About Charles Patterson

Charles Patterson is the president, CEO, and primary consultant of Exec Security TSCM. He began working in the security field in 1978 in executive protection and related technical security services. He has been providing TSCM sweeps since 1995.

Types of people behind today’s corporate security threats

An article on ZDNet provides a good summary of who might be attacking your network, along with tips for fighting back.
Problems could easily come from any of the following:digital user+password1

Employees 
IT workers 
CEOs and small business owners 
State-sponsored actors 
Corporate espionage 
Wannabes and thrill seekers 
Software developers 

[Full Article] Field guide: Types of people behind today’s corporate security threats

…For an example of how serious corporate espionage can be, one need look no further than Nortel, the former telecommunications giant that declared bankruptcy in 2009. In 2012, The Wall Street Journal reported that hackers, who appeared to be working in China, used stolen passwords from Nortel executives to “downloaded technical papers, research-and-development reports, business plans, employee emails and other documents.” Brian Shields, a former 19-year Nortel employee and systems […]

2016-12-16T20:23:56-05:00December 2nd, 2013|
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The importance of a trade secret (vs. filing for a patent), from Coca-Cola to the telephone.

There is a big difference between filing for a patent for your idea, and establishing it as a trade secret.  

A patent, by it’s very nature, requires that you reveal details about how it works, what it is, what it does. This information must be revealed in order to gain a patent. A definition of a patent would be a set of exclusive rights granted… to an inventor or their assignee for a limited period of time, in exchange for the public disclosure of the invention. (The telephone- often considered the most valuable patent.)

A trade secret, on the other hand, is exactly that- a secret. No one but you should know what it is, or how it works.  It is required to be kept secret, private, and confidential. It must be protected, otherwise it cannot be considered a trade secret. (The formula for Coca-Cola- the most famous trade secret.)

Here are some other significant points- a patent […]

2016-12-16T20:23:56-05:00December 1st, 2013|
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Technology lets peeping Toms take spying to new level [and not just peeping Toms: anyone who wants to spy]

Most news articles focus on voyeurism, but of course, it’s not just peeping Toms to worry about. It could be an employee looking for an edge up, a jealous executive, any adversary planning an attack or disruption. Anyone who wants to take advantage of another’s situation has high tech spy technology available on line, literally at their fingertips. Micro video recorders, audio eavesdropping, tracking devices, all available for a few dollars from on line sources.  
TIP: If you see a device you are not sure of, one tell tale sign could be if the device has a USB port on it. A key fob, calculator, even sun glasses, if they have a connection plug for a computer it could be suspicious. On more advanced devices you may not see such connections, though. The more common covert video and audio recorders have a USB port for both […]

2016-12-16T20:23:56-05:00November 30th, 2013|
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European Commission Takes Aim at Industrial Espionage, Proposes Trade Secrets Law Harmonization

Author: James Rundle

The European Commission (EC) has proposed new rules on the protection of so-called trade secrets, seeking to harmonize the definition and enforcement of guidelines among its member states, in a move that could have ramifications for the financial technology industry.

The new rules, says the EC, will make it easier for companies to defend themselves against misappropriation of their trade secrets in national courts, to seek injunctions against products using their property, and to seek damages for theft and misuse. Under the terms of the proposal, the “trade secrets” phrase encompasses both technical and commercial endeavors designed to provide business and commercial advantages to firms in both the short and the long term.

“Cybercrime and industrial espionage are unfortunately part of the reality that businesses in Europe face every day,” says Michel Barnier, commissioner for internal market and services at the EC. “We have to make sure our […]

2013-11-29T23:35:10-05:00November 29th, 2013|
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Ralph Nader: Corporate espionage undermines democracy

Reuters

By Ralph Nader

Nov 27 (Reuters) – It’s not just the NSA that has been caught spying on Americans. Some of our nation’s largest corporations have been conducting espionage as well, against civic groups.

For these big companies with pliable ethics, if they don’t win political conflicts with campaign donations or lobbying power, then they play dirty. Very dirty.

That’s the lesson of a new report on corporate espionage against nonprofit organizations, by my colleagues at Essential Information. The title of the report is Spooky Business, and it is apt.

Spooky Business is like a Canterbury Tales of corporate snoopery. The spy narratives in the report are lurid and gripping. Hiring investigators to pose as volunteers and journalists. Hacking. Wiretapping. Information warfare. Physical intrusion. Investigating the private lives of nonprofit leaders. Dumpster diving using an active duty police officer to gain access to trash receptacles. Electronic surveillance. On […]

2016-12-16T20:23:56-05:00November 28th, 2013|
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it was ‘easy to listen to voicemails’, hacking trial hears

“She [Brooks] said that it was so easy to do and she couldn’t believe that famous people who have all these advisers did not know they needed to change their pin code to make their voicemail secure”.

Lisa O’Carroll and Caroline Davies
theguardian.com, 

Eimear Cook, the ex-wife of golfing star Colin Montgomerie was accused of repeatedly lying under oath about a lunch with Rebekah Brooks in which she claimed the former News International chief excutive had told her how easy it was to hack phones.

 In a tense and prolonged exchange at the Old Bailey on Monday, counsel for Brooks said Cook had fabricated parts of her witness statement to the police, including a claim that the former publishing boss had told her about an assault on her ex-husband Ross Kemp.

 Brooks’ counsel Jonathan Laidlaw, QC, asked her had she done […]

2013-11-28T08:50:20-05:00November 28th, 2013|
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Executive bad habits endanger corporate security

PC World

By Dave Jeffers, IDG Creative Lab

…According to ThreatTrack Security, top executives play a major, unintentional role in helping hackers breach their companies’ defenses. ThreatTrack recently reported the results of a survey of 200 United States-based corporate malware analysts. “Among the issues that malware analysts face: more than half said they’ve had to remove malware from the device of a member of senior leadership because the executive clicked on a malicious link in a phishing e-mail, while nearly 40% had to remove malware after a senior executive visited an infected pornographic website.”

The survey was conducted last month by Opinion Matters on behalf of ThreatTrack Security.

The numbers are striking enough to make you wonder about the average intelligence of our country’s highest-paid employees. A full 56 percent of those surveyed reported that they had removed a […]

2016-12-16T20:23:56-05:00November 28th, 2013|
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Report from Milipol 2013, Paris, France

Entrance to Milipol, Parc des Exposition, Paris, France Entrance to Milipol, Parc des Exposition, Paris, France

Milipol is an advanced expo for military, police, and security held every two years in Paris, France, and alternate years in Qatar. Encompassing arms, ammunition, protective equipment, electronics, optics, IT, uniforms, mobility and more for government, military and public security applications protecting the world’s people and property, Milipol Paris has become the premier expo of the latest technologies and defense capabilities. This year’s show expected over 27,000 visitors.

RF Jamming Vehicle RF Jamming Vehicle

Armored communications vehicle. Armored communications vehicle.

While much of the expo was dedicated to military and police, many of the products on display would be of interest to anyone involved […]

2016-12-16T20:23:56-05:00November 27th, 2013|
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Milipol Paris: 18th Worldwide exhibition of internal state security. Nov 19-22, 2013

Milipol is a top level international expo for police and security. It is held every two years in Paris, and now also on alternate years in Qatar.  It provides an opportunity to view some of the latest equipment available in fields of security,  executive protection, and police.  We will be attending Milipol this year, and hope to be able to supply some interesting reports when we return.

Of particular interest for the field of TSCM, is that along with the latest countermeasures gear being exhibited, there will also be displays of spying and eavesdropping equipment from manufacturers from all over Europe and Asia, including Russia, Israel, China, and probably any other place you can think of. Many of these countries who profess to be “shocked, shocked I tell you” that the NSA may have been listening to them, have been supplying the most advanced eavesdropping equipment and promoting industrial espionage against […]

2016-12-16T20:23:56-05:00November 13th, 2013|
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Insider threats- the dangers within

We’ve come across a number of articles recently highlighting the spy threats that come from within a company’s own employees, a few of these are referenced below. As with all security, some of the biggest threats come from within your own walls.  This is particularly worth noting when it comes corporate espionage. About 90 percent of all eavesdropping devices and threats we have discovered were placed by current or former employees or others who had free access to the target areas. In espionage cases, there may be nothing obvious missing to alert you to the incident. By the time the loss of information is recognized it may be too late, the damage may be done. 

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Digital security website Dark Reading reports:

Generation Y Users Say They Will Break Corporate BYOD Rules

Majority of users ages 21 to 32 say they would flout company policies restricting the […]

2016-12-16T20:23:57-05:00November 9th, 2013|
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Spy shoes to drones: How U.S. surveillance changed

An article in USA Today reviews the history of spy-dom with an interactive graphic reviewing some devices and techniques from the 1940’s through 2013.  An important point to remember when considering all forms of technology today, is that the advancements have a cumulative effect, especially when it comes to spying. Techniques from the 1700’s, 1800’s, and 1900’s are still valid in 2013. Just because new technology has emerged does not mean that old technology or techniques have disappeared.  We now have Kindles and iPads, Youtube and podcasts, yet books, radio, and TV are still with us and very significant.  With much of today’s spying taking place in the cyber world, it’s important to remember that the old techniques have not gone away. Hidden microphones, transmitters, covert video, even putting your ear up to an air vent to hear voices from another room are still active valid eavesdropping threats […]

2016-12-16T20:23:57-05:00November 8th, 2013|
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Trade secrets protection set to get tougher

Performing regular TSCM sweeps is a key element in trade secret protection. If security measures are not being taken to protect your privacy, intercepted or stolen information may not be considered a “trade secret” in court.

Legal protection of trade secrets on a state-by-state basis has created enforcement problems. Now push is on for federal legislation.

By Paul Krill | InfoWorld

Momentum is building for federal legislation protecting trade secrets, an intellectual property attorney said at a Silicon Valley seminar on Thursday.

Trade secrets, in which a company keeps vital information a secret rather than disclosing it for patent protection, can be vital to companies in fields such as information technology. Intel endured a $1 billion trade secrets case in 2008 that saw a departing employee sent to prison.  

But protection of trade secrets via the Uniform Trade Secrets Act, which was passed on a state-by-state basis, has been limited, said attorney […]

2016-12-16T20:23:57-05:00November 2nd, 2013|
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Pacific Beach home searched for cameras after renters found webcam

[www.cbs8.com]

By Matt Johnson, Reporter

PACIFIC BEACH (CBS 8) – A vacation home in Pacific Beach was searched for at least one hidden camera that recorded nude images of renters, according to a search warrant.

Police officers searched the house on the 4800 block of San Joaquin Drive on October 6, the same day a Seattle family reported they had discovered a camera hidden in the living room.

A male family member spotted the camera behind glass in the entertainment center. Then a female family member removed the webcam’s memory card to discover nude images of her 4-year-old niece playing in the living room. The camera had also recorded video of her walking around nude while no one else was home, according to documents.

She expressed concern the homeowner could have remote access to the clips via the internet. The family said they had not been notified that […]

2016-12-16T20:23:57-05:00November 1st, 2013|
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Spy: The Secret World of Espionage – exhibit opens at the Ronald Reagan Library in Simi Valley

The exhibition is on display at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley. It was put together through a collaboration between the CIA, FBI, the National Reconnaissance Office and the Foreign Excellent Trenchcoat Society, a Florida-based non-profit operated by author and collector Keith Melton.   www.reaganfoundation.org

Article By Gregory J. Wilcox, Los Angeles Daily News

The current flap about the NSA spying on U.S. allies and enemies alike shouldn’t be a big surprise to those familiar with the history of spycraft.

Governments have secretly been listening to and watching each other for decades and now an exhibit opening Wednesday at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley exposes the tricks of the spy trade.

Visitors to “SPY: The Secret World of Espionage,” will get a look at many devices and documents that had been kept secret for years. It’s the West Coast premiere of the traveling show so there […]

2013-10-31T20:15:51-04:00October 31st, 2013|
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British phone-hacking trial for ex-Rupert Murdoch employees starts

Former News International Chief Executive Rebekah Brooks is one of eight defendants on trial.

Jury selection got under way at London’s Central Criminal Court on Monday in the first trial of the phone-hacking scandal that brought down Rupert Murdoch’s 168-year-old News of the World newspaper and rocked Britain’s political establishment.

Former News International Chief Executive Rebekah Brooks and former News of the World Editor and one-time communications chief for British Prime Minister David Cameron, Andy Coulson, are among the eight defendants in the dock.

The accused – all of whom are former Murdoch employees except for Brooks’ husband, Charles — have denied the charges against them, which range from illegally hacking the cell phone voicemails of celebrities, bribing public officials and covering up evidence.

A second trial involving journalists from The Sun newspaper, which is also owned by Murdoch, is scheduled for next year. 

The phone-hacking […]

2016-12-16T20:23:57-05:00October 29th, 2013|
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Valley Police Beat: Sailor at NAFEC being investigated after hidden camera found

Hidden cameras are considered a no-no, even though nothing overly suspicious was reported.

Imperial Valley, CA, IVpressonline.com
Thursday, October 24, 2013

SEELEY — Authorities at the Naval Air Facility-El Centro are investigating a sailor after a hidden video camera was found in a sailor’s barracks room, according to a Navy official.

 In July 2012, the Navy Criminal Investigative Service and NAFEC opened an investigation once the hidden video camera was found, said Cmdr. Kevin Stephens, spokesperson for Commander, Naval Air Force, Pacific.

  A sailor assigned to a unit at NAFEC has admitted to placing the camera and has been placed in a legal hold status and reassigned to another location pending final disposition of the case.

 Discovered video recordings showed both male and female sailors.

 The investigation is ongoing, and the names of those involved will not be released pending final disposition of the case.

“The Navy will not tolerate invasions of our […]

2016-12-16T20:23:57-05:00October 27th, 2013|
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Tussle Over High-Tech Corporate Espionage

By KEVIN KOENINGER, Tues. Oct 22, 2013
Courthouse News Service

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (CN) – A satellite TV software developer claims in court that a competitor used high-tech skullduggery to steal its products and customers and commit “digital crime.” 
     Pixsys Technologies sued Agemni LLC in Federal Court, claiming Agemni used a customer’s log-in credentials to access its software hundreds of times in the past year.
     Pixsys claims in the lawsuit to be a leading developer of installation and repair software for DISH satellite systems.
     The complaint involves a software suite called Dish Operations, which handles “work order management, inventory, payables and receivables, employee recruitment and retention, basic human resources, and business and employee performance and productivity.”
     Pixsys claims the configuration of its software is a closely guarded secret, and that access is available only through valid username and password credentials, which are given to […]

2016-12-16T20:23:57-05:00October 27th, 2013|
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