Thursday, April 23, 2020
A Sad Case Highlights Perception of Privacy Loss and Mental Health
WA - A suicidal man who was shot and killed by police officers at a Loves truck stop in Ritzville called police twice to report that his car was bugged and that he was being tracked, according to a release by the Columbia Basin Investigative Team. more
A Global Recession Will Fuel Cyber-Espionage
While the current pandemic crisis presents businesses with unprecedented
economic challenges to their very existence, it has also created a
tremendous level of cyber-risks.
Heightened risks are present not only
due to the significant numbers of individuals working from home,
increasing the vulnerability landscape, but also because as states fall
deeper into recessions, some may resort to cyber-espionage in an attempt
to position better their post-pandemic political, economic, and
industrial structures.
Regardless of the industry, the intellectual property (IP) of any organization is likely to be a precious target for foreign government-sponsored hackers...
Managing the crisis, in reality, can be much more complex and a nightmare for decision-makers. However, flexible, agile, and governments that are being flexible and adaptable while at the same time prioritizing their cybersecurity measures and counter-espionage efforts are more prone to survive the crisis as well as sustain domestic business operations with minimal loss. more
Regardless of the industry, the intellectual property (IP) of any organization is likely to be a precious target for foreign government-sponsored hackers...
Managing the crisis, in reality, can be much more complex and a nightmare for decision-makers. However, flexible, agile, and governments that are being flexible and adaptable while at the same time prioritizing their cybersecurity measures and counter-espionage efforts are more prone to survive the crisis as well as sustain domestic business operations with minimal loss. more
This Week in Spycam News
UVM Medical Center Doctor Hid Camera in Staff Bathroom
The emergency department doctor and assistant professor is facing several voyeurism charges after hospital security discovered the hidden camera. more
Man faces felony accusation of viewing girl through camera in alarm clock...
When interviewed by police, the girl said she knew the camera was there because of a "dot" on the front of the clock and that camera's presence made her "uncomfortable" and "creeped out." On Valentine's Day, the girl placed a series of heart-shaped stickers on the clock to decorate it, while also blocking the camera's view. more
Former head golf professional classified as Tier I sex offender...
Mohawk Golf & Country Club’s former head golf professional who was charged after a recording device was found in a women’s locker room was classified as a Tier I sex offender today. more
The emergency department doctor and assistant professor is facing several voyeurism charges after hospital security discovered the hidden camera. more
Man faces felony accusation of viewing girl through camera in alarm clock...
When interviewed by police, the girl said she knew the camera was there because of a "dot" on the front of the clock and that camera's presence made her "uncomfortable" and "creeped out." On Valentine's Day, the girl placed a series of heart-shaped stickers on the clock to decorate it, while also blocking the camera's view. more
Former head golf professional classified as Tier I sex offender...
Mohawk Golf & Country Club’s former head golf professional who was charged after a recording device was found in a women’s locker room was classified as a Tier I sex offender today. more
IR Eye of Ra, or The Drone Patrol
Police in Westport, Connecticut, announced this week that they’re testing a so-called “pandemic drone” that can detect when people on the ground have fevers.
The new drone platform will also be used to determine when people are closer than six feet to each other. Police will be able to deliver a verbal warning through the drone’s speaker to anyone not practicing social distancing.
The new drone technology was developed by a company called Draganfly Inc., which has been around since the late 1990s, and uses Westport PD’s existing quadcopter drones with Draganfly’s software. Draganfly worked with a deep-learning company called Vital Intelligence Inc. and researchers from the University of South Australia to develop the new tech, according to a press release. more
The new drone platform will also be used to determine when people are closer than six feet to each other. Police will be able to deliver a verbal warning through the drone’s speaker to anyone not practicing social distancing.
The new drone technology was developed by a company called Draganfly Inc., which has been around since the late 1990s, and uses Westport PD’s existing quadcopter drones with Draganfly’s software. Draganfly worked with a deep-learning company called Vital Intelligence Inc. and researchers from the University of South Australia to develop the new tech, according to a press release. more
Wednesday, April 22, 2020
What 007 is Doing These Days
Across the world, law enforcement and intelligence agencies are waging a different kind of war on COVID-19, one taking on scammers who’re exploiting fear around the coronavirus.
In the U.K., an arm of the GCHQ intelligence agency, has spent the last month wiping COVID-19 crooks from the web, with the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) announcing Monday that it had taken down more than 2,000 scams in a single month. more
Some Landlords Illegally Spying On Tenants’ Stimulus Check Status
While millions are awaiting their payments to help with necessities,
landlords are also eager for their tenants to receive stimulus checks,
so they can pay rent. Unfortunately, some landlords have not just been
waiting patiently...
In order to help Americans to track the status of their stimulus payments, the IRS and Treasury Department launched a new tool, Get My Payment. The tool provides individuals “with the status of your payment, including the date your payment is scheduled to be deposited into your bank account or mailed.”...
In order to check the status of a stimulus payment, one only needs to provide basic information, including name, date of birth, street address, and Social Security Number (SSN) ... This basic information is readily available on the dark web ... it is also readily available to many landlords through the applications that tenants complete when applying to rent a property.
You may want to speak with a lawyer to evaluate options if your landlord checks your payment status on the IRS portal. You may also want to consider filing a police report. more
In order to help Americans to track the status of their stimulus payments, the IRS and Treasury Department launched a new tool, Get My Payment. The tool provides individuals “with the status of your payment, including the date your payment is scheduled to be deposited into your bank account or mailed.”...
In order to check the status of a stimulus payment, one only needs to provide basic information, including name, date of birth, street address, and Social Security Number (SSN) ... This basic information is readily available on the dark web ... it is also readily available to many landlords through the applications that tenants complete when applying to rent a property.
Monday, April 20, 2020
7 Espionage Tricks to Avoid While Working From Home
Don't get tricked into giving away personal information.
Why? Because this is what you use for your passwords.
Why? Because this is what you use for your passwords.
- Facebook Quizzes
Quizzes are all over Facebook: What does your eye color say about you? What kind of dog are you according to your zodiac sign? (Facebook says these were questions the criminals used.) - 10 Things About You
As people try to connect during the stay-at-home order, they are answering cut-and-paste questionnaires from their friends. They usually start with something like “Tell me 10 things I don’t know about you” and go on to ask questions like: Who was your first love? ... Here's the problem: those are the exact same questions asked when you forget your password. So, be wary of posting the answers on social media.
- Posting Information about Your Passwords
People are posting all sorts of information about what’s going on at their homes with their children or with their pets. That’s fine, unless they use those same names as their passwords. - Photos of the Home Work Station
At this point, people are pretty proud of their work from home stations. They have a new webcam, a makeshift desk, and maybe even a good microphone. But posting photos of that home work station might give criminals too much information. Can someone see the screen from a window? Are they giving away the brands and models of their IoT devices (which might or might not have exploitable vulnerabilities)? - Clicking Questionable Links
There are a lot of questionable links on the internet. Users should be wary of sites they don’t recognize. While this is rudimentary advice, it’s a good reminder that the headline “New Pandemic Cure No One Is Talking About” likely leads to a malicious site. - Be Aware of What’s Public
Savvy users have changed their Facebook and Instagram profile settings to make them more private. But as soon as you post to a group or comment on someone’s post without strong privacy settings, folks outside your friend's group can see what you’re doing. And, other sites like Twitter and Reddit are not generally private. more
Sunday, April 19, 2020
10 Best Spy Comedy Films, Ranked (According To IMDb)
There are better things to do other than watch CNN (Covid-19 News) 24/7.
Here are some suggestions. ~Kevin
A Few Others
Here are some suggestions. ~Kevin
- Mr. & Mrs. Smith (6.5)
- Burn After Reading (7.0)
- Red (7.0)
- Spy (7.0)
- Austin Powers: International Man Of Mystery (7.0)
- Top Secret! (7.2) *****
- True Lies (7.2)
- The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (7.3)
- Despicable Me (7.6)
- Kingsman: The Secret Service (7.7)
A Few Others
- Spies Like Us
- The Man Who Knew Too Little
- The Spy Who Dumped Me
- Despicable Me 2 / 3
- My Spy
- Johnny English / Strikes Again / Reborn
- Keeping Up with the Joneses
- This Means War
- Central Intelligence
- Kingsmen: The Golden Circle
- The Spy Next Door
- Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me / Goldmember
- Get Smart
- OSS 117 Cairo (subtitles)
- Casino Royale
- Spy Hard
- Knight and Day
- Agent Cody Banks / Destination London
- Spy Kids / 2 / All the time in the World (kids)
- Our Man Flint / In Like Flint
- Confessions of a Dangerous Mind
- The Tailor Of Panama
- Undercover Blues
- Undercover Brother
- The Man With One Red Shoe
- The Tall Blond Man with One Black Shoe (subtitles)
- If Looks Could Kill
- Red 2
- The President's Analyst
- Spies in Disguise (kids)
- What’s Up, Tiger Lily?
- Gotcha!
- Jumpin' Jack Flash
- My Favorite Spy
- Real Men
- The Glass Bottom Boat
- The In-Laws
- Rio Rita
- A Southern Yankee
- The Tuxedo
- One Of Our Dinosaurs Is Missing
- Rendezvous
- The Fastest Guitar Alive (one star)
"The Warehouse" by Rob Hart (book)
"A chilling and all-too-believable portrait of a not-so-far-off future where free will succumbs to big business."--Alafair Burke, New York Times bestselling author of The Better Sister
The Machine Never Blinks: A Graphic History of Spying and Surveillance (book)
This book spans surveillance from the Trojan Horse, through 9/11 and to the so-called War on Terror, which enabled the exponential growth of government and corporate intercepts and databases.
It also explains spying as entertainment (reality TV) and convenience (smart speakers). Take a look around... Who's watching you right now? Black & white illustrations. more
Office Printers: The Ticking IT Time Bomb
Unsecured printers are one of the items on our inspection checklist. Why? Because it is a very common problem. Normally buttoned-up networks put out a hacker welcome mat with just one unsecured printer. ~Kevin
Office printers don’t have to be security threats: with foresight and maintenance they’re very easily threat-proofed. The problem is that system administrators rarely give the humble printer (or scanner, or multifunction printer) much attention.
Hackers haven’t forgotten about printers – not by a long shot. Last summer, a Russian hacker group penetrated numerous organizations by first infiltrating unprotected printers, which were connected to the same network as every other device, and then laddering up to exploit increasingly sensitive areas.
Furthermore, according to a recent report, foreign governments can also easily conduct industrial espionage by targeting this under-the-radar beachhead into the organizational networks...
Using third parties to continually help identify security risks is a smart course of action for enterprises that are truly serious about security measures. more
Office printers don’t have to be security threats: with foresight and maintenance they’re very easily threat-proofed. The problem is that system administrators rarely give the humble printer (or scanner, or multifunction printer) much attention.
Hackers haven’t forgotten about printers – not by a long shot. Last summer, a Russian hacker group penetrated numerous organizations by first infiltrating unprotected printers, which were connected to the same network as every other device, and then laddering up to exploit increasingly sensitive areas.
Furthermore, according to a recent report, foreign governments can also easily conduct industrial espionage by targeting this under-the-radar beachhead into the organizational networks...
Using third parties to continually help identify security risks is a smart course of action for enterprises that are truly serious about security measures. more
Managers: Don’t Rush to Workplace Spyware during Pandemic
A Rutgers organizational psychologist explains ramifications of putting spy software in place.
With millions of employees working remotely due to the coronavirus pandemic, managers—likely new to virtual management—are scrambling to find the best ways to oversee them online.
Computer performance monitoring may interest those looking for “an extra set of eyes,” but workplace surveillance is not that simple, according to John Aiello, an expert in organizational psychology at Rutgers School of Arts and Sciences.“While spy software may relieve the manager’s anxieties, organizations will see an increase in stress on employees and it could decrease productivity,” said Aiello, who has researched the electronic monitoring of workers over the last three decades.
Topics addressed...
How does monitoring software affect productivity?
How does implementing this surveillance affect managers?
Can electronic monitoring be used for “the greater good?”
If employers are thinking about implementing this surveillance, what might be done first?
more
Computer performance monitoring may interest those looking for “an extra set of eyes,” but workplace surveillance is not that simple, according to John Aiello, an expert in organizational psychology at Rutgers School of Arts and Sciences.“While spy software may relieve the manager’s anxieties, organizations will see an increase in stress on employees and it could decrease productivity,” said Aiello, who has researched the electronic monitoring of workers over the last three decades.
Topics addressed...
How does monitoring software affect productivity?
How does implementing this surveillance affect managers?
Can electronic monitoring be used for “the greater good?”
If employers are thinking about implementing this surveillance, what might be done first?
more
Thursday, April 16, 2020
Gad Zoox - Tesla Settles Trade Secret Theft Law Suit
Zoox Inc. said on Tuesday it had settled a lawsuit with Tesla Inc. after admitting that some new hires from the electric carmaker were in possession of certain Tesla documents when they joined the U.S. self-driving car startup.
Tesla lawyers filed a lawsuit in March last year against four former employees and Zoox, alleging the employees stole proprietary information and trade secrets for developing warehousing, logistics and inventory control operations.
Zoox said the settlement required it to pay Tesla an undisclosed amount and undergo an audit to ensure that none of its employees had retained or are using Tesla's confidential information. more
Tesla lawyers filed a lawsuit in March last year against four former employees and Zoox, alleging the employees stole proprietary information and trade secrets for developing warehousing, logistics and inventory control operations.
Zoox said the settlement required it to pay Tesla an undisclosed amount and undergo an audit to ensure that none of its employees had retained or are using Tesla's confidential information. more
Zeroing in on Zoom’s Threat to Financial Services
COVID-19 has induced a significant shift in the way we work. Remote is the new reality.
There may be, however, a tremendous cost to Zoom’s convenience... For many, Zoom has been the answer to staying connected in the workplace.
Simply put, the widespread adoption of Zoom amid a global pandemic might be the security vulnerability of the decade.
In fact, any financial services organization using the service should immediately assume their user credentials are under malicious parties’ control.
In recent weeks, New York Attorney General Letitia James has probed Zoom’s data security strategy, and whether the company’s security protections can keep up with the spike in users. It is also our understanding the FBI, among other federal government agencies, has also prohibited the use of Zoom and WebEx due to security concerns. more
Suit Claims Facebook, LinkedIn Eavesdropped on Zoom Calls
More Zoom news.
There may be, however, a tremendous cost to Zoom’s convenience... For many, Zoom has been the answer to staying connected in the workplace.
Simply put, the widespread adoption of Zoom amid a global pandemic might be the security vulnerability of the decade.
In fact, any financial services organization using the service should immediately assume their user credentials are under malicious parties’ control.
In recent weeks, New York Attorney General Letitia James has probed Zoom’s data security strategy, and whether the company’s security protections can keep up with the spike in users. It is also our understanding the FBI, among other federal government agencies, has also prohibited the use of Zoom and WebEx due to security concerns. more
Suit Claims Facebook, LinkedIn Eavesdropped on Zoom Calls
More Zoom news.
Business Espionage - You Staying in Jail
U.S. District Judge Ronnie Greer Wednesday temporarily stayed – or
postponed – the pretrial release of Xiorong “Shannon” You, a 56-year-old
Chinese-born chemical engineer accused of stealing $17 million in trade
secrets from Eastman Chemical Company and more than $100 million more
while working for Coca-Cola in Atlanta, according to court documents. more
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