A Bad Week for Spies

Armenia - A serviceman of the Defense Army of Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh) has been arrested on suspicion of espionage, the National Security Service (NSS) of Artsakh said Friday. The suspect has been charged with treason and taken into custody after a court approved pre-trial remand. more

Taiwan - Punishments for spying too lenient: lawyers

Two former military officers indicted on Chinese espionage offenses received sentences that were lighter than a drunk driving charge despite having betrayed the nation, lawyers and a government spokesman said yesterday. Attorney Huang Di-ying (黃帝穎), chairman of the Taiwan Forever Association, said the pair were found guilty of espionage, but do not need to serve time in prison. “In effect, the judges are encouraging people to spy for China by handing out such lenient terms,” Huang said. more

Meanwhile...

Iran - Dual British-Iranian Ex-Official Sentenced To Death Over Spying For UK’s MI6

The Iranian judiciary sentenced a dual British-Iranian citizen and former official Alireza Akbari to death on charges of spying for the British intelligence agency. more

USA - Spy agencies report hundreds more UFO sightings since 2021

National security agencies are studying hundreds of new reports of UFOs, including many that appear to perform maneuvers that are highly advanced, the nation’s top intelligence official reported on Thursday. In total, 510 “unidentified aerial phenomena” observed in protected airspace or near sensitive facilities have been compiled as of August of last year, according to the report to Congress from the director of national intelligence. more

USA - US spies lag rivals in seizing on data hiding in plain sight

As alarms began to go off globally about a novel coronavirus spreading in China, officials in Washington turned to the intelligence agencies for insights about the threat the virus posed to America. But the most useful early warnings came not from spies or intercepts, according to a recent congressional review of classified reports from December 2019 and January 2020. Officials were instead relying on public reporting, diplomatic cables and analysis from medical experts — some examples of so-called open source intelligence, or OSINT. more

USA - Campaign to Renew US Spy Powers Faces Bitter Battle in Congress

The US intelligence community faces a hard battle to renew foreign surveillance powers that have enabled authorities to repeatedly access private information about Americans despite constitutional protections. The Biden administration wants to renew Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), a warrantless wiretapping program introduced in 2008, which was last renewed in 2018 and is due to expire at the end of the year. “Without Section 702, we will lose critical insights into the most significant threats to our nation,” said General Paul Nakasone, director of the National Security Agency, in a speech launching the Biden ... more

USA - Silicon Valley firm sues spy agency over software contract
Nearly seven years after Palantir forced the Army to consider buying its software instead of developing a bespoke system, a Silicon Valley firm is again taking the Defense Department to court over allegedly ignoring commercial products. Santa Clara, California-based Percipient.AI filed suit in the Court of Federal Claims on Monday, claiming the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency is violating a law requiring agencies to buy commercially available products when possible. more

Iran - Belgian aid worker sentenced to 40 years in prison, 74 lashes
A court in Tehran has sentenced a Belgian aid worker to four decades in prison and 74 lashes after convicting him on espionage and smuggling charges. According to Iran's Tasnim News Agency, Olivier Vandercasteele was found guilty on four charges: "spying activities, collusion with the United States, currency smuggling and money laundring." more

Mexico - Seventh former Mexico City government official arrested for espionage
The Mexico City Attorney General’s Office has captured a seventh person accused of being a spy in the Sterling Case. On Wednesday, authorities in Mexico City arrested Jorge “N” from city streets. He is the seventh former official of the Mexico City government to be charged in the espionage network. He was picked up Wednesday on an outstanding arrest warrant. Six others before him, all also former government officials, have already been arrested and charged. more

S. Korea - North Korean spy ring uncovered
The counter-espionage authorities are said to be investigating an officer of a progressive party and two others on Jeju Island in relation to suspicions they have been spying for North Korea. It is the Yoon Suk Yeol administration’s first known investigation of a spy ring acting for Pyongyang. more

Australia - Chinese Spy who exposed CCP regime on television denied asylum in Australia
A Chinese spy Wang Liqiang aged 32 who came on Australian media’s Nine now television’ show 60 minutes in 2019 confessed to being a spy of Beijing, has now been denied asylum in Australia. This exposes him to being deported back to China. more

Germany - Berlin: Eternal espionage hotspot
Nowhere else did the secret services of East and West clash as closely as in this city on the frontlines of the Cold War. Arts Un-veiled delves into the shadows of Berlin and uncovers incredible stories from ex-agents. video

The 2023 “Chinese Espionage Wall Calendar”

As the U.S. government increasingly focuses on combating Chinese spies, the threat of Chinese Communist Party espionage seems closer to home than ever. But with the turn of the new year, a new calendar aims to bring awareness of the threat even closer.

And the best part is, it’s free.

The 2023 “Chinese Espionage Wall Calendar” is freely available for download here. Each month’s page features a different person found to have been spying on behalf of the People’s Republic of China.

This month, it’s Kevin Malloy, a former CIA officer now in prison for selling classified information that identified U.S. intelligence sources to the Chinese. 

In February, the featured spy will be Fang Fang, a Chinese national who infiltrated several political teams, including the campaign for Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell. more

Israel Sending Spy Cows in Palestine

The official daily news publication of the Palestinian Authority, Al-Hayat Al-Jadida claims that a Palestinian villager came upon Israeli cattle and made up a story about how Israel has been covertly teaching the cattle to spy on Palestinians.

According to Palestinian villager Rushd Morrar, who spoke to the daily, “These are hired and trained cattle. They hang a medallion with an eavesdropping and recording device, occasionally with cameras, on the neck of each cow to keep an eye on every little thing that happens in Khirbet Yanun.

Additionally, he allegedly asserted that “the settlers release herds of wild boars” to obliterate all Palestinian crops. more

Former U.S. Analyst Convicted of Spying for Cuba Released From Prison

Ana Montes, a former U.S. defense intelligence analyst who was convicted of spying for Cuba, has been released from federal prison in Fort Worth, Texas.

Montes, 65, was released on Friday after serving a majority of her 25-year sentence, according to a spokesman for the Federal Bureau of Prisons, adding that her early release was based on good behavior.

Montes was an analyst with the Defense Intelligence Agency for 16 years, starting in 1985. During her career, she was highly regarded for her expertise about Cuba. But under the radar, Montes used coded messages and water-soluble paper to disclose classified information. Among the secrets she gave to the Cuban government were the identities of four U.S. spies in Cuba. more

When Wiretaps Work - The Tate Brag Tapes

Controversial internet personality Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan have reportedly been caught up in a wire-tapping scandal that appears to show the pair admitting to alleged money laundering and other crimes.

The former kickboxer has risen to prominence over the last year due to his outlandish takes about men living in a modern society. The 36-year-old has often gone viral for his comments, which have been labeled as misogynistic and led to a mass-ban of his social media accounts last year.

Towards the end of last year, Romanian police arrested Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan on a number of charges, including sex trafficking, rape and conspiracy to form a criminal group.

According to Digi24, the Romanian police successfully wiretapped the brothers, during which they admitted to a number of crimes. more

"Well, shut my mouth!"

In the name of protecting your conversations...

Shiftall's Mutalk believes it can help.

The device looks like an eerie tech version of a mouth gag, but it's actually meant to help you talk more easily in the virtual and work worlds you may be interacting with. It calls itself a "soundproof Bluetooth microphone that makes it difficult for others to hear your voice and at the same time, makes it difficult for ambient noise to enter the microphone."

French startup Skyted created a similarly sound-absorbing mask to ensure privacy on calls while in crowded and noisy places. It looks more like a bulky version of the reusable masks we've all grown accustomed to during the pandemic, but Skyted says it absorbs 80% of voice vibration and directs it instead through a wireless Bluetooth connection to our phones or computers.

"My original concept was from a transportation perspective, as I focused on how we could keep the human voice from traveling to keep calls private, silent and confidential," Skyted CEO Stéphane Hersen said in a statement when announcing his device. more

EXTRA CREDIT

Caught Eavesdropping in California? You'll Need a Mouthpiece

Text is attorney website advertising. Photo from Library of Congress.

California’s state laws make it clear that a citizen’s right to privacy (at least from one another) is highly valued. In fact, it is a crime to use electronic devices to monitor or record another person’s private communication.

If you have been arrested for eavesdropping in San Diego it is important to get the help of a criminal defense attorney immediately. Your future is at stake, and an attorney can help to minimize the consequences of your alleged behavior. Call the ... best eavesdropping attorney San Diego today to request a free consultation.

California state law prohibits citizens from breaching one another’s privacy by horning in on private conversations. While it is not a crime to simply overhear another conversation with your own two ears, it is a crime to use an electronic device to help you intentionally monitor or record another’s communication.

California Penal Code 632 PC states that it is illegal to: 

• Intentionally
• Without consent of all parties
• Use an electronic amplifying or recording device
• To eavesdrop or record
• A confidential communication. more

The 2.4 GHz Bug: $10

Another Good Reason to Schedule TSCM Corporate Security Inspections

This 2.4 GHz bug is just one of many eavesdropping devices, GPS trackers and spy cameras flooding the market these days. Corporations valuing information security and privacy need to be especially alert.

Many of these surveillance devices are not sophisticated, but they are very effective. 

Worse, they are readily available to anyone with a credit card and internet access. Most are so inexpensive they are considered “toss-away” — use once, don’t retrieve — perfect for short-term, low-risk use. Let’s examine… more

Spy Quote of the Week

"Peacetime espionage is best defined as not particularly illegal, and the lack of global governance is likely an intentional choice." ~Danielle Han, from the article: Aspymmetrical Powers: Economic and Cyber Espionage

Georgia Coaches Laugh Off Unfounded ‘Spy Camera’ Accusations

Georgia coaches laughed off Thursday’s hot rumor at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl. There was a loose accusation from an Ohio State sportswriter that the Bulldogs used a hidden camera to spy on the Buckeyes’ practices at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

“I hope that’s true,” UGA offensive coordinator Todd Monken said, laughing aloud when asked about it during Media Day on Thursday. “I hope we’ve been in their hotel. I hope we’ve been in their practices. I hope we’re logged into their computers.”

Monken quickly added – “That’s a joke.” ...

The truth is, there was a camera found in the stadium before the Buckeyes’ first practice at Mercedes-Benz Stadium this week during a routine security sweep, according to people familiar with the situation. The camera belonged to the stadium as a permanent fixture and was not being operated at the time. Ohio State was informed about it, the camera promptly was removed and everybody moved on. more

Time to read:
Spies on the Sidelines: The High-Stakes World of NFL Espionage

EarSpy Attack Can Use Motion Sensors Data to Pry on Android Devices

As smartphone manufacturers are improving the ear speakers in their devices, it can become easier for malicious actors to leverage a particular side-channel for eavesdropping on a targeted user’s conversations, according to a team of researchers from several universities in the United States.

The attack method, named EarSpy, is described in a paper published just before Christmas by researchers from Texas A&M University, Temple University, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Rutgers University, and the University of Dayton.

EarSpy relies on the phone’s ear speaker — the speaker at the top of the device that is used when the phone is held to the ear — and the device’s built-in accelerometer for capturing the tiny vibrations generated by the speaker. more

Turning Google Smart Speakers into Wiretaps

I (@downrightnifty4874) was recently rewarded a total of $107,500 by Google for responsibly disclosing security issues in the Google Home smart speaker that allowed an attacker within wireless proximity to install a “backdoor” account on the device, enabling them to send commands to it remotely over the Internet, access its microphone feed, and make arbitrary HTTP requests within the victim’s LAN (which could potentially expose the Wi-Fi password or provide the attacker direct access to the victim’s other devices). These issues have since been fixed. more video

The Lasers are Coming - Killer Eyeglasses & Drones

For years, movies have teased us with the possibilities of augmented reality (AR) and mixed reality (MR), from Minority Report to Iron Man. But unlike robotic insects and flying suits, AR and MR smart glasses are much closer to reality for everyday consumers. One of the major barriers has been consumers’ desire for lightweight smart glasses that resemble standard eyeglasses and can be worn all day, every day. Compact, chic designs require projection technology and batteries that are as small and power-efficient as possible, which has been difficult to achieve. The internet hype that AR glasses are just around the corner has given into the reality that there are a number of large problems to solve before mass deployment in the consumer space can begin. more

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Aerial drones are essentially the new improvised explosive devices (IEDs)—they’re relatively cheap and easily weaponized. Weaponized swarms of drones working together on a mission are an asymmetric threat that can quickly turn into an ugly situation. In the future, drones are expected to become faster, more autonomous, more difficult to detect or jam, and deadlier, with more sophisticated swarm attacks.

An arms race of sorts is quietly underway to be able to counter any countermeasures against drones. So the U.S. military is adopting a multilayered counter-drone approach to deal primarily with small drones (classified as Groups 1 and 2)—including commercial ones you can easily buy online and ones with fixed wings that look like tiny airplanes. Pinpoint accuracy at the speed of light makes high-energy lasers, a form of directed energy, one of the most promising options. more

FutureWatch: More Progress on the Electronic Dog Nose - TSCM Potential

Recap #1: Device can detect distress signals from plants that are harmed, under attack It turns out the best way to hear a plant scream is to smell it. (10/17/2008) more

Recap #2: Specially trained dogs have been used to sniff out covert electronic items, like cell phones in prisons, for quite a while now. The secret to detection is the device's electronic circuit boards. They contain these compounds: triphenylphosphine oxide (TPPO) and hydroxycyclohexyl phenyl ketone (HPK). This second compound is also found on CDs, DVDs, Blu-Rays, the old tech floppy disks. (5/18/2021) more

The latest development:
Researchers use biomimicry to enhance particle detection 16-fold by sniffing like dogs. more

FutureWatch: Technical Surveillance Countermeasures (TSCM) professionals have many types of technologies at their disposal for detecting illegal electronic surveillance devices. To name a few... Non-Linear Junction Detection, Infrared Thermography, and Radio-frequency Spectrum Analysis. We are now well on our way to adding EDN to our kit.

Eavesdropping & Anti-Eavesdropping Apps

Two new apps to be aware of…

The iEavesdrop app redirects internal microphone, external wired microphone or line input input audio to any Bluetooth audio device such as AirPods so that you can use your phone as a stealth listening device.

Using the correct line input cables, audio from any device such as an external microphone, in-flight entertainment or portable gaming device can be routed to your AirPods or other Bluetooth device. iEavesdrop will work with all iOS devices.

THIS APP CAN ALSO BE USED FOR MANY OTHER PURPOSES SUCH AS A BABY MONITOR, HEARING AID OR ANY OTHER APPLICATION THAT REQUIRES YOU TO LISTEN IN OR ROUTE MICROPHONE AUDIO TO A BLUETOOTH DEVICE.
(iOS)

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(ANDROID)

About this app...
Ever thought someone might eavesdrop through your smart phone? Skewy is a privacy protection method, which is more than just a software setting. With Skewy you can mask your conversation with a simple – yet effective method. Simply making the audio data picked up by your phone unusable. Additionally, Skewy can detect ultrasonic signals to indicate the presence of device tracking technologies.