News on Corporate Espionage, Eavesdropping, and Countermeasures

School administrator planted “spy pen” in a closed meeting.

Another episode of "Thinking of Eavesdropping? -- Don't Do It!" Throughout the TSCM industry, reports of eavesdropping devices being discovered are often found to have been placed by executives or other trusted individuals who feared that they may be fired or passed over for a promotion. They typically want to know what is going on behind the closed doors of a meeting they were not invited to. This case appears to fall into this category.

Charles Patterson2022-05-07T08:58:12-04:00May 6th, 2022|

Lawyer and client sued for eavesdropping.

Another episode of “Thinking of Eavesdropping? Don’t Do It!”

PIERRE, S.D. (KELO) — The South Dakota Supreme Court says an invasion of privacy claim shouldn’t have been dismissed in favor of the defendants involving recordings that a wife secretly made to use against her husband in a divorce case.

Justice Janine Kern wrote the unanimous […]

Charles Patterson2022-04-30T10:09:11-04:00April 30th, 2022|

American Idol winner, Laine Hardy, arrested for eavsdropping.

“How to damage your career in one easy lesson.”

For those thinking of eavesdropping… best advice: Don’t Do It!

Country singer Laine Hardy was arrested Friday on a charge of eavesdropping. Hardy, who won Season 17 of “American Idol” in […]

Charles Patterson2022-04-30T09:20:59-04:00April 30th, 2022|

Unauthorized cameras planted in tanning area of gym.

If your customers or your employees use a gym, locker room, tanning bed, at your facility, what steps have you taken to ensure that privacy? Tanning salons in Plymouth, Michigan, are finding out the hard way that not taking preventative measures may have severe repercussions.

Charles Patterson2022-04-21T23:02:03-04:00April 21st, 2022|

Spies for the PRC charged with planting cameras and surveillance devices in residence of dissident.

The defendants electronically spied on pro-democracy activists. Posing as an art dealer interested in purchasing the artwork of the dissident artist, they secretly installed surveillance cameras and GPS devices at the dissident’s workplace and in his car which were monitored in the PRC. [Click to read more]

Charles Patterson2022-03-19T20:35:20-04:00March 19th, 2022|

Are tech employees leaving and going to competitors?

Keeping loyalty among employees can be a difficult challenge, but may also be critical to survival of your business as well as stopping leaks, spying, and other forms of corporate espionage. Often requests for our corporate TSCM service come when a well placed employee in a tech position has left the company. Even those without […]

Charles Patterson2022-03-13T22:57:44-04:00March 13th, 2022|

Update! Student research, student spying, university sports spying, and more.

Finally - a new update for the Exec Security News. More audio surveillance research from Ben Gurion University. Student caught spying, coach caught spying, and victims catch up with the spy.

Charles Patterson2022-03-01T09:42:30-05:00February 28th, 2022|

Tech watch: New style “shotgun” mic

Microphones come in all shapes and sizes. Some may be very small and used in covert applications. Others may just take on unique designs. This mic clearly adds the humorous effect, but it does go to show that microphones can be designed in any shape or size.

Charles Patterson2021-09-30T09:23:48-04:00September 30th, 2021|

Eavesdropping and spy updates, September 2021

Where the wild spys are... Eavesdropping can be a concern for all areas, corporate espionage, sports, and celebrities. Your office may be a target, of course, but recent news also includes concerns for Peyton Manning as well as Britney Spears.

Charles Patterson2021-09-29T16:43:02-04:00September 29th, 2021|

When the insider becomes an outsider- Terminated employee destroys company data.

Insider threats are one of the most significant security concerns for all businesses. Many companies do not recognize the dangers that may exist within their own staff. This can quickly become apparent when an employee with a grudge is terminated. This employee was with the company for just 6 months, but was able to cause over $100,000 in damage within two days of her termination.

Charles Patterson2021-08-23T08:14:54-04:00August 23rd, 2021|

Threat watch: “Glowworm” attack using power LEDs

Researchers at Ben Gurion University have demonstrated a new class of TEMPEST attack for intercepting confidential information. Their technique involves recovering sound by analyzing optical emanations from a device’s power indicator LED, specifically in the circuits providing power to various speaker systems. Could your conversations be vulnerable?

Charles Patterson2021-08-12T14:44:14-04:00August 12th, 2021|

Spy Stories: Interview with Jonna Mendez, Former CIA Chief of Disguise

Interview with Jonna Mendez, former CIA Chief of Disguise from Wired Magazine. Being a spy has always been difficult. During the Cold War, being a spy in Moscow was especially hard...

Charles Patterson2021-07-27T18:30:05-04:00July 27th, 2021|

REI MESA REVIEW, New Spectrum Analysis and Detection Tool.

Here is an in depth review of the MESA, the Mobility Enhanced Spectrum Analyzer for TSCM, from Research Electronics International. We put the MESA through its paces and provide the results of our tests as well as our thoughts and experiences using the unit on the job.

Charles Patterson2022-01-04T11:58:45-05:00July 20th, 2021|

Eavesdropper caught on video trying to retrieve devices.

Lessons learned. An eavesdropper planted listening devices in a neighbor's home. She finds multiple devices then catches the stalker on video when he comes back to retrieve the devices. Some of the steps she takes provide good lessons and are worth paying attention to.

Charles Patterson2021-06-12T15:09:08-04:00June 11th, 2021|

IoT concerns – TV remote eavesdropping via voice commands

Recently revealed at the RSA security conference and reported in TechTarget, researchers from security firm Guardicore were able to successfully turn Comcast TV voice remotes into eavesdropping tools, covertly recording conversations via the remote's microphone.

Charles Patterson2021-05-18T21:51:45-04:00May 18th, 2021|

Corporate Information Security and Privacy Challenges from Covid – 2021 update.

2021 update: originally posted in April of 2020, a year later this article is still very significant. Empty offices and increased work from home creates privacy and information security problems. Meetings once contained in a secure board room have now spread out to executive homes in multiple locations, each one with it's own inherent security vulnerabilities. The need for TSCM sweeps has moved to a new level.

Charles Patterson2021-04-29T13:00:04-04:00April 29th, 2021|

Killer eavesdropped on victims for a year using hidden microphone

A loner installed a listening device to eavesdrop on neighbors before launching a “carefully planned, premeditated” attack, where he used a crossbow to kill a council worker and seriously injured his girlfriend. This helps demonstrate the importance of TSCM for personal protection.

Charles Patterson2021-04-15T22:05:48-04:00April 15th, 2021|

Large scale security camera breach of Verkada- hackers claim access to almost 150,000 cameras

Cloud CCTV company Verkada suffers a breach exposing almost 150,000 cameras. Security measures in one area may just move the target to a different area. Click to read more.

Charles Patterson2021-03-12T11:37:01-05:00March 11th, 2021|