Food inspection officials have started to install video surveillance devices in restaurant kitchens in Beijing's Haidian District, in a bid to improve sanitation levels and food security for the public, the Beijing Youth Daily reported Saturday. (more)
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Saturday, November 10, 2007
SpyCam Story #404 - Q-SpyCam Software
Remember SpyCam Story #400?
This may be how it happened...
"Ever wanted to spy on someone or something when you cannot be present. This program (Q Spycam) turns your mobile into a cool spy cam. All you have to do is run it and place it in the location you wish to monitor. Then just enter the Website address displayed on the mobile using a computer and you will see what your phone can see instantly. You can monitor what is happening from any location in the world!" (more)
This may be how it happened...
"Ever wanted to spy on someone or something when you cannot be present. This program (Q Spycam) turns your mobile into a cool spy cam. All you have to do is run it and place it in the location you wish to monitor. Then just enter the Website address displayed on the mobile using a computer and you will see what your phone can see instantly. You can monitor what is happening from any location in the world!" (more)
Feds Kill 250,000 Zombies With One Shot
Remember our cautionary tale 'Zombie Computers From Planet Earth' from last month? We knew it would move from cautionary tale to documented disaster. But, we never expected this...
"Security Consultant Admits to Hijacking PCs to Use in Crimes"
Los Angeles Times
A Los Angeles man entrusted with making personal computers safer has admitted to hacking into them to create a rogue network of as many as a quarter-million PCs, which he used to steal money and identities.
Federal prosecutors Friday said that John Kenneth Schiefer, a 26-year-old computer security consultant, used an army of hijacked computers, known as a "botnet," to carry out a variety of schemes to rip off unsuspecting consumers and corporations.
Schiefer agreed to plead guilty to four felony charges in connection with the case and faces up to 60 years in prison and a $1.75-million fine, according to court documents filed Friday in federal court in Los Angeles.
Schiefer, who on the Internet went by the handles "acidstorm," "acid" and "storm," is the first person to be accused under federal wiretapping law of operating a botnet, said Assistant U.S. Atty. Mark Krause in Los Angeles.
In all, the federal indictment includes four counts of accessing protected computers to commit fraud, disclosing illegally intercepted electronic communications, wire fraud and bank fraud. Federal authorities said they were still trying to identify victims and the scope of their losses. (more)
Bookmark this directory of real and trusted Security Consultants - IAPSC.org
"Security Consultant Admits to Hijacking PCs to Use in Crimes"
Los Angeles Times
A Los Angeles man entrusted with making personal computers safer has admitted to hacking into them to create a rogue network of as many as a quarter-million PCs, which he used to steal money and identities.
Federal prosecutors Friday said that John Kenneth Schiefer, a 26-year-old computer security consultant, used an army of hijacked computers, known as a "botnet," to carry out a variety of schemes to rip off unsuspecting consumers and corporations.
Schiefer agreed to plead guilty to four felony charges in connection with the case and faces up to 60 years in prison and a $1.75-million fine, according to court documents filed Friday in federal court in Los Angeles.
Schiefer, who on the Internet went by the handles "acidstorm," "acid" and "storm," is the first person to be accused under federal wiretapping law of operating a botnet, said Assistant U.S. Atty. Mark Krause in Los Angeles.
In all, the federal indictment includes four counts of accessing protected computers to commit fraud, disclosing illegally intercepted electronic communications, wire fraud and bank fraud. Federal authorities said they were still trying to identify victims and the scope of their losses. (more)
Bookmark this directory of real and trusted Security Consultants - IAPSC.org
Thursday, November 8, 2007
SpyCam Story #403 - Revenge Videos
Videos of teachers that students taped in secrecy are all over online sites like YouTube and MySpace. Angry teachers, enthusiastic teachers, teachers clowning around, singing, and even dancing are captured, usually with camera phones, for the whole world to see.
Some students go so far as to create elaborately edited videos, shot over several days, that use popular soundtracks and sound effects to poke fun at their teachers.
Now, concern is growing among teacher advocates that the proliferation of such videos is causing stress for teachers and some students, and could have a chilling effect on classroom discussions. (more)
Two court cases involving students covertly recording teachers.
• Evens v. L.A. Unified School District
• Roberts v. Houston Independent School District
The teachers were told they did not have an expectation of privacy in both cases.
FutureWatch...
• Expect this trend to expand and invade the workplace.
• Have a policy in place to address this threat.
• Conduct inspections to detect employee-placed spycams.
Some students go so far as to create elaborately edited videos, shot over several days, that use popular soundtracks and sound effects to poke fun at their teachers.
Now, concern is growing among teacher advocates that the proliferation of such videos is causing stress for teachers and some students, and could have a chilling effect on classroom discussions. (more)
Two court cases involving students covertly recording teachers.
• Evens v. L.A. Unified School District
• Roberts v. Houston Independent School District
The teachers were told they did not have an expectation of privacy in both cases.
FutureWatch...
• Expect this trend to expand and invade the workplace.
• Have a policy in place to address this threat.
• Conduct inspections to detect employee-placed spycams.
Eavesdropping scandal unveiled in Israel
Israeli military has been eavesdropping on foreign journalists' phone calls abroad until 2004 to detect possible security leaks. (more)
Need Extended WI-FI Range?
Try...
The Wi-Fire. It is a compact, range-extending USB device that enables you to access a wireless Internet connection from up to 1,000 feet away--three times the range of your internal wireless adapter.
Every Wi-Fire works with Windows XP and Vista and on Mac OS X 10.3 and up, including Leopard. (more)
The Wi-Fire. It is a compact, range-extending USB device that enables you to access a wireless Internet connection from up to 1,000 feet away--three times the range of your internal wireless adapter.
Every Wi-Fire works with Windows XP and Vista and on Mac OS X 10.3 and up, including Leopard. (more)
AT&T Wiretap Whistleblower Fights Senate Deal
In 2002, Mark Klein, a former technician for AT&T, came forward with information that the company was collecting data for the National Security Agency. His testimony was central to several class-action lawsuits against AT&T for its alleged wiretapping. Klein is now in Washington, D.C., to speak out against a possible Senate deal that would grant immunity to AT&T and the other telecoms for their role in NSA surveillance — effectively nullifying those lawsuits.
All Things Considered, November 7, 2007
Robert Siegel (in photo) talks with Klein. (audio)
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Today's Tidbits
• Ireland - The Irish government is considering using electronic surveillance against gangsters. (more)
• DelFly II - The Tiny Robot Flying Spycam (video)
• The Austin Police Department has seen an increase in ex-lovers spying on each other. (video)
• Five Keys to Spying on Your Competition - Guerrilla Style. "Call it research, but why kid yourself? What you are doing is spying." (more)
• Rightist suspected of illegal wiretapping - Avigdor Askin, two private detectives from Tel Aviv detained for allegedly listening in on conversations of Russian-Israeli businessman Michael Cherney's associates (more)
• DelFly II - The Tiny Robot Flying Spycam (video)
• The Austin Police Department has seen an increase in ex-lovers spying on each other. (video)
• Five Keys to Spying on Your Competition - Guerrilla Style. "Call it research, but why kid yourself? What you are doing is spying." (more)
• Rightist suspected of illegal wiretapping - Avigdor Askin, two private detectives from Tel Aviv detained for allegedly listening in on conversations of Russian-Israeli businessman Michael Cherney's associates (more)
Monday, November 5, 2007
KABOOOOMMM (Just like real life!)
UK - "If you had been watching EastEnders as long as I have, you'd know that someone always leaves a baby alarm, a tape recorder, covert surveillance equipment or, in this case, a video camera accidentally switched on. The incriminating contents will detonate with maximum embarrassment at a future date." (more)
SpyCam Story #402 - Puppy Love
...from an unusually conscience German Shepherd dog breeder...
"From Sunrise to sunset my puppies are individually loved and cared for. Even while sleeping if I wake in the middle of the night I can view their activity 24/7 from my spycam that I set up from the day they were born. I have monitored and keep journals of each ones behavior to know that they are highly intelligent and are capiable (sic) of being, what ever they are trained to be!" (more)
"From Sunrise to sunset my puppies are individually loved and cared for. Even while sleeping if I wake in the middle of the night I can view their activity 24/7 from my spycam that I set up from the day they were born. I have monitored and keep journals of each ones behavior to know that they are highly intelligent and are capiable (sic) of being, what ever they are trained to be!" (more)
Bugging Computers - So Simple A Child Can Do It
NY - Any teenager with the skill to hook up a Playstation can bug a computer in just a few moments, given the right opportunity, motive and brazenness.
The three Fayetteville-Manlius High School students who allegedly tampered with the school's computer and changed their grades used a simple piece of spyware equipment known as a keylogger, said sources familiar with the case. All they needed was a few moments to install and later retrieve the device - which can capture passwords - on the targeted computer when a staff person wasn't looking, the sources said. (more)
Of course, computer bugging happens in the workplace just as easily. Our eavesdropping detection inspections take this into consideration.
The three Fayetteville-Manlius High School students who allegedly tampered with the school's computer and changed their grades used a simple piece of spyware equipment known as a keylogger, said sources familiar with the case. All they needed was a few moments to install and later retrieve the device - which can capture passwords - on the targeted computer when a staff person wasn't looking, the sources said. (more)
Of course, computer bugging happens in the workplace just as easily. Our eavesdropping detection inspections take this into consideration.
Friday, November 2, 2007
Just when you thought your prohibition against bringing USB memory sticks into sensitive work areas was working...
"In lieu of lighter fluid and a flint, this lighter uses resistance coils to create heat. It’s the same technology found in car lighters.The small rechargeable battery cell powering the coil can be recharged via USB. On top of that, there’s some flash memory in there to store files. Designer: Nathan Gabriele (more)
Although this particular camo-stick is still stuck in Nathan's brain as a concept piece, real camo-sticks available for sticking in your computer. Some are outragious. Some are clever. The last one could really cause you problems if it were repackaged.
• The Memory Stick Stick
• The Top 10 weirdest USB drives ever
• Stick Doll
• Sushi
• Watch
• Swiss Army Knife USB
• Keystroke Logging "Memory Stick"
• Mini-mini I & Mini-mini II
• The "pull my finger" Thumb Drive
AND
• The Snoopstick! A memory stick that inserts spyware code to allow remote eavesdropping.
(more)
Information Security - Quote of the Day
"Your ultimatum: resign in one hour or I will go to the press and smear your reputations -- was a remarkable piece of bullying and thuggery, and it almost worked."(In fact... it did work.)
This was the response of the five (independent) Directors of Affiliated Computer Services Inc. to ACS lawyers who had demanded the immediate resignations on behalf of company management.
"One of the most serious allegations ACS leveled against the independent directors is that they gave a competitor access to company secrets during discussions with Unisys, according to people close to ACS." (more)
Moral: Take your information security seriously.
"Do you have what it takes to be a spy?"
Now you can find out.
The International Spy Museum announces Operation Spy™, a new and groundbreaking immersive experience that takes the interactive concept to a higher level. In an action-packed hour, participants take on the role of U.S. intelligence officers on an international mission to locate a missing nuclear device on the verge of being sold to a rogue nation. This intense experience combines live-action, video characters, themed environments, special effects, and hands-on activities. Participants take part in an intrigue-filled adventure based on an actual case drawn from the files of U.S. intelligence. (more) (video)
The International Spy Museum announces Operation Spy™, a new and groundbreaking immersive experience that takes the interactive concept to a higher level. In an action-packed hour, participants take on the role of U.S. intelligence officers on an international mission to locate a missing nuclear device on the verge of being sold to a rogue nation. This intense experience combines live-action, video characters, themed environments, special effects, and hands-on activities. Participants take part in an intrigue-filled adventure based on an actual case drawn from the files of U.S. intelligence. (more) (video)
Aerial Spy News
Germany - The third of five planned German high-resolution SAR-Lupe radar reconnaissance satellites was successfully launched Nov. 1 by a Russian Cosmos-3M rocket. (more)
The fly's a spy - UST below a half-opened garage door a tiny device can be seen at the feet of someone lurking in the shadows. It looks like a blue dragonfly. Then its miniature wings begin to flap as it slips under the door and darts along the street. After rising through the air it stops to hover outside the window of a building several stories high. There is an opening on the roof, and it slips inside. As it flits from room to room its video-camera “eye” transmits pictures to a screen on a remote-control unit strapped to the wrist of its clandestine operator.
This is not a scene from a James Bond film, in which 007 tests a new device from “Q”, but an animated video produced by Onera, France's national aerospace centre, to explain REMANTA, a project to develop the technologies needed for miniature robotic aircraft. More bug-like flying devices are being developed in other research laboratories around the world. (more) (video)
The fly's a spy - UST below a half-opened garage door a tiny device can be seen at the feet of someone lurking in the shadows. It looks like a blue dragonfly. Then its miniature wings begin to flap as it slips under the door and darts along the street. After rising through the air it stops to hover outside the window of a building several stories high. There is an opening on the roof, and it slips inside. As it flits from room to room its video-camera “eye” transmits pictures to a screen on a remote-control unit strapped to the wrist of its clandestine operator.
This is not a scene from a James Bond film, in which 007 tests a new device from “Q”, but an animated video produced by Onera, France's national aerospace centre, to explain REMANTA, a project to develop the technologies needed for miniature robotic aircraft. More bug-like flying devices are being developed in other research laboratories around the world. (more) (video)
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