Videoconferencing Apps May Listen Even When Mic is Off

Kassem Fawaz's brother was on a videoconference with the microphone muted when he noticed that the microphone light was still on—indicating, inexplicably, that his microphone was being accessed...

Fawaz and graduate student Yucheng Yang investigated whether this "mic-off-light-on" phenomenon was more widespread. They tried out many different videoconferencing applications on major operating systems, including iOS, Android, Windows and Mac, checking to see if the apps still accessed the microphone when it was muted.

"It turns out, in the vast majority of cases, when you mute yourself, these apps do not give up access to the microphone," says Fawaz. "And that's a problem. When you're muted, people don't expect these apps to collect data."...

Turning off a microphone is possible in most device operating systems, but it usually means navigating through several menus. Instead, the team suggests the solution might lie in developing easily accessible software "switches" or even hardware switches that allow users to manually enable and disable their microphones. more

Professional Dealing With Illegal Electronic Surveillance

Not so long ago surveillance has been considered a government or spy agency priority. However a lot has changed.  

The rapid research and development in information technologies and electronic devices, along with their shrinkage in size has made surveillance obtainable to each of us. All you have to do is Google for GSM tracker, spy camera, hidden voice recorder. Don’t be surprised to see hundreds of thousands or even millions of espionage gear offers... 

Detecting the bugging devices is not an easy and simple work. The term describing this type of activity is TSCM which is the abbreviation of Technical Surveillance Counter Measures. TSCM survey is a service provided by qualified personnel to detect the presence of technical surveillance devices and hazards and to identify technical security weaknesses that could aid in the conduct of a technical penetration of the surveyed facility. 

A TSCM survey normally consists of a thorough visual, electronic and physical inspection inside and outside of the surveyed facility. In conducting surveillance protection one has to be familiar with the tapping methods; hardware and software products; engineering solutions used for this purpose as well as their unmasking signs. Without this knowledge it is not possible to detect a well hidden bug. more

China Could Turn its Commercial Satellites into Espionage Platforms

China is reportedly developing an advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system that could turn low-cost commercial satellites, already orbiting the Earth, into powerful espionage platforms. Reports suggest it could have a success rate roughly seven times higher than existing technology.

The new system is being developed by Chinese military researchers, who say it is capable of tracking moving objects as small as a car with extraordinary precision... more

Spy Games: Russian Intelligence Personnel Expelled from Western Embassies

As part of the multi-layered response to Russia’s aggression in Ukraine, Western nations have expelled personnel from Russian embassies in their respective countries. 

Estimates of the number of Russian diplomatic personnel booted from EU and NATO member states range from 120 to nearly 400.  

Foreign Policy reports that at least 394 officials have been expelled since the February invasion began. Germany alone has expelled 40 members of the Russian delegation, a significant number and a substantial action by a country, like many others, that imports Russian natural gas. The stated reason for these expulsions is to protest Russia’s war in Ukraine, though the expulsions will do little to impact the war. more

Wiretap Suit: Law firm's Managing Partner had a 'Fixation' with Employee Surveillance

The managing partner of a Chicago law firm apparently monitored his employees with video cameras and a telephone system that allowed recording of phone calls, according to a lawsuit filed last week in federal court in Chicago.

The April 7 suit claims that the law firm’s managing partner, Edward “Eddie” Vrdolyak Jr., had a “fixation with audio and video surveillance.”

The suit cites “information and belief” that the firm’s offices in Chicago and Nashville, Tennessee, were equipped with a network of audio and surveillance cameras that Vrodyak monitored from several video screens in his office. more

When New York City Was a Wiretapper’s Dream

by Brian Hochman, Director of American Studies and Associate Professor of English, Georgetown University

On February 11, 1955, an anonymous tip led two New York Police Department detectives and two New York Telephone Company investigators to an apartment on the fourth floor of a residential building at 360 East 55th Street in midtown Manhattan. 

In the back bedroom of the unit, the group discovered a cache of stolen wiretapping equipment that turned out to have direct lines into six of New York City’s largest telephone exchanges: PLaza 1, 3, and 5; MUrray Hill 8; ELdorado 5; and TEmpleton 8. 

The connections blanketed an area of Manhattan running from East 38th Street to East 96th Street, a swath of the city’s most expensive real estate.

“There wasn’t a single tap-free telephone on the east side of New York,” professional wiretapper Bernard Spindel remarked of the arrangement. (Spindel was in all likelihood the source of the anonymous tip.) News of the discovery made the front page of the New York Times a week later. more

A History of Wiretapping in the United States

A podcast by, Brian Hochman, Director of American Studies and Associate Professor of English, Georgetown University

Our privacy was not first invaded by J. Edgar Hoover. They’ve been listening in for far longer than that. Wiretapping is nearly as old as electronic communications. Telegraph operators intercepted enemy messages during the Civil War. Law enforcement agencies were listening to private telephone calls as early as 1895. Communications firms have assisted government eavesdropping programs since the early 20th century―and they have spied on their own customers, too. 

Such breaches of privacy once provoked outrage, but today most Americans have resigned themselves to constant electronic monitoring. How did we get from there to here? 

Hochman explores the origins of wiretapping in military campaigns and criminal confidence games, and tracks the use of telephone taps in the U.S. government’s wars on alcohol, communism, terrorism, and crime. more

The ‘Eavesdropping Scam’ — The Newest Scam Call Tactic

 How It Works

The Eavesdropping Scam is quite sophisticated. First, the scammer calls a potential victim from an unknown number and, since 79% of unknown calls go unanswered, leaves a voicemail. In the message, the scammer is heard talking to another person about the potential victim, claiming: “I’m trying to get ahold of them right now.” Similar to the Wangiri Scam, the Eavesdropping Scam relies on the victim being so interested that they choose to call back. Once the victim returns the call, the scammer can run a variety of scams, most commonly offering fraudulent tax relief services.

The Eavesdropping Scam deploys both a new tactic (leaving non-descriptive voicemails to get a call back) and a new script (pretending to discuss the recipient). 

The scam avoids most call protection services because it does not feature any of the typical scam call markers:
1) The calls use legitimate numbers,
2) people call the numbers back,
3) the call sounds very personal despite being a mass volume robocall, and
4) the content of the voicemail is so vague that it does not include any common fraud-related keywords. more

Last Month in Spycam News

TX - The Dallas Cowboys recently paid a $2.4 million settlement stemming from allegations of voyeurism against Rich Dalrymple, the team's former head of public relations, levied by several members of the organization's cheerleading squad. more

A cautionary tale... I was retained this past year as an expert witness in a spy camera case. The client was a victim of a spycam secreted in a chain restaurant restroom. I am pleased to tell you our side just won their lawsuit. The defendant settled for an undisclosed amount.

Businesses that have expectation-of-privacy areas need a Recording in the Workplace Policy and an inspection program in place.

Canada - Police are searching for a suspect after a woman reported being recorded while in a change room at a Metro Vancouver mall. more

Canada - Man jailed 30 months for hiding 'spy cameras' in bathroom to catch his roommate’s teen-aged daughter. more

UT - A man suspected of using his phone to film a female in a North Logan Walmart changing room was charged in 1st District Court on Friday. more

Canada - A former property manager in the Annapolis Valley has pleaded guilty to a charge of voyeurism involving a two-way mirror. more

S. Korea - Co-published by TIME and Field of Vision, the documentary Open Shutters follows Jieun Choi, a journalist in South Korea investigating the country’s plague of spycams. more

Canada - A 23-year-old man has been charged after allegedly hiding a cellphone in a women’s washroom at an Ajax hospital. more

CT - A local man was charged with voyeurism Saturday after a juvenile discovered a cellphone hidden in the bathroom of a residence. more

FL - On March 10th, OPD released a video of 28-year old Justin Wright setting up a camera at a Circle K gas station in the city. more

Singapore - After getting away with taking upskirt videos at a shopping mall because the victim did not report him to the police, a Singaporean man continued committing voyeuristic acts on colleagues and his in-laws. more

OH - Ex-funeral home owner pleads guilty... he installed a camera in the women’s bathroom at the former Slack and Wallace Funeral Home. more

UT - Ex-Sandy Fire captain faces 15 felony counts, accused of secretly filming girls undressing...he had been “hiding cameras in a home business space where teenage girls would undress,” more

TN - Families Notified Of 30 Cleveland Middle School Girls Captured On Covert Camera Placed By Teacher more

FL - Man placed phone on bottom of shopping cart, recorded under women’s dresses at grocery store. more

UK - Former Leeds soldier who hid spycam in girls' changing room jailed after admitting voyeurism charges. more

Singapore - Ex-NTU researcher jailed for taking upskirt photos of 400 women over 6 years. more

Northern Ireland - A disgraced guest house owner who narrowly avoided jail after he was caught filming men and boys in toilets is now challenging the sentence that kept him out of prison. more

Singapore - Ex-teacher jailed 10 weeks, fined for taking voyeuristic videos of colleagues, students and policeman more

Vietnam - A woman from Vietnam hacked off her husband’s penis after using a spy camera to see him indulging in inappropriate behavior with his niece. more

Reddit - Looks like my cat Beans found the pet cam I set up to spy on him from work. video

FL - A Sarasota acupuncturist ...used a spy camera that doubled as a functional pen to record the patient undressing. more

SC - A Virginia Beach man has been arrested for allegedly recording inappropriate video of a student on the Medical University of South Carolina campus. more

UK - Hospital chiefs say they have been working closely with police after a man was charged with filming a woman in its toilets, and then attempting to blackmail her on social media into paying £1,000. mor

WA - An Oregon man has been sentenced to more than six years in prison for recording people using the restroom at a Vancouver hospital and possessing child pornography. more

AR - Ashton Jaleel Thomas, 26, of Springdale, was arrested on suspicion of committing multiple acts of video voyeurism at the changing rooms in a Rogers Goodwill store. more

Singapore - A 40-year-old man used spy cameras to film videos of female friends and co-workers using the toilet in several locations, including his home, his friends' homes and his workplace. more 

• You don't have to be a victim. Learn how to spot spycams in places where you expect privacy.
  

SpyCam stories have become commonplace and the techniques used, repetitive. We continue to keep lose track of the subject for statistical purposes, but won't bore you with too many details. Only links to the stories will be supplied unless there is something useful to be learned.

Become a Successful Security Consultant - Step One

The Successful Security Consulting (SSC) Course is a one-day specialized training program.

 

It was developed for those who are interested in becoming security consultants, and those who recently launched an independent security consulting practice. 

 

This is a one-day program presented by leading technical and management security consultants. Seasoned, subject matter expert instructors provide pertinent and proven industry experiences.

 

Topics include:

• The Business of Security Consulting
• Security Consulting Practice Areas
• Establishing and Operating a Consulting Practice
• Getting Business and Attracting Clients
• Executing a Consulting Assignment
• Avoiding Common Mistakes and Pitfalls
  

The class is also helpful to experienced security consultants who are looking for new ideas and ways to reinvigorate their existing consulting practices. Don’t miss this opportunity to advance your career and your business.

 

Attendees of the Successful Security Consulting Course receive credit hours for CSC through IAPSC and CPE credits through ASIS. 

 

The 37th Annual IAPSC Conference will be held at The Westin Westminster in Colorado June 13-15, 2022. 

 

SCC attendees are encouraged to extend their stay and register for the Annual IAPSC Conference from Tuesday, June 14 – to Wednesday, June 15. Discounted rates and Early Bird registration are available through Wednesday, April 13.  Read more on the IAPSC website.

Is My Hotel or Airbnb Bed Bugged?

We get asked this when someone finds a bit of miniature electronics embedded in the sheets or other linens. 

If you are seeing one of these buried in the hem of your linens the answer is no. You can relax.

These are RFID tags. Commercial laundries attach them to linens to keep track of who belongs to what. 

As one supplier explains... "UHF RFID textile laundry tags are designed to optimize industries laundry processes, providing durability and suitability for washing, drying, dry cleaning and ironing. They can be used for many different applications such as laundry application, logistics, anti-counterfeiting, supply chain management control, inventory control, asset tracking, process control..."

If you are concerned about privacy in your rented bedroom learn how to find hidden spy cameras.

Three Declassified Spy Gadgets Of The CIA

Informally known as the “Agency” or the “Company”, the Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the United States government. Its main task is to gather, process, and analyze national security information from all over the world, mostly through the use of human intelligence and performing actions behind the curtain. It was former-President Harry S. Truman’s initiative to create the Central Intelligence Group out of the Office of Strategic Services on January 22, 1946, which was transformed itself into the Central Intelligence Agency by the implementation of the National Security Act of 1947.

Here are three of the declassified spy gadgets that were designed by the CIA and could be found in their museum:

 

Spy Quote of the Week

“There’s no such thing as technology that’s too old for operations.” 

~ Toni Hiley, Director, CIA Museum 

 

One good reason why a corporate TSCM program is so important. 

FBI Trolls Russian Embassy with Geotargeted Ads for Disgruntled Spies

The FBI’s latest counterintelligence operation against Russia is hardly secretive—you just have to be standing in the right place.

In the wake of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, the FBI stepped up its recruiting efforts in the US, hoping to attract Russians who are dissatisfied or disillusioned with the war. People standing in close proximity to the Russian embassy in Washington, DC, can see the ads, which appear in Russian, on Facebook, Twitter, and Google.

One ad appeared in a Washington Post reporter’s Facebook feed when he was standing on the sidewalk next to the embassy’s walls on Wisconsin Avenue NW, but none appeared in his feed when he crossed the street.

“It’s a brilliant recruiting strategy because I think there’s probably a lot of folks within the Russian government that are incredibly dissatisfied with Putin’s war, and therefore it’s a great opportunity to see if any of those dissatisfied people could help us understand Putin’s intentions better,” Peter Lapp, a former FBI counterintelligence agent, told the Post. more

Disney's Alleged Art Espionage Theft - You Decide

When Andrew Martin created a fan-art sculpture of one of the Tiki drummers from Disney's attraction the Enchanted Tiki Room, he planned on turning it into a tip bucket for a Tiki drink night at a local bar...

Instead, he sculpted it during a seven-hour livestream in 2018 and posted the design online so other people could 3D print the sculpture, too. Then, earlier this year, Disney started selling what Martin argues is the exact same sculpture as a 50th Anniversary commemorative music box for $125...

The same imperfections and details on Martin's sculpture are shown on Disney's, too. No credit was given to Martin, even after he reached out to the company multiple times and posted about it to the tune of millions of views on TikTok and Instagram. more