keystrokes of their own into the signals, and type directly onto users' computers. Again, the attack would be unnoticeable to users in most cases.

Bastille tested eight keyboards from well-known vendors... more

Longtime Security Scrapbook readers may remember my warnings about this beginning in 2007...
https://spybusters.blogspot.com/2007/12/wireless-keyboard-interception.html  
https://spybusters.blogspot.com/2007/12/program-discovers-at-risk-wireless.html
https://spybusters.blogspot.com/2009/01/old-news-still-scary-bugged-keyboards.html

The DNC Hack — Worse than Watergate

A foreign government has hacked a political party’s computers—and possibly an election. It has stolen documents and timed their release to explode with maximum damage. It is a strike against our civic infrastructure. And though nobody died—and there was no economic toll exacted—the Russians were aiming for a tender spot, a central node of our democracy...

What’s galling about the WikiLeaks dump is the way in which the organization has blurred the distinction between leaks and hacks. Leaks are an important tool of journalism and accountability. When an insider uncovers malfeasance, he brings information to the public in order to stop the wrongdoing. That’s not what happened here.

The better analogy for these hacks is Watergate. To help win an election, the Russians broke into the virtual headquarters of the Democratic Party. The hackers installed the cyber-version of the bugging equipment that Nixon’s goons used—sitting on the DNC computers for a year, eavesdropping on everything, collecting as many scraps as possible.

This is trespassing, it’s thievery, it’s a breathtaking transgression of privacy. more

Judge Flicks Off Uber and its Phony Private Eye

A strange side-show battle over snooping charges came to an end Monday when a judge in federal court ruled that Uber Technologies and its CEO Travis Kalanick could not use background information it dug up on a passenger who brought a price-fixing suit against Kalanick.

Courtesy of Thinkgeek

Judge Jed Rakoff said Ergo, the Manhattan-based firm Uber hired to conduct the investigation into the plaintiff and his lawyer, "engaged in fraudulent and arguably criminal conduct." Ergo was not licensed to conduct private investigations in New York state and its operative interviewed subjects under phony pretexts. He may also have violated state laws by taping the interviews without subjects' consent.

"It is a sad day," Rakoff began the 31-page opinion, "when, in response to the filing of a commercial lawsuit, a corporate defendant feels compelled to hire unlicensed private investigators to conduct secret personal background investigations of both the plaintiff and his counsel."

Uber declined to comment. more

Tristan Payton: Highly touted wide receiver — and criminal hunter?

That seemed to be the case this week after the Central Florida wide receiver chased down a man accused of filming teenaged girls in a bathroom on campus, CBS Sports reported.

The girls were attending a cheerleading camp Wednesday at UCF's basketball facilities on campus when they saw a phone recording them inside a bathroom stall.

They told their coach and staff members, saw the man with the phone and chased him, with UCF police soon joining the pursuit.

The man, identified as 21-year-old Jonathan J. Hui, evaded police and the staff but was soon caught by Payton, who saw the commotion and joined the chase.

Payton quickly snagged Hui's phone before he could delete any information on it. more

Professor Accused of Spying on Students Found Dead

An NYIT professor accused of spying on students in the bathroom has been found dead days after his arrest.

Law enforcement sources tell News 12 the body of Professor Jackie Conrad was found in his Harlem home last night.

The 39-year-old had been arrested last week after police say a camera was found hidden inside a handicapped stall at the school’s health care center in Old Westbury. more

An autopsy will determine his cause of death, but police suspect he killed himself, according to sources.

Conrad, a professor at New York Institute of Technology, planted a camera disguised as a pen in a handicapped-accessible bathroom at the school’s Old Westbury campus in Nassau County on July 13, according to a criminal complaint. more

The Complete Guide to Facebook Privacy

The Techlicious folks have the tips on how to keep your privacy on Facebook... 

Privacy concerns and privacy controls on Facebook are ever changing. When you post a picture of your kids at a family gathering, which one of your Facebook friends can share it? What private information are those Facebook game apps collecting on you for "third-party uses"? How do you make sure that live video stream is seen only by people you choose? Every action you take on Facebook has privacy and sharing implications that need to be considered before you upload that next selfie.

Fortunately, thanks to vocal demands for transparency from both Facebook users and government regulators around the world, Facebook has been making the process of managing your privacy easier. Below is our step-by-step guide to taking full control of your Facebook privacy settings... more

Summer Reading: Gulity Minds, by Joe Finder

New York Times bestselling author Joseph Finder delivers an exhilarating and timely thriller exploring how even the most powerful among us can be brought down by a carefully crafted lie and how the secrets we keep can never truly stay buried in Guilty Minds.

Nick Heller is a private spy—an intelligence operative based in Boston, hired by lawyers, politicians, and even foreign governments. A high-powered investigator with a penchant for doing things his own way, he’s called to Washington, DC, to help out with a delicate, potentially explosive situation.

The chief justice of the Supreme Court is about to be defamed, his career destroyed, by a powerful gossip website that specializes in dirt on celebs and politicians. Their top reporter has written an exposé claiming that he had liaisons with an escort, a young woman prepared to tell the world her salacious tale. But the chief justice is not without allies and his greatest supporter is determined to stop the story in its tracks.

Nick has just forty-eight hours to disprove the story about the chief justice. But when the call girl is found murdered, the case takes a dangerous turn, and Nick resolves to find the mastermind behind the conspiracy before anyone else falls victim to the maelstrom of political scandal and ruined reputations predicated upon one long-buried secret.

(The story may be fiction, but the technical surveillance/security details are accurate. Joe consults with several well-known specialists, including: Kevin D. Murray, and Adam Hernandez, to give his novel the ring of authenticity. This attention to detail is just one of the things that sets Joe Finder apart from other authors... not to mention his gripping plots.)

Compilation of State and Federal Privacy Laws (US & Canada)

The 2016 Supplement to Privacy Journal's "Compilation of State and Federal Privacy Laws" (2013) has been published, adding 30 more laws enacted by states and provinces in the past 12 months.

The Compilation of State and Federal Privacy Laws (ISBN 978-0-930072-56-8) cites and describes more than 700 state, provincial, and federal laws affecting the confidentiality of personal information and electronic surveillance. The laws are listed by state, grouped in categories like medical, credit, financial, security breaches, tracking technologies, employment, government, school records, Social Security numbers, marketing, telephone privacy and many more. Canadian laws too.

PRIVACY JOURNAL
PO Box 28577
Providence RI 02908
Phone: 401/274-7861
Fax: 401/274-4747
www.privacyjournal.net

Amazon Mute on Echo Eavesdropping

We may never know if the feds have hijacked Amazon Echo.

Amazon has so far issued two transparency reports since it began declaring how many government data demands and wiretap orders it receives.

Both reports outlined how many subpoenas, search warrants, and court orders the company received to cloud service Amazon Web Services. While its cloud makes up a significant portion of the data that it gathers, the company also collects vast amounts of data from its retail businesses, mobile services, book purchases, and requests made to Echo.

But an Amazon spokesperson wouldn't comment on whether the company will expand its transparency report. more

Kim Kardashian Could Get a Swift Kick for Eavesdropping

Kim Kardashian was apparently bluffing when she said that she has a video of Taylor Swift approving the lyric “I made that bitch famous,” even if the reality star had released a video on Sunday night on her Snapchat.

A legal expert said that the turn of events could lead to a major legal battle between Swift on one hand, and Kanye West and Kim Kardashian on the other hand.

For releasing the recording of West’s conversation with Swift – even minus the alleged approval by Swift of the controversial lyric – because the singer was unaware their conversation was being recorded, West and Kardashian breached California’s law on eavesdropping, noted E! News. more

North Korea Revives Coded Spy Numbers Broadcasts

In an era of sophisticated spycraft, North Korea appears to be returning to the days of shortwave radio.

Click to enlarge.

The North broadcast a series of seemingly random numbers on Pyongyang Radio twice recently, an eerie reminder of the days when the North encrypted messages to its spies in South Korea.

In the latest episode last Friday, an announcer read what she described as “a mathematics review assignment for investigative agent No. 27,” engaged in a “distance learning” program.

“Turn to Page 459, No. 35; Page 913, No. 55; Page 135, No. 86,” she said, continuing to cite numbers for 14 minutes.Decades ago, it was not unusual for late-night radio listeners in the South to hear mysterious numbers arriving on static-filled signals from the North. more

Survey: Do Swiss Spy?

The survey, conducted by a research company on behalf of comparis.ch, asked more than 1,000 people across Switzerland their views on spying and being spied on. 

Some 22 percent admitted to keeping an eye on their neighbours using binoculars, cameras and cameraphones, or through the spyhole of their front door.

The most popular reason for spying was to check out a neighbour’s plants (28 percent), followed by how they renovate their home (24 percent), and the way in which they behave with their children (18 percent) and partner (13 percent).

Those that do the most spying are in the 15-29 age bracket, while those aged between 60-74 are the least bothered by what their neighbours are up to.

The survey also asked respondents if they felt observed, with 48 percent of young people saying they do, against a national average of 40 percent. more

IT Security Alert - Got Juniper Equipment? Better get the patch.

Juniper Networks patched a crypto bug tied to its public key infrastructure that could have allowed hackers to access the company’s routers, switches and security devices and eavesdrop on sensitive communications. The flaw was tied to Juniper products and platforms running Junos, the Juniper Network Operating System.

The bug (CVE-2016-1280) was reported and patched by Juniper on Wednesday, with public disclosure Friday. Juniper also posted its own information on the security vulnerability, which was found internally.

...The vulnerability allowed attackers to create specially crafted self-signed certificates that can bypass certificate validation within Juniper hardware running the Junos OS. If exploited, the vulnerability could have allowed an attacker in a man-in-the-middle position on the victim’s network to read supposedly secure communications. more

Quote of the Week

"Lord knows how much industrial espionage has gone on." —Bill Curtis, a Fellow of the IEEE more

The Man with the Butterfly Net was a Spy... and then founded the Boy Scouts

Just a few years into his military service, Robert Baden-Powell had served in South Africa and was transferred to Malta, where he began his spy career as an intelligence officer for the director of military intelligence. One of his favorite disguises was that of an entomologist who studied butterflies, a cover that allowed him to move around freely without looking suspicious. He revealed his scientific subterfuge in his book "My Adventures as a Spy."

Click to enlarge.

"Carrying this book and a colour-box and a butterfly net in my hand, I was above all suspicion to anyone who met me on the lonely mountain side, even in the neighbourhood of the forts," Baden-Powell wrote. And not only did he disguise himself as a butterfly collector; he hid secret information about those forts, as well as other military secrets in drawings of insects and other natural ephemera, which you can see scattered throughout this post.

In Baden-Powell's illustrations, natural patterns are used to transmit messages and information within a drawing; a leaf's pattern could reveal the contours of an area to be invaded, as above. Once a recipient knew how to read the illustrations, it was possible to convey the information easily, without much translation or complex code-breaking needed. more

Business Espionage: FBI's 6-Step Advice

Via REI press release: Corporate Espionage Continues to Grow


Companies should be on guard and take the following steps to protect business related information, as stated on the FBI´s website:

1. Recognize there is an insider and outsider threat to your company.

2. Identify and valuate trade secrets.

3. Implement a proactive plan for safeguarding trade secrets. (call here for assistance)

4. Secure physical and electronic versions of your trade secrets.

5. Confine intellectual knowledge on a “need-to-know” basis.

6. Provide training to employees about your company’s intellectual property plan and security.

PokemonGo - A data-gathering opportunity for spies.

A retired senior Russian intelligence official is warning his colleagues in the spying game to stay away from PokemonGo.

Alexander Mikhailov, a former Major-General in Russia’s Federal Security Service, or FSB (the successor to the Soviet KGB), says the game poses a serious national security threat in the hands of oblivious government officials or military personnel.

“Imagine, that these ‘animals,’ appear not in a park but in a secret location where the user who is a soldier or a security official takes a photo of it,” he tells RIA Novosti... “It is unlikely that intelligence agencies will pass up the chance to exploit this data-gathering opportunity,” he said...

So far at least four New York City police officers have been filmed catching Pokemon, around the city. more

Privacy Scarf Foils Paparazzi Pics

There's a stylish way to keep paparazzi at bay — the anti-flash scarf.

The ISHU scarf, created by 28-year-old Saif Siddiqui, is made from a special fabric that reflects light.

Siddiqui, who runs the London and Amsterdam-based company, told BuzzFeed that the scarf's purpose is to provide some privacy.

"The main intention is to make people aware of how important privacy actually is," he said. "Everyone has a 'brand' online, and with the ISHU Scarf, people are back in control of their privacy." more

How a YouTube Video Could Infect Your Phone with Spyware

Researchers from Georgetown University and the University of California, Berkeley say cybercriminals could use hidden voice commands via popular YouTube videos to infect Androids and iPhones with malware.


Micah Sherr, a computer science department professor at Georgetown, says the research was inspired by the proliferation of voice-controlled systems. "Amazon Echo was coming out when we started this work," Sherr notes.

Since then, Google has launched Google Home, a similar always-listening device, and electronic devices lost in a messy bedroom can now be recovered by speaking “Okay Google” or “Hey Siri.”

The new research shows how keeping such devices on always-listen mode could lead to a cyberattack. Sherr says a cybercriminal could attempt to plant malware on the device using a hidden voice command. more

1970's CIA Dragonfly Spy - Ripley's Believe It or Not

In the 1970s, the CIA developed the Insectothopter, an unmanned surveillance drone disguised as a dragonfly.

video

• The Insectothopter was the size of a dragonfly
• It was painted to look like a dragonfly
• It was powered by a small gasoline engine made by a watchmaker
• And jets of gas were used to propel it forward
• Because it was too difficult to control in even a slight crosswind, the project was abandoned

Former Basketball Coach / Choir Teacher - Locker Room Spy Pen

A former basketball coach is facing multiple felony counts after authorities say he was caught filming athletes in the shower using a camera disguised as a pen according to the Mankato Free Press.

Zachary Patrick Roberts was employed at Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton High School as the choir teacher for six years before resigning in January...

According to the criminal complaint, an athlete discovered the pen following a game in December when he wanted to write down a play.

Teammates tried to access the files saved on the camera, but were unsuccessful. After the players turned the pen over to school officials, it was given to the police for investigation. more

The Open Microphone Strikes Again

The only thing more embarrassing than having to resign after a political gambit (the Brexit) blew up in your face? Getting caught on a hot mic singing a goofy tune immediately after you resign. Godspeed, David Cameron. more



Moral: Treat microphones like a poisonous snakes. Always know where they are and what they are doing. Always.

P.S. It has happened to him before, and before.

Scientists Create a Real 'Cone of Silence' UPDATE

A while back the original post, Scientists Create a Real 'Cone of Silence', highlighted the advancement in sound mitigation by Steven Cummer, professor of electrical and computer engineering, and his colleagues at Duke University.

Jeremy Luscombe, of resonics.co.uk, wrote in to tell me about, "a more comprehensive look at future acoustic and soundproofing technologies."

Great progress is being made on many fronts, and Jeremy has written about seven of them. It is a fascinating read.

My favorite is the "Air Transparent Soundproof Window" (below).



While these technologies are being developed mainly for commercial use, the materials and techniques also have counterespionage potential.

World's Biggest Bug (You need it if you want to bug aliens.)

China Wants To ‘Eavesdrop’ On Aliens With This Giant Radio Telescope

Click to enlarge

China hoisted the final piece into position on what will be the world's largest radio telescope, which it will use to explore space and help in the hunt for extraterrestrial life, state media said.

The Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope, or FAST, is the size of 30 football fields and has been hewed out of a mountain in the poor southwestern province of Guizhou. more

Spies Gone Wild, or "Dude, where's MY car?"

This is the moment newly qualified Russian spies parade a cortege of black Mercedes Gelandewagens through the streets of Moscow while blasting their horns.


The cavalcade by recently-qualified 007s from Vladimir Putin's espionage ranks has stunned Cold War specialists schooled in staying in the shadows.

Veteran spies in Russia have reacted in horror after the show of strength by newly graduated agents from the foreign intelligence section of the FSB spy academy.

The FSB was once headed by Putin, who was also a KGB agent in Germany during the Cold War. more

US Federal Wiretap Report 2015

This report covers intercepts concluded between January 1, 2015,

and December 31, 2015, and provides supplementary information on arrests and convictions resulting from intercepts concluded in prior years.

Forty-eight jurisdictions (the federal government, the District of Columbia, the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, and 44 states) currently have laws that authorize courts to issue orders permitting wire, oral, or electronic surveillance. Table 1 shows that a total of 28 jurisdictions reported using at least one of these types of surveillance as an investigative tool during 2015. more

"Spy it out for three months. If you like, we get you court order."

Polish spies could be secretly eyeballing world leaders attending the NATO summit in Warsaw.

.. all thanks to a new law that came into force just last week.

The new anti-terrorism legislation was signed by Polish president Andrzej Duda on June 22. It came into force one week later. Under the law, secret surveillance may be carried out on any foreigner for up to three months without a court order. This includes undercover audio and video taping, bugging private premises, and accessing private electronic and phone communications. more

Spy Compound For Sale - "one million dollars..."

The Navy built Sugar Grove Station back in the 1960s out in the Allegheny Mountains of West Virginia. Now they want to get it off their hands and sell it to the highest bidder.

The 120-acre spy base compound housed up to 400 Navy personnel and their families.

A press release for this expansive property more subtly calls it a “United States Spy Compound” for “advanced communications research.” After over 50 years of activity, the base closed down operations in September 2015.

The starting bid is $1,000,000. However, with all that powerful history and stellar views behind it, the final price could be substantially higher. The views of the surrounding hills alone could make this place worth the investment. more

Court: Using a Shared Password is Deemed Hacking.

A federal appeals court has affirmed the computer-hacking conviction of a former executive at a recruiting firm accused of using a shared password to steal headhunting leads from the company’s internal network after he left his job to launch a rival business. more

Spybusters Textbook Tip: Be Careful What You Say in Public

A man has exposed the cheating antics of a relative stranger after overhearing her making arrangements for a liaison with her lover in a petrol station.

Stevie Wilcock, 22, posted a description of the woman, her car and her license plate online in a post that has gone viral... (he) was on his way to work when he was in a queue for coffee in Chester's Shell garage when he overheard the conversation.

But while Mr Wilcock said he was acting in good will his decision to publicly shame the woman appears to have backfired with some.

One user said: "Maybe Dave is an absolute horror and she needs a little TLC. Or maybe Dave would like to try and repair the relationship. But he won't get the chance now because some' fine upstanding citizen' has decided to put Dave's private business out there for everyone to comment on."

Nevertheless Mr Wilcock stands behind his decision to take action. more

PS - Your confidential business discussions are also vulnerable every time you talk in public. Think your office is a safe location? When was the last time you had it swept?

Spy Demise? You Decide.

Russian intelligence officer, Aleksandr Poteyev, who was sentenced for treason in absentia by Russia after blowing the cover of a spy ring in the US, has reportedly died. Moscow, however, is not confirming the news or taking the defector of its wanted list.  more

The Most Dangerous U.S. Spy You Never Heard of... until now

She put American combat troops in harm's way, betrayed her own people and handed over so many secrets that experts say the U.S. may never know the full extent of the damage.
Ana Montes was the Queen of Cuba, an American who from 1985 to the September 11, 2001 attacks handed over U.S. military secrets to Havana while working as a top analyst for the Pentagon's Defense Intelligence Agency.

But despite her crimes, Montes remains largely unknown.

You might not think Cuba could do much harm to a superpower like the U.S., said retired DIA official Chris Simmons, appearing on CNN's "Declassified." But you'd be wrong... more

Programming note: Explore untold stories of American spies: CNN Original Series "Declassified" airs Sundays at 10 p.m. ET/PT only on CNN.

Business Espionage: A Brief History

by Daniel Corbett and Michael Disotell
...another early example of industrial espionage came about in the late eighteenth century, when France found itself attempting to compete with the emerging industrial strength of Great Britain. The French government surreptitiously placed apprentices in English iron and steel yards to abscond with production formulas. To maintain its market dominance, Britain became the first country to pass legislation aimed at preventing industrial espionage.

In the United States, American businesses employed former Pinkerton detectives to uncover employee theft after the Civil War. And during the 1920s, anxiety over Communist and unionist upheaval caused companies to hire double agents to expose internal threats. According to a report by the U.S. Senate Committee on Education and Labor, a majority of American companies had placed labor spies in their plants and unions around that time.

As labor-management tensions started to ease after World War II, American companies shifted their focus away from themselves and began spying on competitors. Industrial espionage began to follow one of two familiar patterns: (1) a former employee would misappropriate confidential information before departing for a competitor, or (2) a competitor would place a “mole” inside an organization to gain access to corporate secrets.

Industrial espionage became a global affair during the Cold War, as U.S. businesses faced threats from Soviet spies and multinational competitors alike. For example, in 1982 six executives from the Japanese firms Hitachi and Mitsubishi were arrested in Santa Clara, California, for allegedly trying to steal computer parts from IBM. Companies also became increasingly worried about executives overseas defecting to competitors. A dispute between General Motors and Volkswagen arose when a group of GM executives in Germany left GM to join VW. Upon seeing similar designs in VW’s car models, GM accused VW of using proprietary information gained from its former executives. In one of the largest industrial espionage cases ever, VW settled with GM for $100 million and agreed to buy at least $1 billion worth of car parts from the company. more

Ranking Chart of Mobile Devices Perceived as Most Secure

According to a Tech Pro Research survey, Apple is viewed by tech decision-makers as the most secure mobile device option. Samsung is threatening Apple's lead, and Microsoft ranks well on tablets thanks to the Surface. more

Click to enlarge.

Why Every Business Needs a Spycam Detection Program & Recording in the Workplace Policy

The American Family Association (AFA) has renewed its call to #BoycottTarget after a man was reportedly arrested for recording girls trying clothes on in a dressing room at the store's branch in Bedford, New Hampshire.

Last week, 22-year-old Zachery Bishop was arrested by the Bedford Police Department following reports that a man was videotaping young girls undressing inside Target's dressing room. In response to the report, AFA president Tim Wildmon released a statement calling on the 1.3 million people who have already signed the #BoycottTarget petition to invite one person each to sign it also, The Christian Post details.

"Over the Independence Day holiday and throughout the month of July, we're asking all those who have signed the #BoycottTarget pledge to work diligently to get just one other person in their circle of influence to sign it as well," said Wildmon in his statement. "We want to give another boost to the boycott against Target's unsafe and family unfriendly bathroom and fitting room policy." more

Get your Spycam Detection Program & Recording in the Workplace Policy here.

Wiretaps Stymied By Encryption Decreased in 2015

by Cory Bennett
Wiretaps encountering encryption dropped from 22 in 2014 to seven in 2015, according to a new report from the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts. The report also found that despite this decline, wiretaps overall went up 16 percent during that same time span, from 3,554 in 2014 to 4,148 last year. more (requires sign-in)

Spy Alert #734: The Olympic Games Warning

If Zika, political instability and contaminated water weren’t enough,

U.S. intelligence officials are warning Americans traveling to the August Olympic Games in Rio and other destinations abroad that proprietary information stored on electronic devices is at high risk for theft by spies and cyber criminals who are increasingly targeting global events as troughs rich in valuable intelligence.

Bill Evanina, the nation’s chief counter-intelligence executive, is urging travelers to carry “clean’’ devices, free of potentially valuable archives that could be tapped for economic advantage, personal data or security information.

Just as the Olympics draw the world’s most talented athletes, Evanina said the games and other international events represent a "great playground’’ for government intelligence services and criminals, if only because of the “sheer number of devices.’’ more

Nanny Cam Solves 2013 Home Invasion Case — 2016 Justice Served

A judge sentenced a New Jersey man to life in prison Wednesday for a brutal home invasion beating caught on a nanny cam, after listening to the victim describe how the attack left her with physical and psychological scars...

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/06/25/home-invasion-millburn-camera/2458129/

(Judge) Wigler added an additional five years to Custis' life sentence for the child endangerment conviction. Custis won't be eligible for parole for more than 60 years.

Prosecutors had sought a life sentence for the Newark resident based on a criminal past Wigler termed "rather staggering." It included 38 arrests and 17 felony convictions before the 2013 attack in Millburn, a suburban town several miles from Newark...

"Half-measures of leniency haven't worked to deter this defendant," (Assistant Essex County Prosecutor) Semper said. "He has almost as many arrests as he's had birthdays." more

Not the World's Smallest "Camera" but... Possibly the World's Smallest Camera Lens

Tiny 3D-printed medical camera could be deployed from inside a syringe.

Getting inside the human body to have a look around is always going to be invasive, but that doesn't mean more can't be done to make things a little more comfortable. With this goal in mind, German researchers have developed a complex lens system no bigger than a grain of salt that fits inside a syringe. The imaging tool could make for not just more productive medical imaging, but tiny cameras for everything from drones to slimmer smartphones.

Scientists from the University of Stuttgart built their three-lens camera using a new 3D printing technique. They say their new approach offers sub-micrometer accuracy that makes it possible to 3D print optical lens systems with two or more lenses for the first time. Their resulting multi-lens system opens up the possibility of correcting for aberration (where a lens cannot bring all wavelengths of color to the same focal plane), which could enable higher image quality from smaller devices. more

Mark Zuckerberg Tapes Over His Laptop Camera - You can do better!

Mark Zuckerberg is one of the most powerful men in the world...

On Tuesday, observers were reminded that Mr. Zuckerberg, 32, is not just a normal guy... his laptop camera and microphone jack appeared to be covered with tape...

The taped-over camera... usually a signal that someone is concerned... about hackers’ gaining access to his or her devices by using remote-access trojans — a process called “ratting.” (Remote access is not limited to ratters: According to a cache of National Security Agency documents leaked by Edward J. Snowden, at least two government-designed programs were devised to take over computer cameras and microphones.)

Security experts supported the taping, for a few good reasons... more
---
Murray Associates provided our clients with a more elegant solution—a year ago. 
(free)

Spybuster Tip #812 
Protect your privacy with just two disk magnets.

1. Affix one magnet to your laptop—adjacent to the camera lens.
2. Let the second magnet attach itself to the first one. It will orbit the first magnet.
3. Orbit the second magnet over the camera lens to eclipse the view.
4. Rotate it out of the way to use the camera.

Simple. Elegant. Effective.
Tape is tawdry.

You are now very cool! More cool than Zuck with his yuck tape.

Our ahead-of-the-curve mailing to our clients. Consider becoming one.

The Great Seal Bug - Excellent Synopsis

In 1946, a group of Russian children from the Vladimir Lenin All-Union Pioneer Organization (sort of a Soviet scouting group) presented a carved wooden replica of the Great Seal of the United States to Averell Harriman, the U.S. Ambassador to the Soviet Union.

Click to enlarge

The gift, a gesture of friendship to the USSR's World War II ally, was hung in the ambassador’s official residence at Spaso House in Moscow. It stayed there on a wall in the study for seven years until, through accident and a ruse, the State Department discovered that the seal was more than a mere decoration.

It was a bug.

The Soviets had built a listening device—dubbed “The Thing” by the U.S. intelligence community—into the replica seal and had been eavesdropping on Harriman and his successors the whole time it was in the house. “It represented, for that day, a fantastically advanced bit of applied electronics,” wrote George Kennan, the ambassador at the time the device was found. “I have the impression that with its discovery the whole art of intergovernmental eavesdropping was raised to a new technological level.” more

The full story.

Godless Android Malware - Secretly Roots Phone, Installs Programs

Android users beware: a new type of malware has been found in legitimate-looking apps that can “root” your phone and secretly install unwanted programs.

The malware, dubbed Godless, has been found lurking on app stores including Google Play, and it targets devices running Android 5.1 (Lollipop) and earlier, which accounts for more than 90 percent of Android devices, Trend Micro said Tuesday in a blog post.

Godless hides inside an app and uses exploits to try to root the OS on your phone. This basically creates admin access to a device, allowing unauthorized apps to be installed.

Godless contains various exploits to ensure it can root a device, and it can even install spyware, Trend Micro said...

Trend recommends you buy some mobile security software. more

My solution. ~Kevin

Security Director Alert: Check the Settings on your Video Teleconferencing Equipment

Closed-door meetings by Canada's Quebec Liberal Party were exposed to trivial eavesdropping thanks to flaws in its video conferencing software.

The flaws, found and reported by a resident white hat researcher, are being fixed.

The researcher speaking on the condition of anonymity told local tabloid Le Journal de Montreal (French) he accessed the video streams using a vulnerability and the default password which was in use.

They were able to gain on-demand access to two meeting rooms in Quebec and Montreal, and supplied screen captures as evidence of the exploit.

"It was just too easy," the researcher told the paper. "It is as if they had stuck their PIN on their credit card."

Party communications director Maxime Roy says nothing relating to national security was discussed at the meetings... "We are working with our supplier." more

Need help? 
Call me.

Seek Thermal CompactPRO — Possible TSCM Tool Coming Soon

Seek Thermal has announced the first thermal imager for smartphones with 76,800 temperature pixels.

The new CompactPRO is said to deliver the high-quality thermal image resolution and the enhanced software features professionals demand, including:

• 320 x 240 thermal sensor
• Wide 32-degree field of view
• Minimum focusable distance of 15cm
• Emissivity control
• Thermal level and span
• 9 color palettes

I plan on testing this and will report in a future post. ~Kevin

Snooping on Mobile Phones: Prevalence and Trends

Abstract: Personal mobile devices keep private information which people other than the owner may try to access.

Thus far, it has been unclear how common it is for people to snoop on one another’s devices. Through an anonymity-preserving survey experiment, we quantify the pervasiveness of snooping attacks, defined as "looking through someone else’s phone without their permission."

We estimated the 1-year prevalence to be 31% in an online participant pool. Weighted to the U.S. population, the data indicates that 1 in 5 adults snooped on at least one other person’s phone, just in the year before the survey was conducted.

We found snooping attacks to be especially prevalent among young people, and among those who are themselves smartphone users. In a follow-up study, we found that, among smartphone users, depth of adoption, like age, also predicts the probability of engaging in snooping attacks.

In particular, the more people use their devices for personal purposes, the more likely they are to snoop on others, possibly because they become aware of the sensitive information that is kept, and how to access it. These findings suggest that, all else remaining equal, the prevalence of snooping attacks may grow, as more people adopt smartphones, and motivate further effort into improving defenses. more

A Technology that lets Companies Eavesdrop on Mobile Calls Made on their Premises.

Ever sought a bit of privacy by stepping away from your desk to make a personal call on your cell phone?

Soon, that may not be enough to prevent the boss from listening in -- at least not in Russia.

A Moscow security firm has developed technology that lets companies eavesdrop on mobile calls made on their premises. InfoWatch says the product is legal in Russia and that it’s scouting for other markets where customers -- banks, government agencies, or anyone else trying prevent leaks of confidential information -- would be allowed to use it.

“These technologies have been used by secret services or the military in certain countries,” said Natalya Kaspersky, chief executive officer of InfoWatch. “Our breakthrough is in applying them for corporate security.”The product expands an employer’s arsenal for fighting industrial espionage but is also likely to further fuel the global debate about data privacy. more

"Emergency! Everybody to get from street!"

Cadillac CT6: A Luxury $53,000-plus 360º Surveillance Camera

Integrated into the front grille of the Cadillac CT6 is a surveillance camera that the driver can secretly activate. 

There's one on the rear trunk lid, too.

 If the alarm system is triggered, these two cameras activate, and two others on the door-mounted rearview mirrors do as well.

Footage is stored on a removable SD card in the trunk. more

Amateur Skygazers Have Already Found the New Spy Satellite

Last week, the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office launched NROL-37, carrying its latest spy satellite into geosynchronous orbit via Delta IV-Heavy rocket. But it only took amateur space enthusiasts a few days to locate the mysterious new craft in the skies near Malaysia, over the Strait of Malacca.

While the contents and capabilities of the NROL-37 mission's payload are classified (the satellite is innocuously labeled US-268), its need to hitch a ride on the world's biggest rocket strongly suggests it is the seventh member of the Mentor/Orion family, an extra-large class of signals intelligence (SIGINT) satellites which help provide eavesdropping capability to US intelligence agencies.



Their large size also makes Mentor satellites the easiest to find and photograph. In a blog post, Dr. Marco Langbroek details how he and two other amateur skygazers found the Mentor-7 satellite near 104 E longitude over the course of a few days using standard photographic equipment. (You can always spot a geosynchronous satellite by taking long exposures of the sky at night and noting which “stars” aren’t moving.) more