DIY Spy Tip #089 - "...with 'friends' like you..."

If you are still relying on Google to snoop on your friends, you are behind the curve.

Armed with new and established Web sites, people are uncovering surprising details about colleagues, lovers and strangers that often don't turn up in a simple Internet search. Though none of these sites can reveal anything that isn't already available publicly, they can make it much easier to find. And most of them are free.

Zaba Inc.'s ZabaSearch.com turns up public records such as criminal history and birthdates. Spock Networks Inc.'s Spock.com and Wink Technologies Inc.'s Wink.com are "people-search engines" that specialize in digging up personal pages, such as social-networking profiles, buried deep in the Web. Spokeo.com is a search site operated by Spokeo Inc., a startup that lets users see what their friends are doing on other Web sites. Zillow Inc.'s Zillow.com estimates the value of people's homes, while the Huffington Post's Fundrace feature tracks their campaign donations. Jigsaw Data Corp.'s Jigsaw.com, meanwhile, lets people share details with each other from business cards they've collected -- a sort of gray market for Rolodex data. (more)

Report: C-level execs more involved with security

The major data breaches that have received mass media coverage are driving so-called "C-level" executives to become actively involved in their organization's security policies, according to a new report from the (ISC)2.

There are several key "take-aways" from the report, titled "2008 (ISC)2 Global Information Security Workforce" and authored by Rob Ayoub, Frost & Sullivan's network security industry manager.

Ayoub told SCMagazineUS.com that these include the fact that C-level executives are paying attention to security...

"CEOs are asking their security professionals important questions about how they're prepared to not become another TJX," (answers) (more)

SpyCam Story #446 - The Diogenes Dilemma

NY - Matt Walsh finally had his day in front of the NFL, and as far as commissioner Roger Goodell is concerned, this chapter of the Patriots videotaping saga is closed.

Walsh, a former Patriots video assistant who last week turned over eight tapes showing the team recording opposing offensive and defensive signals, met for more than three hours with Goodell yesterday. In the commissioner’s view, he offered no new information worth reopening the league’s investigation into the Patriots’ videotaping practices.

Goodell said Walsh told him there was no tape of the Rams walkthrough prior to Super Bowl XXXVI. He said Walsh was unaware of any other violations of league policy, including the bugging of locker rooms, manipulation of communications equipment, or miking of players to pick up opposing signals...

He also told the commissioner that he had helped a small number of players scalp between eight and 12 Super Bowl tickets. (more)

From Spy Novels to CIA Papers

Washington, DC - Georgetown University’s newest addition to its special collections delves deep into the world of spies, espionage and secret intelligence...

Most recently, the university acquired a special collection from the family of the late Richard Helms, director of the Central Intelligence Agency from 1966 to 1973. Personal and professional papers and photographs paint a picture of a nation in turmoil from the Vietnam and Cold Wars – and how that turmoil forced U.S. intelligence gathering to adapt.

The library’s espionage and intelligence division stands as just one subset of an overall special collection that boasts 100,000 rare books and 7,000 linear feet of manuscripts in addition to art and other media. The division began in earnest 25 years ago with the Russell J. Bowen collection, comprising of thousands of nonfiction books on intelligence. Bowen had worked for the CIA as a senior foreign technology analyst in the areas of non-nuclear energy and illegal technology transfer.

Georgetown celebrated the new collection, which will be on display at Lauinger Library (Gunlocke Room) through May 31. (more)

Spycraft 101: CIA Spytechs from Communism to Al-Qaeda

Tuesday, 3 June; 6:30 pm
Rubber airplanes, messages planted inside dead rats, and subminiature cameras hidden inside ballpoint pens…

Science fiction? Q’s imaginary tools? Think again. These are just a few of the real-life devices created by the ultra-ingenious CIA Office of Technical Services (OTS).

In support of their new book Spycraft: The Secret History of the CIA’s Spytechs from Communism to Al-Qaedathe former director of OTS Bob Wallace teams up with internationally renowned espionage historian H. Keith Melton to reveal the amazing life and death operations of OTS, the CIA’s shadowy “wizards.”

Presented against a backdrop of some of America’s most critical periods of history—including the Cold War, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and the war on terror—this is a unique chance to go inside the hidden world of America’s “Q” and see many of the actual gadgets.

Rare devices including concealments, microdots, and disguises will be on display, and all attendees will have the opportunity to have their photos taken (bring your own camera please) with an authentic (and official) freeze-dried CIA rat designed for covert communications in Moscow. It will be a memento of the evening you’ll treasure forever!
Tickets: $20 • Members of The Spy Ring® (Join Today!): $16 (more)

Quote of the Day

"Anybody can be a spy now."
– Todd Myers, President, Computer Sights

As a private investigator, Jim Bender has tracked everything from straying spouses to strung-out trust-fund babies - sometimes following them for days at a time.

But thanks to an innovative GPS device the size of a matchbox, he can now stake out a cheating husband without leaving his Fort Lauderdale office. Or, as he has done the last few weeks, help a major company figure out who is draining the diesel fuel from its big rigs.

Technological advances have revolutionized the surveillance business, making devices smaller, cheaper and more effective than ever. And not just for professional snoops like Bender, but for everyday people. (more)

"Watch the donut, not the hole."

NY - Police arrested a Kings Park Dunkin' Donuts employee at 10:26 pm last Thursday for allegedly setting up an illegal surveillance camera in the shop's women's bathroom.

Danish Qureshi, 25, of Huntington Station, an employee of the Dunkin' Donuts at 101 Pulaski Road in Kings Park, allegedly installed a wireless pinhole surveillance camera in the women's bathroom, according to police. Qureshi was using his wireless laptop computer to observe occupants of the bathroom while he was sitting in his nearby vehicle, police claim.

An area resident who owns similar surveillance equipment called police after he intercepted the signal and observed the bathroom on his television, Suffolk police reported. (more)

She said the man in the gabardine suit was a spy

FB-I said "Be careful his bowtie is really a wi-fi"
Next time you flip open your laptop as you wait for a flight or work at a coffee shop, beware, says the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The person next to you may be stealing your personal bank account information, address book and other files from your computer.

The agency warned earlier this week that the information on your computers may not be protected when using some of the 68,000 Wi-Fi hot spots, or local wireless Internet connections, around the country.

"Odds are there's a hacker nearby, with his own laptop, attempting to 'eavesdrop' on your computer to obtain personal data that will provide access to your money or even to your company's sensitive information," the FBI said in a advisory on its Web site.

Think that's bad, the FBI goes further to warn that if a hacker hooks into your computer, you are also connecting to his computer. That means you could be unknowingly downloading viruses and worms.

Protect yourself:
• Update the security protection on your computer with current versions of operating systems, web browsers, firewalls and antivirus and anti-spyware software.
• When tapped into a Wi-Fi network, don't conduct financial transactions or use e- mail and instant messaging.
• Change the default setting on your laptop so you have to manually select the Wi-Fi network you connect to.
• Turn off your laptop's Wi-Fi capabilities when you're not using them. (more)
Clients... Ask us to demonstrate this during our next eavesdropping detection audit.

FutureWatch - Video Vigilantes

New Zealand - A Christchurch cul-de-sac has thwarted its boy-racer problem with secret video surveillance.

Business owners and the only resident of Dalziel Place in Woolston were fed up with weekly crowds of boy racers converging on their street, doing burnouts, defacing properties and throwing bottles.

Cameras set up by a surveillance company that has its headquarters on the street captured footage of six cars and their drivers breaking the law.

The footage was passed on to police and all six drivers last week had their cars impounded for 28 days. (more)

"World's smallest" GSM bug

from the seller's web site...
The PLM-JNGSMTX08 Micro GSM Listening Device is the pinnacle of GSM listening technology packed into an incredibly small package just 43 x 34 x 17mm. Just insert any SIM card, call the number and you will hear exactly what is going on in your absence.

UK customers can track its location at any time via the internet making it a compact dual purpose surveillance device. Supplied with mains charger and protective carry case. This is the ultimate micro miniature listening device! (more)
Why do I mention it?
So you know what you are up against.

Corporate Spies Killing The CIA

The CIA is having a growing problem with their analysts and spies being recruited away by corporations. One unpleasant, for government intelligence agencies, development of the last few decades has been the growing popularity of "competitive intelligence" (corporate espionage.) It's a really big business, with most large (over a billion dollars of annual sales) corporations having separate intelligence operations. Spending on corporate intel work is over $5 billion a year, and is expected to more than double in the next four years.

The corporate recruiters have a pretty easy time of it, as they can offer higher pay, better working conditions and bonuses. (more)

Spy Hard II

Former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori on Monday had a minute-long laughing fit during his trial when he heard that his former military aides used to spy on him through the keyhole. (more)

JK Rowling wins privacy case over son's photo

UK - Harry Potter author JK Rowling has won her battle to ban the further publication of a long-lens photograph of her son, in a privacy case her lawyers called a major development in British law.

In a written judgment, a panel of judges upheld the appeal, a ruling which Rowling and husband Neil Murray welcomed.

"We understand and accept that with the success of Harry Potter there will be a measure of legitimate media and public interest in Jo's (Rowling's) professional activities and appearances," the couple said in a statement.

"However, we have striven to give our children a normal family life outside the media spotlight.

"We are immensely grateful to the court for giving our children protection from covert, unauthorised photography; this ruling will make an immediate and material difference to their lives." (more)
...but, if they didn't win, there was always... >Plan B<.

SpyCam Story #445 - More Workplace Voyeurism

Australia - Federal police (AFP) are investigating how women at SBS' headquarters in Sydney were filmed in a changing room two years ago.

The AFP told SBS management about two weeks ago they had found photos of three women on the home computer of a man who works there. It is alleged the photos were taken by a camera installed in the room in 2006.

SBS managing director Shaun Brown says the suspect has been suspended from his job.

"Clearly the AFP had in their possessions the photograph," he said.

"They obviously had the identity of the suspect, they knew where the suspect worked and they appeared to put two and two together and concluded that the offence took place on these premises." (more)
So, why did it take 2-years for the staff to be informed?

Wi-Fi FBI Spy Cry

How do hackers grab your personal data out of thin air? Supervisory Special Agent Donna Peterson of our Cyber Division said one of the most common types of attack is this: a bogus but legitimate-looking Wi-Fi network with a strong signal is strategically set up in a known hot spot...and the hacker waits for nearby laptops to connect to it. At that point, your computer—and all your sensitive information, including user ID, passwords, credit card numbers, etc.—basically belongs to the hacker. The intruder can mine your computer for valuable data, direct you to phony webpages that look like ones you frequent, and record your every keystroke.

“Another thing to remember,” said Agent Peterson, “is that the connection between your laptop and the attacker's laptop runs both ways: while he's taking info from you, you may be unknowingly downloading viruses, worms, and other malware from him.”

What can you do to protect yourself?
Agent’s Peterson’s best advice is, don’t connect to an unknown Wi-Fi network. But if you have to, there are some precautions you can take to decrease the threat:
• Make sure your laptop security is up to date, with current versions of your operating system, web browser, firewalls, and antivirus and anti-spyware software.
• Don't conduct financial transactions or use applications like e-mail and instant messaging.
Change the default setting on your laptop so you have to manually select the Wi-Fi network you’re connecting to.
• Turn off your laptop's Wi-Fi capabilities when you're not using them.
(more) (How to Protect Your Computer)

SpyCam Story #444 - Workplace Voyeurism

Employer Video Monitoring of Bathrooms and Locker Rooms
by The National Workrights Institute
"Electronic monitoring is a rapidly growing phenomenon in American businesses. By recent estimates, 92% of employers were conducting some form of workplace monitoring. This rapid growth in monitoring has virtually destroyed any sense of privacy as we know it in the American workplace. As technology has proliferated in the workplace, it has become ever more penetrating and intrusive... Most invasive of all is video monitoring. Some cameras are appropriate. Security cameras in stairwells and parking garages make us all safer without intruding on privacy. But employers often install cameras in areas that are completely indefensible. Many employers have installed hidden video cameras in locker rooms and bathrooms, sometimes inside the stalls..." (more, with examples)

Who's Watching You at Work?

"Surveillance is now routine business practice among American employers, both large and small, as the cost and ease of introducing have dropped. You leave your rights at the office door every day you go to work. Most surveillance is conducted without any individualized suspicion, and personal as well as business-related information is routinely collected," explained Jeremy Gruber, legal director at the National Workrights Institute.

Two-thirds of the companies included in the "2007 Electronic Monitoring & Surveillance Survey" said they monitor Internet connections. (more)

The Dawn of the VoIP Bug

"...transform the existing power lines in your home or small office into a high-speed network solution. Without running wires, PLC-185S takes advantage of your existing electrical wiring to create or extend a network environment. PLC-185S is also an ideal solution for homes or small offices where concrete walls, floors in multi-storied buildings, or other architectural barriers could inhibit a wireless signal.

Just plug the PLC-185S into an electrical outlet and it can turn every electrical outlet into a possible network connection to connect to any network devices, such as wireless router, network cameras, and video servers." or VoIP bugs :) (more)

Hollywood Wiretap - Is The Pellicano Case New?

Two-bit snoops are a dime a dozen, but Hollywood wiretappers rate a four-bit litereary, literally!
Enough with the alliteration.
Blow 50 cents (not literally) and tap into some deja vu by Brad Lewis. Download Hollywood Wiretap– instantly – from Amazon.com, now.

Lessons in Wiretapping Skills

Los Angeles - The wiretapping trial of Anthony Pellicano, the accused sleuth to the stars and irrepressible eavesdropper, has offered much fodder for celebrity watchers over its two-month run... the trial, which went to the jury last week, offered arguably more for people who enjoy talk of encryption software, code-wiping booby traps or the low-tech secrets of phone company networks.

Here, through various witnesses, are a few of the disclosures:

• Wiretapping is really, really easy. And not just for the government. Anyone sitting in on the Pellicano trial (and staying awake during the telecom testimony) could walk away ready to intercept phone calls after a quick stop at Radio Shack for less than $50 in equipment... For all his wiretapping prowess, however, Mr. Pellicano could not tap cellphones.

• Phone “sweeps” offer false security. There are many companies that offer wiretap detection services. But these services are meant to pick up devices on the premises of the target. If the tap is elsewhere, they are useless...

• The person who programmed Mr. Pellicano’s wiretap software was a college dropout named Kevin Kachikian... His software incorporated an encryption algorithm, Serpent, that the government’s code-breakers have not been able to crack. Serpent, can be downloaded free...

• Mr. Pellicano bragged about his wiretapping ability and vowed that no one on earth would ever learn of it — proving that a code of silence is not too useful if you never stop blabbing about it. (more)

Eavesdropping Movie - "Monte Rouge"

Title: Monte Rouge
Writer/Director: Eduardo del Llano
Time: 15 minutes
Plot: Electronic eavesdropping.
Setting: Cuba.
Humor: Dark, subtle; like Monte Rouge.

"...two plain-clothed security agents knock at the door of a young man, Nicanor O'Donell.

"Good morning, my name is Rodríguez. This is comrade Segura," they tell him. "We're here to install the microphones."

"Our mission is to install microphones in your home to listen directly to the anti-governmental comments you make," the SDE (state security) agent says.

Nicanor can't believe. To him it is a bad dream or a bad joke.

The agents explain that they run a pilot scheme to make their work "more inclusive." No longer will the SDE break in to the houses of suspects to place microphones, they will just knock on the door and ask the house owner to let them install them. All in the name of "more openness."

In exchange they ask that Nicanor accepts the "obvious limitations" of having only two microphones placed in the house (one in the bathroom). And, to ensure that all subversive conversations are held in that place, offering to install a free mini-bar in the bathroom to get guests to go there for these conversations.

In a mild mannered conversation (with some dark undertones), they explain they know all about him: his black market dealings (exchanging a table from a museum with a guard of the museum for a VCR), the conversations he has had with friends in bars, ... The say he was selected for this test program because of his "excellent analysis" that goes beyond "more bitching" (and the fact that he lived close to the station while they had no access to a car).

They also ensure him that the devices are independent of the electricity grid (Cuba is known for its blackouts) as it "hardly would make sense to make eavesdropping dependent of the electricity." The young man is also warned that it is known to them that he also makes some positive comments about Cuba, but that he is to refrain from that "crap" as doesn't interest them and is a waste of their time.

The author stresses that he did not mean to indict Cuba's state security system, he just wanted to create and describe an present absurd Kafkaesque situation. He succeeded.

In Cuba and abroad there is a lot of speculation that del Llano and the other participants in Monte Rouge, could face reprisals for the irreverent clip. Let's hope that the popularity of the clip will protect them."
(en español: video Part 1 video Part 2)

Spy Agency’s Eavesdropping Rose Last Year

S. Korea - The Broadcasting and Communications Commission (BCC) said Thursday that the number of eavesdropping requests from the spy agency and police last year was the highest since 2004, while the number of cases of e-mail monitoring and caller identification also rose.

Telephone companies allowed the National Intelligence Service (NIS), police officials and prosecutors to tap 1,142 phone calls last year, up from 1,062 cases in 2006. Most of the requests were from the NIS, the spy agency.

The number of caller identification requests from investigation authorities also increased by more than 20 percent to 183,659 cases from 150,743, the BCC said. E-mail monitoring rose 28.9 percent to 326 cases.

Furthermore, the actual number of eavesdropping cases can be higher than the released figure since multiple requests on a single case are counted as one, the BCC said. (more)

SpyCam Story #443 - Reality YOU tube

Millions of Americans have wireless cameras in their homes and cars, purchased for security or to monitor children — but it turns out the devices could be making those they're meant to protect more vulnerable.

Reporter Tom Regan of ABC News' Atlanta station, WSB-TV, investigated how video cameras may be providing an unwelcome window into your private life.

From a baby's nursery, to a restaurant, to an office, private scenes proved shockingly easy to eavesdrop on with minimal equipment in a recent WSB-TV outing.

Regan's team bought a $100 rearview camera from a local auto parts store, installed it in an S.U.V. and simply drove around. They were amazed by the images picked up by the wireless monitor that came with the rearview camera... (more with video report)

And so, our list of residential snitch devices grows longer...
• 1960's - AM wireless intercom systems.
• 1970's - FM wireless intercom systems.
• 1980's - Cordless telephones.
• 1990's - Wireless audio baby monitors.
• 2000's - Wireless TV baby/security monitors.

What ABC News didn't mention is that professional burglars have taken advantage of these technologies for over 50 years. Their latest tool is a sensitive, compact video scanner.

SpyCam Story #442 - Webcam Hijack Warning

Experts at SophosLabs™, are warning computer users about the importance of properly securing PCs, following news that a man who allegedly used computer malware to prey upon young women has been charged in Canada.

According to media reports, 27-year-old Daniel Lesiewicz has been charged with using spyware to take over the webcams of women as young as 14 and coerced them into posing naked for him. (more)

PIs and Bug Creators Jailed for Industrial Espionage

An Israeli firm of private investigators has been rapped for using spyware to steal sensitive information.

According to reports, four members of the Israeli Modi'in Ezrahi private investigation company have been sentenced after being found guilty of using a Trojan horse to steal commercial information.

The Trojan, which was designed and marketed by London-based couple Michael and Ruth Haephrati, was said to have been used by a number of different private investigation firms to spy on companies including the HOT cable television group and Rani Rahav PR agency.

Another alleged victim was Champion Motors, which imports Audi and Volkswagen vehicles. (more)

A married couple accused of using computer worms to conduct industrial espionage has received jail terms of four and two years after pleading guilty in an Israeli court.

Ruth Brier-Haephrati, 28, and her husband Michael Haephrati, 44, were also ordered to pay damages of two million shekels (£245,000) to their victims. (more)

The Essential Guide to VoIP Privacy

What you need to know about protecting the privacy and confidentiality of IP phone calls.

People generally assume that their private phone calls are just that: private. VoIP users, however, shouldn't take privacy for granted. (neither group should)

The problem with most VoIP calls is that they travel over the Internet, a very public network. This means that calls are vulnerable to snooping at various points throughout their journey. And even private-network VoIP calls can be tapped if access can be gained to the physical wiring.

As a result, business competitors, employees, criminal gangs, tech hobbyists and just plain snoops can all listen in to a business's outgoing and incoming VoIP calls. All that's needed is a packet-sniffing program, easily downloaded from the Internet, and perhaps a tiny piece of hardware to tap into a physical wire undetectably.

But the news isn't all bad. Methods and systems are available to safeguard VoIP traffic... (more)

CBS 46 Investigates: Cell Phone Spying

New cell phone “spyware” has made it easy for just about anyone to bug your phone and uncover details of your private life, communications experts say.

The “spyware," marketed to suspicious spouses, parents and employers, can turn just about any cell phone into a high-tech spying device.

A quick search on the Internet reveals dozens of "spy phone" programs ranging from $4 to $400. Some “spyware” works on Bluetooth technology, while others require a download onto a "smart" phone, like a Blackberry or Web-based device. CBS 46 Investigative Reporter Wendy Saltzman tested Flexispy, high-end software that experts say allows people to eavesdrop on calls, download e-mails, and even track a person's GPS location at the touch of a button. (more) (video) (similar subject, different source)

Hairdresser Makes Man Harried

Can you solve this mystery?
Police in Germany helped a man solve a mystery that had been bugging him for over two years. The phone would ring and the man did not recognize the number so he had the number blocked.

After paying to have the number blocked for a while he stopped paying for the blocking service and the mystery started all over again. (answer)

Court-Approved Wiretapping Rose 14% in '07

Last year might have been a rough year for U.S. home prices, but growth in government wiretaps remained healthy, with the eavesdropping sector posting a 14% increase in court orders compared to 2006.

In 2007, judges approved 4,578 state and federal wiretaps, as compared to 4,015 in 2006, according to two new reports on criminal and intelligence wiretaps.

State investigators are increasingly turning to wiretaps, according to newly released statistics. State police applied for 27% more wiretaps in 2007 than in 2006, with 94% of them targeting cell phones, according to figures released by the U.S. Courts' administrator.

In 2007, state judges approved 1,751 criminal wiretap applications, without turning any of them down, according to the report (.pdf). That's a near-three fold increase in state wiretaps since 1997. (more)

Porsche CEO Eavesdropping Case (update)

The well-respected Strafor (a private strategic intelligence analysis service) today characterized the eavesdropping of Porsche CEO, Wendelin Wiedeking, this way...
"The aggressor’s tactics were amateur."

Given the target – Mr. Wiedeking – and business climate around Porsche, it is unlikely amateurs would be involved. This is a high-stakes assignment. Professionals only.

Think like a professional eavesdropper. "I know they are going to look. I'll plant something they can find fairly easily; a trophy for the sweepers, a little confusing, with no clear culprit, amateurish, but plausible.

Result...
Triumphant, the TSCM team waves their 'find' and goes for a beer.
The real bugs/taps are planted deeper – much deeper.

But wait... This half-baked story should never have hit the press. Something smells.

Porsche went from 0 to 60 in filing their police complaint.

Normally, corporate eavesdropping finds are kept quiet and investigated further. When enough evidence is gathered to actually prove something, the police might be called. Publicity undermines stockholder confidence.

Amateur? Yes. But, is it the eavesdropper who should wear that moniker? If what appeared in the press is really the truth, characterize the handling of the case as amateur.

Other possibilities...
• Porsche planted the eavesdropping device themselves. A PR stunt – thinking it would somehow enhance their business bargaining position.

• The baby monitor bug was planted by the TSCM technicians to make themselves look good. (When a TSCM team presents evidence of bugs they should also volunteer for polygraph testing. My guess is they won't.)

The rest of Strafor's Porsche bugging analysis is accurate...
"The use of a security contractor to employ technical security countermeasures (TSCMs)* was not only a smart move by Wiederking in 2007 (a previous eavesdropping problem), but a wise decision for other players in today’s corporate environment. Industrial espionage is a common occurrence in the modern business world."

Espionage is foreseeable.
When was the last time you checked for bugs? ~Kevin
* This should read, "technical surveillance countermeasures (TSCM)"

Wanted: Surveillance Camera Monitors

Washington - The D.C. government plans to begin centralized monitoring of about 5,000 security cameras it maintains throughout the city, giving emergency-management officials a broad look into schools, public housing and other sites.

The city says the system will save money and provide 24-hour monitoring, rather than the sporadic attention in the current patchwork of camera systems. But civil liberties advocates expressed alarm.

"Having it all together in one place brings us one step closer to the kind of scary movie scenario where they can track somebody moving across the city," said Art Spitzer, legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union for the Washington area.

D.C. police will continue to watch their 73 surveillance cameras in high-crime neighborhoods, Darrell Darnell, head of the D.C. Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency, said yesterday. But his agency will set up a center to monitor an array of other closed-circuit TV cameras, including nearly 3,500 inside D.C. public schools, 131 used by the Department of Transportation and 720 used by the D.C. Housing Authority. (more)

The Headline Evil Word You Can Prevent

April 22, 2008 - "Sanford Hospital tightens security after baby taken"

The good news...
The child was rescued a short time later by a police officer who stopped a Chevy Blazer on Interstate 4 (more)

The bad news...
Most corporations are hedging their bets that the word "after" will not appear in a headline about their security efforts.

In the corporate world, stealing intellectual property is the real-life equivalent of a baby – the corporation's baby. The baby who is to be nurtured into the company's future.

Now is the time to tighten security;
• while it is inexpensive to do,
• while your stockholder good-will is high,
• while you still have a job.

1. Work with your Legal Department to upgrade and keep current: non-disclosure agreements, non-compete contracts, and pro-active programs to detect and deter eavesdropping and espionage.

2. Work with your IT department on: password protection, encryption, wireless LAN security audit and compliance surveys, and employee education.

3. Keep current with intellectual property threats.
Read the news.
Offer the boss proof!
You need funding to prevent eavesdropping and espionage problems.

P.S. Problems do happen...
• Recent Problem #1
• Recent Problem #2
• Recent Problem #3
• Recent Problem #4
• Recent Problem #5
•