VoIP Reminder - ZFone

The VoIP industry has been amazingly uninterested in figuring out how to protect the privacy and security of VoIP users. Of all the commercial service providers, only Skype provides encryption and authentication. Fortunately, Phil Zimmerman, the inventor of the best encryption software for all platforms, PGP (Pretty Good Privacy), has turned his talents to protecting VoIP. This is good news because eavesdropping on VoIP traffic is just as easy as sniffing any TCP/IP traffic. So we now have the ZFone.

ZFone operates invisibly, without needing administration and setup the way PGP does. With PGP you have to set up a public key infrastructure (PKI). A PKI performs authentication, verifying that the person you're communicating with really is who he or she claims to be, prevents eavesdropping and alerts you if the transmission has been altered in transit. (more) (original alert)

Extra Credit...
VoIP calls are easy to eavesdrop on—anyone with access to any wire that carries your transmissions can snoop with trivial ease. There is a possible remedy, but it's not widely used yet, and that is the ZRTP encryption protocol. I think it shows the most promise, as it is lightweight, provides very strong encryption, and—best of all—requires no user or administrator intervention; it Just Works. ZRTP is somewhat like cell phone encryption, except that it's not weak or easily broken. Zfone is the software implementation of ZRTP, and now you can get a plugin for your softphones. It costs nothing but a bit of time to try it out. (more)

World's Best Places to... Keep it to Yourself

Individual privacy is best protected in Canada but is under threat in the United States and the European Union as governments introduce sweeping surveillance and information-gathering measures in the name of security and border control, an international rights group said in a report.

Canada, Greece and Romania had the best privacy records of 47 countries surveyed by London-based watchdog Privacy International. Malaysia, Russia and China were ranked worst.

Both Britain and the United States fell into the lowest-performing group of "endemic surveillance societies." (more)

Book Review - "The Memory Room"

What makes somebody choose to become a spy?

What motivates people to make espionage their profession is one of the themes of Christopher Koch's seventh novel, an examination of the life, from childhood to the end of his career, of an Australian spy called Vincent Austin. (Jake Kerridge reviews "The Memory Room" by Christopher Koch)

'Down' to "The Wire" :(

For five seasons, critics have worshiped "The Wire"—and lamented that more people don't. Now's your last chance to catch what may be TV's best drama ever.

About 3,000 miles away from Hollywood, in a crusty dive called Kavanagh's on the corner of East Lexington and Guilford Avenue in downtown Baltimore, one of the most highly praised dramas on television is coming to an end... It is the last scene on the last day of filming on the last season of "The Wire," the HBO series that started out in 2002 as a drama about a single West Baltimore detective unit but has evolved, with furious ambition, into the story of an entire city in decline. The show is legendary here—many of the characters are based on people plucked from the city's recent past—and the cast and crew are often treated like folk heroes. (more) (Available on DVD)

Corp rivalry spells big bucks for spying biz

While this news article was written from an Indian perspective, corporate spying is a global phenomenon.

India - The intensifying competition and unprecedented number of business deals in the India Inc. has led to private detectives playing a bigger role in the corporate alley.

The detective agencies call it "corporate intelligence" and say it has become a necessity in the business world where companies routinely track their rivals’ products and services, keep an eye on their employees and even prospective alliance partners or takeover targets.

While select few cases of under-cover spying like for seeking details of a yet-to-be launched product and salaries of the top management people have been around for quite some time, the idea of corporate intelligence for not so discreet details is no more a secret and is being talked about openly. (more)

Pocket Spy - GPS Tracker

(from the seller's website...)
The Smallest GPS Logger
The Super PocketTrack is an essential gadget that maps exactly where it has been by recording its own time, date, location, speed direction and altitude at preset levels.

Super PocketTrack will work anywhere on the planet. Using the latest in GPS mapping technologies from Google EarthTM, its exact location can be shown on satellite-based maps and 3D geographical terrain.

Designed with the surveillance professional in mind, the Super PocketTrack Personal GPS Tracking Device will allow you to provide eye popping reports for your client and save you time and money in the process. People are creatures of habit who rarely stray from their normal routine. If a wayward husband, wife, employee, or teenager is suspected of deceptive activity simply provide the Super PocketTrack to your client for them to plant in the suspect's vehicle and retrieve it later for you to download the results. (more)

Can't wait? Need real-time results?
Covert GPS Tracking
• Child Custody
• Teen Drivers
• Cheating Spouses
At only 2.5 x 1.7 x 1.1 inches, this Tiny GPS Tracking Device is fully self-contained and small enough to fit in the palm of your hand. Place in packages, vehicles, or personnel. The miniature GPS Tracking Device sends detailed reports of routes traveled for quality control and security purposes. It can report with a variety of uses defined methods such as automatic sending of real time position data, on demand reporting, and "GeoFencing." These reports are delivered as SMS Text Messages over your local GSM Cellular Network. An internal rechargeable Lithium-Ion Battery powers unit for 12-18 Hours. The External Battery Pack operates for 7-15 days depending on settings. (more)

Why do I mention these items?
So you know what you are up against.

Sky-high arsonist spycam a first

Australia - Sydney will be scanned by sky-high spy cameras to catch arsonists in the act in a world first surveillance operation.

As new statistics reveal that a juvenile is now being charged, cautioned or sent for youth conferencing every five days for lighting fires, The Daily Telegraph can reveal that a network of new generation spy cameras is being planned for Sydney to catch them in the act. (more)

...but, the silver space suit did cause a little envy.

Joseph Weisberg looks about how you would expect a Brooklyn dad and schoolteacher to look, with a bald head, white-flecked beard and baggy leather jacket. So on a recent frigid night, when he ambled down a Park Slope street and surreptitiously passed off a plastic container from a gumball machine to a reporter, nobody noticed.

It was one of many examples of spy trade craft that Weisberg, 42, learned while training to be a case officer with the Central Intelligence Agency in the early 1990s. He no longer works there (or so he says), but he has used some of what he learned to write his latest novel, "An Ordinary Spy," which goes on sale today.

The novel, published by Bloomsbury USA, explores the moral complexity and psychological fallout of clandestine service, through a taut plot involving two case officers who meet after bungled foreign assignments a few years apart. Told in restrained prose that reflects the emotional reserve of the characters, the book is more than a thriller. It is also a chronicle of the mundanity of a spy's daily routine - not just the surveillance-detection routes and cryptic cables to headquarters, but also the staff meetings, petty rivalries between colleagues and idle chatter about pension plans. It's not quite "The Office" of espionage, but it's close. (more)

Putin on the dog...

Russia - President Vladimir Putin is to spy on his dog — by kitting her out with a sat-nav collar.

The former KGB agent’s black Labrador Connie often goes missing in woods around his holiday home.

Putin wanted to know about the hi-tech collar when he spoke to Russia’s deputy premier Sergei Ivanov yesterday, just before the launch of a satellite navigation rocket.

Putin asked him in Moscow: “When can I get a device for my dog so she can’t go too far astray?”

Ivanov replied: “Collars will be in the shops from July 2008.” (more)

Police to spy on New Year's revelers

Australia - Victorian police [No, not the Bow Street Runners. Police from Victoria, a state in Southern Australia] will be using live camera footage of streets and roads across the state to spot trouble early and control unruly revelers this New Year's Eve.

The surveillance is part of a larger early warning system which may see police 'spying on' potential troublemakers from a state-wide network of cameras.

In the New Year's Eve trial, footage will be taken from cameras operated on city streets by local councils, as well as vision taken from major roads by Vic Roads's Traffic Management Centre. (more)

The same technique was used in New York City last night... and it worked. Helicopter and street cams did their part to assure a safe celebration. I was in Times Square last night and had the opportunity to see it, and hear it (via police scanner) in action. In addition to modern technology, departments like NYPD realized back in the 70's that future law enforcement would need to be cerebral and technical in addition to physical. The 70's education push has filled the ranks with some very smart people. As always, it was a pleasure to see NYPD at work. I wasn't there to see "The Ball" drop. Standing in "a pen" for six hours is not very cerebral. I was on Broadway in Times Square to see Les Paul; the 92 year old legend who made rock and roll possible.

She said the man in the gabardine suit was a spy...

I said, "Be careful...

(From the website...)
"The World's Smallest Color Pinhole Camera built-in the fashionable tie. When tie this tie with your clothes lets you record exactly what you saw. No external power needed, just connect it directly with MP4 player to hidden recording so you will not miss any action. It is also great as a surveillance camera, a toy for hobby enthusiasts, as body worn solutions and so on." (more)

Is that a battery clip, or are you just happy to see me?

Sheriff's Bugging Case Makes Top Ten List

...and the Number Two story according to SanLuisObispo.com is...
State investigators are still looking into allegations that Sheriff Pat Hedges violated the law last year by secretly taping a meeting between two subordinates.

The discovery of the tape has triggered a series of other legal actions:
• a $1.25 million claim filed by Chief Deputy Gary Hoving;
• a federal civil rights lawsuit filed by Hoving against the sheriff, the county and Undersheriff Steve Bolts;
• detectives in the sheriff’s narcotics unit retaining an attorney after Hedges said he had eavesdropped while investigating criminal allegations against the unit. (more)

Ever wonder how 'they' listen through walls?

Sound travels very well through solid materials. The old listening for the train by putting your ear to the tracks is an example of this trick.

The effect is electronically enhanced many thousands of times - by using a small audio amplifier connected to either:
• a contact microphone,
• a piezoelectric sensor,
• an accelerometer,
• a spike microphone,
• or, a hollow tube pushed up to a pinhole or crack in the wall, ceiling or floor (which takes advantage of sound conduction via air, solids or a combination of both).

Old School...
The snoop never enters your premises.
They set up their listening post in your immediate vicinity.

New School...The snoop never enters your premises.
The snoop can be eavesdropping from anywhere.
"How?"
By using a GSM bug.

A professional electronic surveillance detection inspection is recommended to detect this spy trick for you.

FutureWatch - CCTV

In preparation for the Beijing Olympics and a series of other international events, American companies, such as Honeywell, General Electric, United Technologies and IBM, are helping the Chinese government design and install one of the most comprehensive high-tech public surveillance systems in the world. (more)

Threat Awareness - Keystroke Loggers

from Mike Mullins - TechRepublic...
Keystroke loggers are a particularly dangerous security threat because users typically don’t realize they’re even there...

Most antivirus and antispyware programs will miss software keystroke loggers, so how can you protect against these sneaky devices? Fortunately, there are some programs designed for this specific task. For example, SpyCop and SnoopFree Software are both software programs specifically designed to detect software keystroke loggers...

For a comprehensive list of keystroke loggers, Keyloggers.com maintains an updated list of both hardware and software versions sold by a multitude of companies. (more)