Security Scrapbook - Espionage & Privacy News of the Week.
Sat, 23 Feb 2002
To: Clients, colleagues and friends.
Subject: Espionage & Privacy News of the Week.
====================================================
Kevin's Security Scrapbook® is published on an irregular
basis for a select audience. HTML versions are archived at http://www.spybusters.com/Security_Scrapbook.html
==================================================== SPECIAL SECTION -- Security Director News
SPECIAL SECTION -- The MUST-KNOW Computer Eavesdropping Trick
SPECIAL SECTION -- More "Good Tech / Bad Tech" SpyWare
SPECIAL SECTION -- Legal Beat
SPECIAL SECTION -- Dessert ====================================================
SPECIAL SECTION -- Security Director News
Security Screening Alert #100 - Plastic Knife - "Tactical Letter Opener" Knife confiscated at a LA Airport Security. Discovered during a physical
search of a passenger's bag after a toy gun was observed on the X-ray
unit - knife was completely transparent on the X-ray. It was distributed
free of charge to attendees at a local Las Vegas Shotgun / Handgun
Outdoor trade show known as the "Shot Show". ID info on knife: "Tactical
Letter Opener" Arizona Precision Mold, Inc. www.az-precision.com 480-539-1999
Spybuster Tip #745
When conducting a counterespionage sting, don't use your real Trade Secrets.
Stamp some other information "Confidential" and use that. Why?
No need to risk publicizing your secrets.
It is the intent that counts when you go to court...
"They attempted to steal that information. The fact that they actually
did not receive a trade secret is irrelevant. Since the Yangs intended
to commit the crime and took a substantial step towards commission of
the crime, they violated §1832(a)(4)." (Economic Espionage Act of 1996)
United States v. Yang (02/20/02 - No. 00-3125, 00-3126, 00-3150)
"A defendant is guilty of attempting to misappropriate trade secrets if,
'acting with the kind of culpability otherwise required for commission
of the crime, he . . . purposely does or omits to do anything that,
under the circumstances as he believes them to be, is an act or omission
constituting a substantial step in a course of conduct planned to
culminate in his commission of the crime.' ...Because the defendant's
guilt turns on the "circumstances as believes them to be," the court
held that the government was not required to prove that what the
defendant sought to steal was in fact a trade secret, but only that the
defendant believed it to be one."
United States v. Hsu, 155 F.3d 189 (3d Cir. 1998) http://laws.lp.findlaw.com/6th/02a0062p.html
SPECIAL SECTION -- The MUST-KNOW Computer Eavesdropping Trick
... or why you need a password protected screen saver NOW.
"If you don't understand why locking your system is so important, try
the following exercise. (Don't worry -- if you hit "Cancel" in the
final step** as instructed, it won't actually do anything. This
sequence would be slightly different on Windows 95/98/ME boxes, which
can't be effectively locked, anyway.)
On an unlocked system (preferably yours!):
Hit Windows Key-E to bring up an Explorer window.
Select the "C:" drive in the right pane (tab, down arrow, or click on it).
Hit Alt-Enter to bring up the Properties dialog for that drive.
Click on the "Sharing" tab.
Click "Share this Folder" if it is not selected.
Only if "Share this Folder" was already selected, click the "New Share"
button, enter a share name, and hit "OK".
** Hit "Cancel" to dismiss the dialog safely. DON'T HIT OK.
Close the Explorer window.
If you had hit "Ok" instead of "Cancel" above, this sequence would give
EVERYBODY TOTAL ACCESS to the C: drive. This means that anyone on the
local net could read and write any file or directory on your drive, and
you wouldn't know it. A malicious person with physical access to the
machine only cares about being able to freely access your machine from
the privacy of another workstation. They don't care that everybody else
has access, as well.
So, how long did the exercise above take you? It would only take less
than 10 seconds for an experienced Windows user, and there is no visible
evidence that the system was tampered with. How long does it take for
you to walk to the coffee machine and back? Lock your systems when you
walk away. This exact thing actually happened to an employee at the
company I work for. Eventually she realized that her system was wide
open to the network. Worse, some damage had been done by a remote user.
They never found out who did it.
If you're worried that I'm giving away some secret information, don't.
This can be accomplished in many ways, and the information is public
knowledge. This particular sequence would usually be selected as the
fastest way to get in, make the change, and get out. I'm just attempting
to impress how quickly a Windows system can be compromised."
Our thanks to Greg Searle via Risks-Forum Digest, Vol. 21:92 http://catless.ncl.ac.uk/Risks/21.92.html
SPECIAL SECTION -- More "Good Tech / Bad Tech" SpyWare
Regulatory Compliance / The Note Police Software from FaceTime Communications allows IT managers to log what
employees are saying over Internet instant messaging services, and to
control who has access to such services. The software can track the use
of America Online's AIM service, Yahoo!'s Yahoo! Messenger, and
Microsoft's MSN Messenger. IM Auditor 2.0 is aimed at financial
securities traders and other groups needing to demonstrate compliance
with regulations requiring the logging of communication with clients,
but its audit capabilities could find a use elsewhere. http://www.cnn.com/2002/TECH/ptech/02/06/facetime.software.idg/index.html? http://www.facetime.com/main.htm
Man 'Horrifies' Himself and Shows Up at Work the Next Day for More! 'Sneaky' software may be watching you... Latest version can read your
keystrokes and snap a pic. Right now, your boss, your spouse or the
government could secretly be reading all your typed words -- even the
ones you deleted -- while surreptitiously snapping your picture. Sound
alarming? The man who makes it possible is the first to agree. "It's
horrifying!" says Richard Eaton, who develops, markets and even answers
the technical help line for WinWhatWhere software. http://www.cnn.com/2002/TECH/internet/02/18/sneaky.software.ap/index.html http://www.winwhatwhere.com/
And, the 'Number 6' reason Mac users don't do Windows... Windows Media Player has built-in spy program. Windows Media Player
keeps a record of every music CD and DVD movie a user plays on his
computer, according to Microsoft. The software giant said it will change
its privacy statement to notify customers about the technology, but the
company is not planning to take out the spy program. http://www.ciol.com/content/news/repts/102022107.asp http://www.macdirectory.com/4u/wire.fm$retrieve?Serial=4002365
But back in the Keystone state... The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has agreed to decide whether police may
look at a suspect's e-mail and instant messages without first obtaining
a court order. The case involves a former Lehigh County police officer,
Robert Proetto, who used the Internet to solicit sex from a 15-year-old
girl. Proetto is appealing his conviction. http://www.usatoday.com/life/cyber/tech/2002/02/20/internet-wiretap.htm
Sunshine Law with an eclipse clause... A New York village (Asharoken) passed a law on Jan. 28 that makes
disclosing information from closed-door village meetings a criminal
offense punishable by a fine of up to $1,000. http://www.rcfp.org/news/2002/0211asharo.html
Bluebeard in the Morning? A U.S. court of appeals found unconstitutional a law that barred all
persons who had engaged in the operation of an unlicensed radio station
from acquiring low-power FM licenses. http://www.rcfp.org/news/2002/0219ruggie.html
Finding good help used to be a red-hot legal issue. Poland waters down communist-spy vetting rules...
President Aleksander Kwasniewski on Thursday signed into law a
contentious watering down of the vetting law that forces Poland's
politicians to declare if they had cooperated with communist-era
security forces. http://famulus.msnbc.com/FamulusIntl/reuters02-21-104938.asp?reg=EUROPE
Beep! Beep! A car rental company (Acme Rent-a-Car of New Haven, CT) that used
satellites to track customers and fine speeders $150 was ordered
Wednesday to stop the practice and refund an estimated $13,000 or more.
"This just wasn't fair," state consumer protection Commissioner James T.
Fleming said. "It is not a car rental company's job to enforce the speed
limit in any state." http://www.cnn.com/2002/TECH/ptech/02/20/rental.car.tracking.ap/index.html
Feared Science
FTC sues two cell phone radiation shield firms... Some shields touted as
protecting cell phone users from radiation don't work as advertised and
may cause the wireless devices to emit even more energy, the Federal
Trade Commission said Wednesday. The agency announced it had filed
charges against two companies for promoting the shields with unsupported
claims such as "prevents electromagnetic waves from penetrating the
brain" and "blocks up to 99 percent of the radiation." "There is no
scientific evidence that their products work as they claim," said Howard
Beales, the FTC's director of consumer protection. http://www.cnn.com/2002/TECH/ptech/02/20/cell.phone.shields.ap/index.html
Is that your wife at the tables? Former Chinese Premier Li Peng disputed press reports that he was behind
the reported bugging of a new U.S.-made jetliner ordered for Chinese
President Jiang Zemin. Asked by reporters during a visit to Macau about
his reported involvement, Li said he had no knowledge of the matter.
Citing U.S. intelligence reports, The Washington Times reported that the
Chinese president believed Li ordered the aircraft bugging to eavesdrop
on Jiang's discussions of financial corruption related to Li's wife and
children. Li is on a two-day visit to the gambling haven Macau, 40 miles
west of Hong Kong. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/news/archive/2002/02/17/
Bed-sheet 'bungie' jumping should have been a clue... New Zealand - Video surveillance in a Christchurch rest-home showed an
employee punching and slapping elderly dementia patients, the
Christchurch District Court was told. James Hemi Tapara, aged 54, who
admitted a charge of assault, had worked at the rest-home for eight
years. The surveillance began when complaints about Tapara's behavior
surfaced after he lost his role as 'activities manager' and was placed on
personal care duties. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/storydisplay.cfm?storyID=940583&thesection=news
Scared Straight
Children's Technology Group, Inc. today announced its support for a
Protecting Children Online Safety Campaign. Using its larger-than-life
"Waxy" costume -- a lovable giant crayon character from its "Crayon
Crawler" kid-safe web browser... (aaahhhhhhh!!!!!!!!) http://www.newsdesk.com/en/news.jsp?resourceid=1095651&access=EH
Security Scrapbook - Espionage & Privacy News of the Week.
Mon, 18 Feb 2002
To: Clients, colleagues and friends.
Subject: Espionage & Privacy News of the Week.
====================================================
Kevin's Security Scrapbook® is published on an irregular
basis for a select audience. HTML versions are archived at http://www.spybusters.com/Security_Scrapbook.html
==================================================== SPECIAL SECTION -- Security Director News
SPECIAL SECTION -- Good Tech. Bad Tech.
SPECIAL SECTION -- World Spy News
SPECIAL SECTION -- The Odds & Ends ====================================================
SPECIAL SECTION -- Security Director News
Cautionary Tale #218 - Another "death of a thousand cuts." Recently, several electronic eavesdropping stories appeared in the press
about Comverse Infosys, Inc., only to be retracted or dropped shortly
afterward when they could not be substantiated. Accusations included the
wiretapping of White House phone lines. Evidently the company had
enemies.
Result... Comverse Infosys Changes Name to Verint Systems Inc.
Moral... Don't count on your company's enemies playing fair. They attack
and destroy in some very creative ways. The good news... Before they
attack they will size you up, and collect the information they need to
use against you. Thwart them at this stage by looking for the signs of
electronic eavesdropping and espionage. http://www.verintsystems.com/Content/ContentUnit.asp?CID=18&u=289&t=0
Dig bugs... using thermal imaging technology. Heat is the graveyard of electricity. It is where expended electrons go
to die. Look in the right places for these graveyards, and start
digging. You just might find buried electronic surveillance devices...
audio bugs, micro-sized video cameras, recorders, wiretaps, and the
transmitters which move private sights and sounds to illicit eyes and
ears. The premise is simple. When electricity moves through any
electronic circuit, some of the energy converts to heat. Heat will
migrate. Heat can be seen... (Excerpt from our contribution to the
Certified Counterespionage & Information Security Manager's training program.) http://www.espionbusiness.com/faq.ivnu http://www.spybusters.com/Infrared.html (photos and movies)
A public 'thank you' to the United Nations Security Department... I had a nice thing happen this week. I was asked to speak at the United
Nations. Whatta kick. The audience was the New York City Landmark
Buildings Task Force - a 9/11 association of security directors who have
'landmarks' under their control. Topic: "How to Choose An Eavesdropping
Detection Specialist" Important since intelligence gathering precedes
attacks (terrorist or industrial espionage). It was a real honor. ...
Thank you for asking and for the warm reception.
Cyberthreat Response & Reporting Guidelines CIO (magazine) worked with the Secret Service, the FBI and industry
leaders to create guidelines for reporting security incidents — what to
report, who to report it to, and how. This valuable document includes
phone numbers of Federal and local law enforcement agencies and a
reporting form that you can use at your organization. http://www.cio.com/research/security/response.html
PDA Cradle Hopes To Thwart Corporate Espionage Speck Products has developed a PDA security product that locks both the
PDA device and data as soon as the handheld device has been placed into
its cradle. For the M500, M505 & M125 Palm series, with support for
other PDA makes and models expected to roll out later this year. http://www.e-insite.net/eb-mag/index.asp?layout=article&articleid=
Fraud Alert - Personal Covert GPS Tracking Systems "We have heard much about covert GPS tracking systems. Allegedly, GPS
location data will be received by a child's or geriatric's bracelet,
pet's collar, small unit hidden inside a suitcase, and even biological
implants. The GPS-derived location data is then somehow magically
transmitted, covertly, to a monitoring station, in realtime. Sounds
good. Good enough, in fact, to attract hundreds of thousands of dollars
of venture capital and seed money from persons who do not understand the
technology. ... The bottom line is: these GPS-based tracking systems,
can't possibly work when you consider the physics and technical
requirements involved." Contributed by Steve Uhrig
For your employees... Top Ten Home Computer Security Tips
A group of high-tech companies and U.S. government agencies announced
Thursday a new campaign to educate home computer users and small
businesses about ways to keep hackers and viruses at bay. http://www.staysafeonline.info/
World's Second Cheapest Non-Electric Paper Shredder $15. at Flaxart.com - Home of many cool things.
Oh yeah, what is the World's Cheapest Non-Electric Paper Shredder?
You, if you don't own a paper shredder yet. http://www.flaxart.com/f/Shopping/prod_directory/main.asp?sl=1&
Neologism Recognition from Privacy Journal - February 2002 ...an electronic surveillance consultant in New Jersey has invented this
helpful word: Extortionography - "using audio, video, or photographic
evidence for personal or monetary gain, or to force a desired result or outcome." http://www.privacyjournal.net http://www.spybusters.com/Extortionography.html
SPECIAL SECTION -- Good Tech / Bad Tech
A New Wireless CCTV Security Camera / A New Wireless SpyCam Threat With the D-Link DCS-1000W, you can remotely monitor your home or office.
The product is designed for use in remote security monitoring. It can
also be used to broadcast live feed over the Net. It is also wireless...
built in 802.11b radio transmitter couples it into your wireless LAN! It
has additional ports for IR and/or motion sensor applications and can be
remotely configured from any available Internet connection. http://www.80211-planet.com/news/article/0,4000,1481_971471,00.html http://www.dlink.com/products/DigitalHome/DigitalVideo/dcs1000w/
Ring me up fast / Ring me out fast Sun Microsystems has joined a program called Auto-ID to build wireless
digital identification tags into everything from razor blades to soup
cans, Chief Executive Scott McNealy said Thursday. ... "You put stuff in
a grocery basket and just drive by (a detector). The detector reads
what's in the basket, charges a person's credit card and tells the
factory to restock the shelves," McNealy said. ... In addition, the
technology could help curb theft, said Gillette spokesman Steve Brayton.
... But building transponders into every sort of product could spark
privacy concerns, said David Holtzman, an Internet security researcher
and former Network Solutions chief technology officer. People might not
be comfortable walking around with items that identify themselves as
medication, condoms or pornography. They also might not be comfortable
with manufacturers tracking where products go after being purchased. http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1104-833429.html
We Love Wireless - computer users / We Love Wireless - computer whackers The 802.11b wireless networking standard is the Swiss cheese of
networking security: Its WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) encryption can
be cracked in about 20 minutes. (whackers = wireless hackers) http://www.techweb.com/tech/mobile/20020212_mobile
"Those who give up liberty for the sake of security
deserve neither liberty nor security." - B. Franklin
Franklin High School students adjusting to surveillance... Say a student leaves her expensive biology textbook sitting on top of
her locker all day long. In the afternoon, she realizes where she left
it, but it's no longer there. Because of a new security camera system
(which has cost taxpayers roughly $45,000) at the school, the office can
quickly search video footage of that row of lockers to see when and how
the book disappeared. While some students initially were wary of cameras
rolling in every corner, Franklin parents seem pleased with the
experiment. "I don't think it's meant to be a Big Brother, spy
situation." said PTO President Pat Anderson. (Pat, wouldn't it be
cheaper to just give her a new book? Or, is there some other reason for this?) http://www.tennessean.com/local/archives/02/02/13655685.html?
Which answers why they never thought it was wrong to do... Japanese government aims to fight industrial espionage... The Economy,
Trade and Industry Ministry plans to submit a bill to the 2003 ordinary
Diet session to criminalize the theft or misuse of confidential business
information and provide tough penalties, according to ministry sources.
The bill, which would revise the Unfair Competition Prevention Law, is
aimed at protecting corporate secrecy to strengthen the international
competitiveness of Japanese companies. http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/newse/20020213wo13.htm
Regular retirement not for you? Try Ultimate Forced Retirement... A retired Air Force sergeant with thousands of dollars in debts sought
$13 million from Iraqi President Saddam Hussein in exchange for
sensitive U.S. military secrets, and also offered to spy for Libya and
China, the government says. Bitter over "the small pension I will
receive for all of the years of service," Brian Patrick Regan allegedly
wrote to Saddam that the payment demand was a "small price to pay," the
government said Thursday as it lodged new criminal charges in the
government's latest espionage case. Regan, 39, could face the death penalty. http://www.usdoj.gov/dag/speech/2002/021402news
Why not? Since the EP-3 went down we all use the same gear. Chinese move two secret 'listening posts' from coast near Taiwan to
Afghan border to intercept Al Qaeda communication. China and the U.S.
have resumed intelligence cooperation on a scale not seen since they
joined hands against the Soviets during the Cold War, sources tell Newsweek... http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/micro_stories.pl?ACCT=617800&TICK=NEWS
Happy Anniversary
On Sunday, February 18, 2001, FBI Supervisory Special Agent Robert
Hanssen woke up a free man. But that afternoon, at 4:43 pm in a park in
his hometown of Vienna, Virginia, his life would drastically change
forever for the worse. While loading a dead drop of highly classified US
documents under a bridge at Foxstone Park for his Russian handlers, he
was arrested by the FBI on charges of spying for the Russian
intelligence service, SVR. He went to sleep that night in jail. http://www.cicentre.com/SpyDrive_Hanssen.htm
SPECIAL SECTION -- The Odds & Ends
NPR - Electronic Eavesdropping Report - Very good. Since Sept. 11, law enforcement officials have sought increased powers
to conduct wiretaps and other forms of electronic surveillance. But as
NPR's Larry Abramson reports, legal and technological restrictions limit
their effectiveness. ... http://www.npr.org/ramfiles/me/20020206.me.06.ram (RealAudio)
Your stolen credit cards at work... The prepaid cellphone is criminals' new tool of choice. They're used
in Brazil to organize prison riots, kidnappings and murders, while in
Vietnam they're a drug dealer's best friend. Up in the remote Scottish
highlands, they serve as an early warning device for vandals keen to
avoid the village constable. Cellphones are fast becoming a favored
accessory for crooks. http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/world/americas/2595899.htm
Snitch Culture Report #112 Australian media bosses say they will take the government to court over
planned new laws cracking down on whistle-blowers. The government is to
introduce laws in Parliament next week, increasing jail terms for spies
from seven to 25 years. Media organizations are concerned the laws could
also be used against public servants and journalists. http://www.ananova.com/yournews/story/sm_518105.html
Snitch Culture Report #113 The Australian government is accused of illegally spying on its citizens
by intercepting phone calls made to a Norwegian ship during a dispute
over asylum seekers. Opposition Labour leader Simon Crean says the
government's behaviour was "outrageous and un-Australian" if the
allegations are true. ... The federal government defended intercepting
phone calls to the MV Tampa, saying it was reasonable given the threats
against the ship's captain and that Australian troops were on board. http://www.ananova.com/yournews/story/sm_518776.html http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/story_26095.asp
FutureWatch
Ultra Wide Band (UWB) makes it debut... (this will be big)
Applications...
- Ground Penetrating Radar Systems
- Wall Imaging Systems
- Through-wall Imaging Systems
- Medical Systems
- Surveillance Systems
- Vehicular Radar Systems
- Communications and Measurement Systems
Not to mention, low-probability-of-intercept bugging devices. (Shhhhhh! We told you not to mention that.) http://www.fcc.gov/Bureaus/Engineering_Technology/News_Releases/
Attention PI colleagues... According to a Wall Street Journal report, background check companies
and gun-toting bounty hunters are just two of the businesses vying for
contracts from the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) to help
track foreign students who come to the US on student visas. http://www.hindustantimes.com/nonfram/120202/dLFOR13.asp
Vacation Idea - See Real Spy Gadgets For the first time, the public is getting a large scale view of the
CIA's and KGB's real-life James Bond gadgets, from a replica of the
Russians' deadly poison-dart umbrella to some of the Americans' most
ingeniously concealed cameras. The exhibit, which opened to the public
Sunday at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library (Simi Valley,
California), includes dozens of items borrowed from the CIA's collection
in Langley, VA., many of them never before shown to the public.
The exhibit runs until July 14, 2002. http://www.guardian.co.uk/uslatest/story/0,1282,-1525936,00.html http://www.cia.gov/cia/information/artifacts/index.htm http://www.reaganlibrary.net/ (800-998-7641)
Tourette's Syndrome Candidat Manchurian (the other TSCM)
A Texas man is facing up to 20 years in prison for shooting his
girlfriend because he thought she was about to say "New Jersey."
Although he did not claim insanity as a defense, relatives testified
that Mitchell gets angry, curses and bangs on walls when he hears
certain words or phrases, including "New Jersey," "Snickers," "Mars" and "Wisconsin".
("Hi y'all. I'm from 08858. I love M&M's and that other candy from
...that company.") http://www.ananova.com/news/index.html?startingAt=21&keywords http://www.tourettesyndrome.net/ http://www.filmsite.org/manc.html
Security Scrapbook - Espionage & Privacy News of the Week.
Sat, 09 Feb 2002
To: Clients, colleagues and friends.
Subject: Espionage & Privacy News of the Week.
====================================================
Kevin's Security Scrapbook® is published on an irregular
basis for a select audience. HTML versions are archived at http://www.spybusters.com/Security_Scrapbook.html
==================================================== SPECIAL SECTION -- Security Director News
SPECIAL SECTION -- World Spy News
SPECIAL SECTION -- Extortionography's Positive Side
SPECIAL SECTION -- "Hello Mr. & Mrs. America and all the ships at sea." ====================================================
SPECIAL SECTION -- Security Director News
Budget Booster #108 - Proving 'Return On Investment' - the secret formula.
The University of Idaho developed and tested a Return On Security
Investment (ROSI) formula for computer security. The study is being
complimented for its "academic rigor." Unlike fuzzy surveys, the
researchers proved their numbers through testing.
Here is the formula... (R - E) + T = ALE R = is the cost per year to recover from any number of intrusions. E = Dollar savings gained by stopping intrusions using a security tool. T = Total cost of the security tool. ALE = Annual Loss Expectancy
R - (ALE) = ROSI ROSI = Return On Security Investment
Run your corporate numbers, reclaim your budget.
Corollaries…
- The earlier you invest in security, the greater the ROSI.
- Survivability of attack increases as security spending increases.
History...
Proving ROSI is not a new concept. In 1882, George Parmalee set fire to
a Bolton, England cotton spinning factory to prove that his brother's
new fire sprinklers were a good security investment. In modern times,
the 'hard figures formula' was pioneered by James N. Atkinson, CPP,
former ASIS president and Johnson & Johnson corporate security director.
Combine the best of both. Set a fire under your CFO using hard figures.
And please, remember us when your budget gets boosted.
We provide an excellent ROSI.
Cautionary Tale #217 - Insurance firm settles wiretapping lawsuit. Bankers Insurance Co. has agreed to pay the state (FL) $1 million in fines
and costs, remove two top officials and send written apologies to a
state insurance regulator on whom the company spied. Bankers and
affiliated companies agreed to remove chairman Robert M. Menke from his
current position for at least three years. They also banned general
counsel G. Kristin Delano from all positions with Bankers or any
affiliates and banned him from receiving any compensation for his
removal. In addition, Menke and the company have written separate
letters of apology to Kevin McCarty, the state insurance regulator whose
privacy the company violated when it hired private investigators to spy
on him in 1995. The private investigator followed McCarty and bugged his
home telephone in an apparent attempt to find evidence that might be
used to get him fired. http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/florida/search/
Security Director Cautionary Tale #218 - On selling ice to Eskimos... Competitive Intelligence (CI) in China is typically conducted by
research centers commissioned by the government. However, as
privatization continues and academics spread the work on CI, more
Chinese companies are training managers on intelligence issues. On
December 8, 2001, the Society of Competitive Intelligence China held a
four day symposium on competitive intelligence techniques and applications. http://www.imakenews.com/scip2/e_article000053498.cfm?x=57305,4231844
Counterespionage Quote of the Week... "I believe you have to stand up to this sort of thing (corporate espionage) and if
fewer people turned away we could have a much better society."
- Andy Parsons (see next story) http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_1804000/1804290.stm
Security Director Cautionary Tale #209 (1/26/02) - Follow-up When British citizen Andy Parsons set out for Georgia in the US to head
up software developers Vector Networks' sales team, he did have
adventure on his mind (but did not expect anything like this). ...an
employee of a rival company phoned Mr. Parsons and offered him the
firm's entire customer database for $20,000. With true Brit grit and
honesty, he immediately informed the rival firm's chief executive. ...
In the US, employees stealing data and information is a serious problem.
Typically the motive is money, says Tom Waters of the Phoenix Consulting
Group, but not always. "Often people are driven by revenge." http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_1804000/1804290.stm
Sample Computer SpyWare pitch... "Stealth-Eye automatically records EVERYTHING your Lover ...your
Children ...your Employees do on their computer. And you can play it
back like a VCR at your convenience. Stealth-Eyes will Email you the
text version of their on-line chat conversations and Emails - incoming
and outgoing - to ANY Email address you designate ...24 hours a day.
Stealth-Eyes installs and remains TOTALLY hidden on a computer. Only you
know it is there."
(Imagine this on your corporate computers! It is just one electronic
surveillance tool available to eavesdroppers and industrial spies these days.) http://se.steamboattech.com
And if you think you're having a bad day, visit this... Chemical and Biological Weapons & Weapons of
Mass Destruction (WMD) Terrorism News Archive http://www.nti.org/db/cbw/index.htm
SPECIAL SECTION -- World Spy News
"I could have sworn he said..." A federal judge ruled Friday that wiretap evidence collected by Canadian
intelligence agents can be used in the trial of a man (Said Mohamad
Harb, 31, a Lebanon-born naturalized U.S. citizen) accused of helping
the militant group Hezbollah. Harb's defense lawyers challenged the use
of the testimony and the transcripts without the tapes, which have been
destroyed. CSIS produced 113 pages of transcripts but said it was
standard procedure to destroy the tapes. http://www.abcnews.go.com/wire/US/ap20020201_1385.html
"Your debt ratio analysis indicates you can't fly on vacation with us..." Federal transportation security officials plan to begin testing a new
network that would enable security officials to collect and analyze a
vast array of personal data on airline passengers in an attempt to weed
out terrorists before they can get aboard aircraft. The system would
link every reservation system in the country with a number of private
and government databases. Through the use of data mining and predictive
software analysis, it would analyze personal travel histories, unusual
relationships between passengers aboard particular flights and a wealth
of other data for clues to potential threats. http://www.idg.net/ic_797650_1794_9-10000.html
What about documents 'found' under a rock while taking a walkabout?
Australia - New law to be introduced... Courts will reportedly be able
to jail people for up to two years for leaking or receiving government
documents without authorization. http://www.theage.com.au/breaking/2002/02/02/FFXW8M7A6XC.html
Little Caesars' and their Axis access... Beijing - Bitter after being snubbed for membership in the "Axis of
Evil," Libya, China, and Syria today announced they had formed the "Axis
of Just as Evil," which they said would be way eviler than that stupid
Iran-Iraq-North Korea axis President Bush warned of his State of the
Union address. Axis of Evil members, however, immediately dismissed the
new axis as having, for starters, a really dumb name. "Right. They are
Just as Evil... in their dreams!" declared North Korean leader Kim
Jong-il. Diplomats from Syria denied they were jealous over being
excluded, although they conceded they did ask if they could join the
Axis of Evil. "They told us it was full," said Syrian President Bashar
al-Assad. "An Axis can't have more than three countries," explained
Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. "This is not my rule, it's tradition. http://www.satirewire.com/news/jan02/axis.html
Dis Information... Defense Minister says Russia will not participate in campaign against
'Axis of Evil.' Addressing the international military-political forum
"Wehrkunde" in Munich on 2 February, Sergei Ivanov said that Russia
"does not share the U.S. point of view that Iraq, Iran, and North Korea
pose a terrorist threat to mankind... http://www.rferl.org/securitywatch/2002/02/5-080202.html
Happy Valentine's Day - From Russia With Love In his comments to U.S. President George W. Bush's State of the Union
address from 29 January, Sergei Rogov, the director of the Institute USA
and Canada, (said) for Russia, Bush's speech means that the period of
confrontation in American-Russian relations has ended. Both countries
have no more irreconcilable differences in ideology, are not
geopolitical competitors, nor adversaries in an arms race. http://www.rferl.org/securitywatch/2002/02/5-080202.html
The KGB spy dictionary... = Agent-boyevik - a combat agent -- An agent carrying out special tasks,
including those requiring the use of arms, explosives, special
preparations and substances.
= Kampaniya shpionomanii - a spy-mania campaign -- The totality of
agitation and propaganda measures carried out by the state agencies of a
country using the mass information media, aimed at violently accusing
another state, its official representatives and citizens, of conducting
widespread espionage within the country, with the object of causing
political damage to that state and limiting its scope for conducting
intelligence work. (Sound familiar?)
From KGB Lexicon: The Soviet Intelligence Officers' Handbook http://www.guardian.co.uk/saturday_review/story/0,3605,643341,00.html
SPECIAL SECTION -- Extortionography's Positive Side
For two months, a TV station's hidden camera caught police officers
spending hours behind the doors of a break room at the Denver airport
when they should have been on patrol. KCNC captured footage of one
officer entering the windowless room during an NFL playoff game and
exiting hours later. And one officer was clocked spending four hours of
an eight-hour shift in the break room.
"I know what you're thinking... did he fire six shots or only five?
Well, hell if I know! You KNOW I cain't count no higher'n three since
the chainsaw accident!" - Eastwood Clinton In a major embarrassment for Bill Clinton, newly released tapes reveal
the former president in a friendly chat with Slobodan Milosevic,
treating the Butcher of Belgrade like a good ol' boy. The leaked
transcripts, published by the Croatian weekly Globus, are from
wiretapped calls secretly recorded by Croatian military intelligence. http://www.nypost.com/news/worldnews/40918.htm
...and not so positive side... May a spiritual teacher be my witness. Taiwan prosecutors Thursday charged a former mayor with invading his
estranged girlfriend's privacy by secretly filming her making love.
Prosecutors indicted Tsai Jen-chien, 49, former mayor of the city of
Hsinchu, and recommended a one-year sentence on charges of violating the
island's privacy law. Chu Mei-feng, 35, a TV reporter-turned politician,
became one of the best known women in the Chinese speaking world after a
tabloid magazine gave away video discs showing her having sex with a
married man at her home. Chu's close friend, Kuo Yu-ling, 44, a
spiritual teacher, installed the hidden camera with Tsai's help.
Prosecutors also found eavesdropping devices and surveillance cameras in
Chu's car and office. http://www.reuters.com/news_article.jhtml?type=search&StoryID=577349
SPECIAL SECTION -- "Hello Mr. & Mrs. America and all the ships at sea."
The 'ol spy switcheroo... Regal Cruises has changed its March 10-17, 2002 sailing itinerary from a
Bahamas voyage to an exciting Western Caribbean voyage and taking the
passengers of SpyCruise along with it. SpyCruise is a special group of
200+ people onboard the ship who have signed up to meet, talk with and
hear daily lectures about spies and spycatching from intelligence
experts formerly with the FBI, CIA and KGB and well-known intelligence authors. http://www.cicentre.com/SpyCruise_New_6.htm
(Still time to be recruited. $749. - $1549. per secret agent.
Two agents per stateroom. Individual reservations available
with ability to secretly specify a handler/roommate.)
"We all live in a ..." You're hired! Get in! UK - Wartime agents planned 'idiot proof' sub. British agents developed
a one-man midget submarine ... designed to be "driven by anybody." The
revelation comes in declassified Government documents... Produced in
1942 for the Special Operations Executive (SOE). http://www.ananova.com/yournews/story/sm_514855.html
Security Scrapbook - Espionage & Privacy News of the Week.
Sat, 02 Feb 2002
To: Clients, colleagues and friends.
Subject: Espionage & Privacy News of the Week.
====================================================
Kevin's Security Scrapbook® is published on an irregular
basis for a select audience. HTML versions are archived at http://www.spybusters.com/Security_Scrapbook.html
==================================================== SPECIAL SECTION -- Security Director News
SPECIAL SECTION -- World Spy News
SPECIAL SECTION -- SpyCam News
SPECIAL SECTION -- Brave New World of Wireless ====================================================
SPECIAL SECTION -- Security Director News
Security Director Cautionary Tale #214 - Agere v. Multiplex - Industrial Espionage New Jersey - In a startling pre-dawn sweep of homes and offices
yesterday morning, agents of the FBI fanned out through South Plainfield
and surrounding towns to serve grand jury subpoenas on an estimated 20
different employees and officials of a Chinese-linked high-tech company
named Multiplex, Inc. The subpoenas are thought to be related to a civil
suit filed last August against Multiplex, Inc. by Agere Systems, Inc.,
the chip-making giant that is now in the process of being spun off from
Lucent Technologies, Inc. http://www.nypost.com/business/38198.htm
Security Director Cautionary Tale #215 - Reporter Spies on Spy Case A reporter for a Japanese newspaper pleaded guilty to pretending he was
a federal official so that he could secure documents about scientists
accused of theft. Avi Lidgi (27), a reporter in the Los Angeles bureau
of the Tokyo-based Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper, faces up to three years in
prison and fines up to $250,000. The government secrets case involves
two scientists accused of stealing research material from the Cleveland
Clinic. Both Hiroaki Serizawa of the University of Kansas Medical Center
and Takashi Okamoto, a former clinic scientist, pleaded innocent and
face a trial in May. http://www.rcfp.org/news/2002/0115usvlid.html
Security Director Cautionary Tale #216 - The power of Extortionography. NZ - A mechanic who says he was defamed and his business ruined is suing
the maker and broadcaster of the "hidden camera" television program
Target for $600,000. Phil King's claim says his business, Capital Auto
Repair Services (CARS), suffered dramatically after the April 1999
broadcast. It ceased trading last February. A CARS mechanic was secretly
filmed tuning a car that Target had doctored. Target ranked all four
mechanics' work in that week's program as "very disappointing." Mr.
King was given a chance to comment before the program screened, and
disputed the findings. His protests led to a second segment on Target,
where he demonstrated the errors he said the program made. On air, the
programme makers called the result a "draw" but offered no apology or
retraction. Mr. King now works part-time as a mechanic in Miramar,
Wellington. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/storydisplay.cfm?storyID=887922&thesection http://www.spybusters.com/Extortionography.html
Homeland Security Monitor... "Intellibridge offers critical information and insightful analysis on
homeland security issues for state and local governments, law
enforcement, emergency management and corporate executives at all levels." http://www.homelandsecuritymonitor.com/index.htm
Barn door closes... Wi-Fi, a wireless technology touted by Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates as
one of the greatest tech innovations in five years, is being banned from
some high-tech institutions because of security concerns. This month,
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California banned all wireless
networks, including the most prevalent, Wi-Fi, from its grounds due to
"security vulnerabilities," directors said in a newsletter. http://www.usatoday.com/life/cyber/tech/2002/01/29/wifi.htm
The BIG Stolen Wallet Secret Tip for your employees... Everyone knows (remind them) that they should photocopy everything in
their wallet - front and back - and keep the paper in a safe place.
Having it will help if their wallet is ever lost or stolen. Big Secret Tip...
Most people don't know that the Social Security Administration and the
three national credit reporting agencies should be notified as well.
Reason... place a fraud alert on the person's name and Social Security
number. Get a pencil, write these numbers on the photocopy sheet as well...
Equifax: 1-800-525-6285
Experian: 1-888-397-3742
TransUnion: 1-800-680-7289
Social Security Administration: 1-800-269-0271
To report that checks have been stolen or that bank accounts have been
opened without your consent...
National Check Fraud Center: (843) 571-2143
CheckRite: (800) 234-7800
CrossCheck Inc.: (800) 552-1900
Equifax Check Services: (800) 437-5120
Shared Check Authorization Network (SCAN): (800) 262-7771
National Processing Co. (NPC): (800) 526-5380
TeleCheck: (800) 710-9898/ (800) 927-0188
World's Cheapest Crosscut Shredder - $39.96 - Wal-Mart Royal Crosscut shredder. Shreds up to 5 sheets at a time. Item #14480V
"The Crossed Wire" puzzler... Remember last week's story about Ms. Sivek's home telephone number
showing up on caller ID boxes all over the country? She didn't make the
calls. How could this happen? I looked into it. Caller ID information is
programmed into the caller's telephone switch - usually a telephone
company central office switch. There are, however, some switches which
customers program themselves... even down to the calling phone number.
Primary rate ISDN type switches can be programmed with any number. Best
guess from our shy, smart and modest friends in the biz... "The perp
probably has his own switching equipment or has compromised that of
someone else." Ms. Sivek will be fine. Her phone company should be able
to trace this to its source.
(Got a spooky problem? Please call us. We love spooky problems.) http://www.detnews.com/2002/metro/0201/18/d06d-393292.htm
IT'S OFFICIAL... Cuba - A Russian spy base in communist-run Cuba has finally
been closed and its electronic equipment is waiting to be transported
back to Moscow, the head of Cuba's armed forces Raul Castro said on
Saturday. "The Lourdes base exists no more. It has been dismantled and
the complete withdrawal is the Russians' responsibility." http://www.abcnews.go.com/wire/US/reuters20020126_226.html
David v. Goliath The New York Police Department has picked a former CIA spymaster to
revamp its intelligence-gathering capacity after September 11 and try to
infiltrate terrorist cells. David Cohen, a CIA veteran of 35 years who
spent two years as the agency's director of operations, will serve as
New York's Deputy Commissioner for Intelligence.
(Congratulations and best wishes David.) http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,2002040000-2002041971,00.html
Short attention span Themis... A Greek official said for the first time Friday that it is too late to
pursue charges against the November 17 terrorist group for four
killings, including that of a CIA agent in 1975. Greek law has a 20-year
statute of limitations for all murder charges. http://famulus.msnbc.com/site_elements/404_page.asp?EUROPE
Fried Spy Rings? Zambia - Twenty-one suspects have been picked up by police in Ndola and
charged with espionage for allegedly selling cooking oil they blended
with Zesco transformer oil. (Yes, there is more to this story.) http://allafrica.com/stories/200201310523.html
...doing what? UK - Spy chiefs say military intelligence is being jeopardised by an
"acute" shortage of trained personnel. They say they are now so short of
qualified instructors, they may have to start diverting personnel away
from operations to training duties. Servicemen and women with "highly
marketable" intelligence skills are being lured away to lucrative jobs
in the private sector. http://www.ananova.com/yournews/story/sm_510555.html
Let's ask the people who lived under the Taliban what they think... Hackers defaced Government websites in Australia, Britain and the United
States over the weekend, in one of the largest systematic attacks on
official sites. A message on the Pentaguard site did not offer a
specific motive, but said...
"Hack governments all over the world ...
hack them all ...
who needs them anyway? ...
they don't have mp3's ...
they don't have porn ...
they're totally unusefull ... " (sic) http://www.nzherald.co.nz/storydisplay.cfm?thesection=technology
"Once more into the breach, dear friends!" - James Bond* A security guard inspired by James Bond was jailed for 11 years today
for trying to sell defence secrets to the Russians. Raphael Bravo hoped
to receive thousands of pounds for the files he stole from British
Aerospace in Stanmore.
(*quoting 'Henry V' in 'From Russia With Love') http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/dynamic/news/top_story.html?
SPECIAL SECTION -- SpyCam News
SpyCam report recommendation adds insult to injury detection... Florida - The joint Attorney General - Agency for Health Care
Administration report released last week recommended that video
surveillance cameras be allowed in the bedrooms and bathrooms of nursing
home patients. The Florida Medical Directors Association is against
it... "Video surveillance cameras will do nothing but harm the
relationship between patient and caregiver and they should not be
allowed in patient bedrooms. Add to that the fact that they will be the
tool of eager trial attorneys and you have a prescription for disaster,"
said Morris Kutner, MD, CMD, immediate past-president, Florida Medical
Directors Association. http://www.newsdesk.com/en/news.jsp?resourceid=1058762
Next on COPS... UK - Youngsters have found a new pastime - having sex in public places,
according to a town police officer. PC Mark Walton says he knows of
three instances of couples having sex on the Mill Lane roundabout in
Great Hollands. And he said there is CCTV footage of drunken party-goers
leaving Colours nightclub in the town centre also having sex in public.
He said: "A recent trend in Bracknell is having sex on the roundabout.
... It's a social problem." http://icberkshire.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0200berkshireheadlines http://wsp3.wspice.com/~dpannell/beatles/dontwe.htm (sing along)
Next on WTWU... "The United Kingdom leads the world in the deployment of Closed Circuit
Tele Vision camera technology. However, we seem to have no coherent,
legally enforceable rules or regulations which ensure that Public CCTV
schemes are run properly. This website aims to open up a debate about
the extent to which powerful technologies such as linked CCTV camera
systems, neural network facial recognition, car number plate
recognition, multimedia image databases etc. are being applied in the
UK." (Watching Them, Watching Us) http://www.spy.org.uk/wtwu.htm
SPECIAL SECTION -- Brave New World of Wireless
Squawkin' in the boys' room... New York City schools chancellor Harold Levy lifted a 1988 ban on
students having mobile devices in school. http://www.mbizcentral.com
Deep Pocket Friars... Even the penitent Franciscan friars have a phone habit now. The monks,
who dedicate themselves to missionary and humanitarian work, engaged a
Milan designer to create new robes for them. According to The Times,
they've updated to a snappy charcoal grey number in lightweight wool,
with breast pockets for their mobile phones. http://www.mbizcentral.com
The al-Qaeda aren't the only ones with secret cells... A Motorola report on the behavior of mobile-phone users worldwide found
that one in 10 maintains a secret second handset, often for clandestine
love affairs. Motorola suggests that this is a sign of people embracing
a new technology. We're not so sure about that, but clearly there's
embracing involved somewhere. Actual quote from the report: "'I'd like
to turn off my mobile when I'm in bed with someone,' said one
businessman, many miles from home, 'but my wife suspects I'm being
unfaithful if she can't reach me.'" http://www.mbizcentral.com
ay yo trip, rappin ring tunes... Wu-Tang Clan and Mobb Deep released ringtones (custom cell phone ringing
sounds, fo yo 'bammas) of their latest songs. Why? It's a free marketing
ploy now, but... the San Francisco Chronicle reports ringtones - which
can sell for $1-2 apiece - generate $500 million a year worldwide.
Pretty smart, huh?
(I'm ghost... mebe puttin down some phat beats.)
Eavesdropping Detection Services
United Kingdom Eavesdropping Detection Services
