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)

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)

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)

Baby's First SpyCam

(source)

"Afghanistan banana-stand!"

Police in Italy have issued footage of a man who is suspected of hypnotising supermarket checkout staff to hand over money from their cash registers.

In every case, the last thing staff reportedly remember is the thief leaning over and saying: "Look into my eyes", before finding the till empty. (more) (video)
('SNAP' of fingers)
Wake up!

"See anything, dude?" (crash!!!) "April Fool"

17-year-old accused of trying to spy
WI - Michael Q. Ruby (17) of Omro, Wisconsin was with two others who were trying to see into a Larrabee Street apartment when Ruby pushed one of the others through the window, damaging the screen. Ruby told police he and his friends went to the Larrabee Street residence to see if they could find an acquaintance there with underage girls... (more)

Reel Camp for the Really Stupid

Worst Security Ad of the Year Award

This plopped into my mailbox this morning...

- To whom would this ad appeal?
- Is that the type of person you want carrying a gun?
- Why are the 'Super Heros' standing in a police line-up?
- What did they do wrong?
- Hey, these aren't Super Heros. Real Super Heros are big and strong!
- Are 'Crime Fighters' out there rounding up fake Super Heros!
- What a waste of tax dollars.
- I getting scared now. This is creepy. I give up.
It is only February and we have the Worst Security Ad of the Year.

The Neighbor Stick

Finn Magee combined his industrial design talents with an imagination fermented within apartment walls to come up with what he calls the "Neighbour Rod".

Here, "Neighbor Stick" (as in, 'stick it to your neighbor') seemed a more appropriate moniker.

When the neighbors get noisy, bang on the wall, ceiling, floor with the big white rubber mallet end. When the neighbors get suspiciously quiet, use the stethoscope end.

By the way, that's Betty. She loves to listen.

Finn is one cool dude. More about him, here.

But they do say, "Don't leave stuff in boxes under your desk marked SHRED."

(more)

"An ye, leave nae stone unturned..."

Isle of Arran, Scotland - Local police are on the look-out for a large quantity of rock that has gone missing from Hawthorn Quarry near Whiting Bay. The Forestry Commission alerted the police to the quarry theft last Friday, and are now being forced to install covert video surveillance at the quarry... (more)

Snuggly, The Security Bear speaks...

to... apparently, anyone who can be persuaded by a talking cartoon bear whose head is filled with fluff.

Let's join Snuggly now as he she it explains why a new federal wiretap law is being passed. (video)

DUCK!

A disabled American spy satellite is rapidly descending and is likely to plunge to Earth by late February or early March, posing a potential danger from its debris, officials said Saturday.

Officials said that they had no control over the nonfunctioning satellite and that it was unknown where the debris might land. (more)

Ever wonder what the future will bring?

Ever consider that today was somebody else's future?

What were they thinking about us?

Were they correct?

David Szondy knows.
You will find him here.
Take all the 'tours'.
You will never see your future the same again.

Need a daily dose to make you feel superior to your ancestors? Visit Ephemeral Isle.

Spy on Guam News Junkies

Ever wonder what the News Hounds on Guam are craving?

This is your chance to spy on them. (more)

The Art of SpyCams - "Trioptisamongus"

"Trioptisamongus"
inspiration

Turned 'off' Cell Phone Calls Owner ...Whoo Hoo, Whoo Hoo Hoo

Ed Ravin reports...
"A friend of mine uses Vonage (VoIP) for her primary phone line. Their VoIP system gave her a nightmarish experience during the wee hours of December 15.

The problem started around midnight - her VoIP phone rang, and caller-ID showed it was a number local to her area, but she didn't recognize it. She answered, but there was no one on the line. Her phone rang again several minutes later - same caller-ID, again no one there. And a few minutes later, the phone rang again, same caller-ID, same nobody there.

Then her cell phone rang. The cell phone's caller-ID showed the same phone number as her VoIP phone did. Again, the line was dead when she answered it. Twice more in short order, the phantom caller rang her cell phone.

Now wide awake and rather disturbed, she went to her computer to look up the phone number of her putative persecutor. Google helpfully provided a reverse directory lookup - to a person with an Arabic-sounding name that she did not recognize. With the help of Mapquest, she found out that this unknown person lived only a few miles from her. Worried and feeling vulnerable, she was unable to get to sleep, thinking that a strange person in the neighborhood was calling both her home phone and cell phone for no apparent reason.

At 3 in the morning, her VoIP phone rings again - this time, the caller-ID says that her own cell phone is making the call! But the cell phone is turned off and is sitting on her nightstand. She finally smells the rat, and at 4 AM calls the Vonage customer support line After a 30 minute wait, a polite but difficult-to-understand person explains that Vonage has been experiencing a problem with "phantom calls" and it should be resolved soon.

My friend had her Vonage account set up so that if her VoIP number was down, it would automatically forward calls to her cell phone. So Vonage's software PBX had her cell phone number on file, and it apparently went haywire and began placing calls to numbers in its database, and using other numbers in its database as the caller-ID.

The biggest risk here is believing what you see on your caller-ID display. Using computerized tools to compound your error and jump to the wrong conclusions is a close second. Then there's the well-known "mission creep" risk, where data supplied for one purpose is (mis) used for another. Even though the misuse was unintentional, it's a stark reminder that phone numbers are a special kind of data with real-world implications, especially when in the hands of buggy software that can make phone calls. ...from Risks-Forum Digest - Volume 25 : Issue 02

If you loved the...

• Radar Detector Zapper!
• Cell Phone Zapper!
You will also love the...
(watch the movie first)
(movie)

Get yours here.

FED-up Telcos Zap Taps

Telephone companies have cut off FBI wiretaps used to eavesdrop on suspected criminals because of the bureau's repeated failures to pay phone bills on time.

A Justice Department audit released Thursday blamed the lost connections on the FBI's lax oversight of money used in undercover investigations. Poor supervision of the program also allowed one agent to steal $25,000, the audit said.

In at least one case, a wiretap used in a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act investigation "was halted due to untimely payment," the audit found. FISA wiretaps are used in the government's most sensitive and secretive criminal investigations, and allow eavesdropping on suspected terrorists or spies. (more)

The Zen of Homeland Security

Putin on the dog...

Russia - President Vladimir Putin is to spy on his dog — by kitting her out with a sat-nav collar.

The former KGB agent’s black Labrador Connie often goes missing in woods around his holiday home.

Putin wanted to know about the hi-tech collar when he spoke to Russia’s deputy premier Sergei Ivanov yesterday, just before the launch of a satellite navigation rocket.

Putin asked him in Moscow: “When can I get a device for my dog so she can’t go too far astray?”

Ivanov replied: “Collars will be in the shops from July 2008.” (more)

Santa's Watching Me

I'm not paranoid, that's him! (more)

How To Create A Fake Google Earth Spy Video

Got some free time?
Want to amaze your friends and surprise your enemies?



This video is designed to demonstrate how to make a fake satellite spy video using Google Earth. Big Brother Is Watching You. (video)

Spybuster's Movie of the Month

Charlie Wilson's War
Tom Hanks and Philip Seymour Hoffman turn in their greatest performances in years in this historical thriller riddled with hilarious one-liners.

Hanks stars as Charlie Wilson, a congressman from Texas ... Upon returning to the States, Wilson immediately calls for a meeting with a U.S. security bigwig. CIA Agent Gust Avrakotos (Hoffman) ends up at his office door.

After a hysterical sequence of events during their brief meeting that includes a cocaine scandal, a bottle of wine and a bugging device, the two pair up to try to covertly help the Afghan war effort. (more) (trailer) (reality check)

Retro Comm Device Thwarts Wiretappers

Despite the widespread proliferation of iPhones, Blackberries and other state-of-the art devices, concerns over invasions of privacy by the Bush Administration is leading to a Luddite-like return to more primitive modes of communication, including the time-honored “tin can and string.”

While somewhat larger and less chic than the more high-tech hand-held devices, “tin can conversations” are extremely difficult to “bug,” and create no permanent record of communications that can later be “data-mined” by NSA super-computers.

Although the traditional range of these home-made devices was typically no more than 55 feet, newer, mass-produced versions offer strings as long as 55 miles, and come in a variety of colors, including black, gold, hot pink, and for traditionalists, “silver can.”

Apple has announced that it’s coming out with the ”iCan” next Spring, which will also double as a device to download music. Unfortunately, the only selection available will be the “can-can” song. (more)

For those long, lonely surveillances...

Just in time for holiday gift-giving. "You gotta slop, bop, flip flop, hip hop, never stop." Be a 21st Century Dovell Electronic Bubble-Wrap'er!

...from the website...
One of the single greatest gifts (and curses) to anyone who is a little anal retentive is bubble wrap. Sure it's good for protecting packages, but the real joy is popping each and every bubble. You can't let even one survive or your mission as bubble popper has failed. But what happens when you desire the joy of popping bubble wrap but don't have the time to invest in popping a full 60' roll? Welcome to the future, my friends; electronic bubble wrap is here.

Each keychain device has 8 rubbery little "bubble" buttons. They have a pretty close tactile feel to actual bubble wrap. Guess what happens when you push one? That's right, you hear a little pop. In a nutshell, that is the simple beauty of the electronic bubble wrap keychain. But there is one bonus, and here's where the OCD can kick in a little. Every 100th "pop" is not a pop at all, but a silly sound: a boing, a bark, a rude noise, etc. And since you can easily pop (pun intended) the keychain in your pocket, you'll always have bubble wrap when you need it most (you know, like when your boss starts talking). (more) (movie)

SpyCam Story #416 - Ming's Bling Cam

CA - A man was arrested on suspicion of computer crimes and invasion of privacy for allegedly hacking into his Gardena employer's computer system and using video equipment to spy on the company's restrooms, police said on Wednesday.

Ryan Castillo, 29, was arrested last night and booked for "unauthorized access to a computer network," a felony, and for "looking into and observing a person in a restroom," a misdemeanor, said Gardena police Lt. Ed Burnett. The restrooms can be used by men or women, Burnett said.

"After further investigation, they discovered that an employee of the business had a small receiver with several video clips of a female employee using the restroom," Burnett said.

"It was also discovered that the suspected employee had hacked into the company's computer network and e-mail system," Burnett said. (more)(video)

SpyCam Story #414 - The PI PP

CA - A bumbling private eye was caught with his pants down - literally - when he broke into Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell's Beverly Hills pad and used his bathroom.

The gumshoe had been hired by Cornell's bitter ex-wife, Susan Silver, to serve the rocker with papers stating that she was suing her ex over the ownership of 15 guitars. But when P.I. Matthew Turner showed up at the house, Cornell wasn't home and he let himself in. Too bad it was all caught on camera.

Now Turner, who works for the Manhattan Beach, Calif.-based investigative firm Thomas Dale and Associates, is being charged with aggravated trespassing by the Los Angeles City Attorney's Office and faces a pre-trial hearing on Dec. 12.

"He broke into their home. He even used the Cornells' bathroom," a source told Page Six. "Chris and his wife, Vicky, had gotten death threats in the past, so they have a state-of-the-art surveillance system which captured all of this on tape." (more)

When Warrantless Wiretaps Go Bad

Mike Lane on Wiretapping. (cartoon)

From the Security Scrapbook Archives (12/2003)

Every Rock & Roll hit from the
50's, 60's, 70's, 80's and 90's+
"Hey, do I take care of my friends or what?"
• Just in time for your holiday parties!
• FREE!!!
• Play 'Name That Tune' (really fast).
Side One • Side Two

Things Are Tough All Over

OPEC SUMMIT Blunder lets media eavesdrop on ministers' meeting...

A blunder by organisers at an OPEC summit in Riyadh enabled journalists to watch a highly sensitive meeting of the foreign, finance and oil ministers from the 12 member countries of the cartel.

The gathering, during which the ministers discussed the agenda for a two-day summit of heads of state starting Saturday, was broadcast on close-circuit television in the media room for about 30 minutes.

It featured highly sensitive comments by the foreign ministers of Iran and US-ally Saudi Arabia, who differed sharply over whether to include an expression of concern over the falling US dollar in the summit's final declaration. (more)

Brilliant Prevarication or Wrong Occupation?

UK - A newly-appointed top British intelligence advisor raised eyebrows Friday after colourful and indiscreet details of his personal life were revealed -- on his own website.

Alex Allan's website gives details including his home address and his wife's mobile phone number.

Allan was appointed Thursday as chairman of the Joint Intelligence Committee, the body which provides senior ministers with the latest assessments from Britain's security services.

...on his website 56-year-old Allan details his love for the cult US band The Grateful Dead and reveals a picture of his former self in 1969 with microphone hair, flares and Paisley-print cravate strumming on a guitar.

And like a sketch from the hit British comedy series Monthy Python's Flying Circus, he is also pictured in a pinstripe suit and bowler hat, windsailing to work on the River Thames past parliament during a train strike in the 1980s.

The Daily Telegraph quoted one unnamed senior security official as saying the personal information and photos contained on the site was "a very serious breach". (more)

Eavesdropping Joke (a rare item)

A guy is driving around the back woods of Tennessee and he sees a sign in front of a broken down shanty-style house: "Talking Dog for Sale".

He rings the bell and the owner appears and tells him the dog is in the backyard. The guy goes into the backyard and sees a nice looking Labrador retriever sitting there.

"You talk?" he asks.

"Yep," the lab replies.

After the guy recovers from the shock of hearing a dog talk, he says "So, what's your story?"

The Lab looks up and says, "Well, I discovered that I could talk when I was pretty young. I wanted to help the government, so I told the CIA and they had me sworn into the toughest branch of the armed services ..the United States Marines you know one of their nicknames is "The Devil Dogs".

In no time at all they had me jetting from country to country, sitting in rooms with spies and world leaders; because no one figured a dog would be eavesdropping. I was one of their most valuable spies for eight years running, but the jetting around really tired me out and I knew I wasn't getting any younger. So, I decided to settle down.

I retired from the Corps (8 dog years is 56 Corps years) and signed up for a job at the airport to do some undercover security, wandering near suspicious characters and listening in." "I uncovered some incredible dealings and was awarded a batch of medals. I got married, had a mess of puppies, and now I'm just retired."

The guy is amazed. He goes back in and asks the owner what he wants for the dog.

"Ten dollars," the guy says.

"Ten dollars?!?!
This dog is amazing!
Why on earth are you selling him so cheap?"

"Because he's a liar.
He never did any of that stuff.
He was in the Navy!"

SpyCam Story #396 - Spy Shop Boys

Remember Dumb and Dumber, the two burglars caught on 17 cameras when robbing a spy surveillance gear shop back in July?

Well, we found the video!

TSCM - Your missing security cog, explained.

TSCM, electronic eavesdropping detection, or just plain 'bug sweeps'. Call it what you will, but if it is not a key element in your corporate security plan, you're toast.

Remember Achilles?
Remember the Death Star?
Their big security smiles had one tooth missing.

Make inspections for bugs, wiretaps and other espionage tricks part of your corporate security.

Need to convince your bosses?
Have them watch this easy-to-understand cartoon about the Death Star's gapping hole. (video)
Call me for "an estimate'.

Cupid Pleads Guilty to Eavesdropping!

Most Cupids stick to stealing hearts, but New York City resident Malik Cupid stole his ex-girlfriend's identity, money and e-mail, the Westchester County District Attorney's Office says.

Cupid, 31, pleaded guilty yesterday in Westchester County Court to one felony count of eavesdropping and one misdemeanor count of attempted eavesdropping.

From May 22 to Oct. 17, 2006, Cupid assumed his ex-girlfriend's identity while she was on active duty with the U.S. Army in Iraq. (more)

"Hoist by his own petard"

UK - A father of two who campaigned for increased security on the estate where he lives has been convicted of causing damage in order to further his cause - after being caught on the very CCTV cameras he petitioned for.

Cheeky Liam Jordan had complained to the police and housing association of repeated acts of vandalism at his flat complex in the run down area of Seacroft, Leeds, West Yorks.

He even went as far as organising a neighbourhood watch meeting about the problem, and spoke to the local newspapers about his plight, calling for CCTV to be installed.

And amazingley, it was the very CCTV footage he fought for which caught him smashing a neighbour's window. (more)

Video spying tells tale:

Pets let loose when owners are out!

Ever wonder what your pets do when they are home alone?

Jamie Skeate did more than just wonder. The 27-year-old from St. Cloud, Minn., and her husband videotaped her dogs, Bosco, a Great Dane, and Lily, a greyhound.

"Sometimes we would come home and their toys would be all over the house, and my husband and I would joke that it looked like they had had a party," she says. (more)