Espionage Archives - Page 8 of 15 - Exec Security TSCM

France: defending against corporate espionage

France is boosting its fight against corporate espionage after belatedly realising that some of its largest trading partners have been extensively spying on its companies, according to the country’s corporate intelligence chief.

Jean-Baptiste Carpentier, head of the newly created Strategic Intelligence and Economic Security unit, said Paris realised how vulnerable it was three years ago. Edward Snowden, the former US government contractor, alleged then that the US National Security Agency had engaged in corporate espionage for decades — and that France was one of its main targets in Europe.

By contrast, after the fall of the Berlin wall, the French government has rarely considered national interests when looking at the activities of private companies, Mr Carpentier said.

“Laissez-faire […]

Exec Security2016-12-16T20:23:33-05:00May 9th, 2016|

Union spy, Harriet Tubman, to be honored on the new $20 bill

Move over Andrew Jackson, Harriet Tubman is about to replace Jackson on the face of a new $20 bill. Many books have been written about Harriet Tubman who is well known for her work on the Underground Railroad, helping free slaves from the south during the Civil War. But one book in particular goes into more detail regarding covert operations and human intelligence that helped the Union win the war, "Harriet Tubman, Secret Agent: How Daring Slaves and Free Blacks Spied for the Union During the Civil War" by Thomas B. Allen.
Allen helps to bring to light Harriet Tubman's roles as spy, secret agent, and military leader. The book also looks at others who helped spy for the North such as Elizabeth Van Lew who devised a code to transmit information that she picked up at society gatherings.

Exec Security2016-12-16T20:23:33-05:00April 21st, 2016|

Episcopal bishop fires officials after discovery of bugging devices

Discovery of attempted eavesdropping has repercussions beyond the loss of information. Maintaining a “safe and healthy” workplace environment is important in a corporation. Two officials of the Episcopal Church were fired due to misconduct connected to the discovery of bugging devices at a meeting of their Executive Council. This entailed a four month legal investigation as well as bringing in a human resources company to carry out an audit of the workplace.

Report from “Church Times, the world’s leading Anglican newspaper“, 4/14/2016

TWO of the most senior officials in the Episcopal Church in the United States have been terminated, and a bishop demoted, after an independent investigation into misconduct.

Last December, the Presiding Bishop, the Most Revd Michael Curry, placed the chief operating officer, Bishop Stacy Sauls, the deputy chief operating officer, the director of mission, Samuel McDonald, and the director of public engagement and mission communications, Alex Baumgarten, on administrative leave after many […]

Charles Patterson2016-12-16T20:23:34-05:00April 14th, 2016|

Covert video: not just voyeurs. Should you be concerned?

There are frequent reports of hidden video cameras found in locker rooms, restrooms, and other private locations. This is a serious issue, but there are many ramifications that should also be considered from the corporate viewpoint.

Erin Andrews won a $55 million lawsuit against the Nashville Marriott after a hotel guest took video of her through the hotel door peephole. You can be sure Marriott is reviewing their security policies and procedures after that incident. [more]

reverse peephole viewer

The Transocean Deepwater oil rig is in deep water, also facing a law suit, after a cheap covert video device, disguised as a coat hook, was found in a female employee’s sleeping quarters. [more]

brickhouse_security_coat_hook_w_coat_hook_hidden_camera_1417036842000_1071061

The former IT director of the Town of Davie, FL, had a video camera and microphone hidden in a small alarm clock in […]

Charles Patterson2016-12-16T20:23:34-05:00April 6th, 2016|

History: Police vs Phone Company in early 1900’s Chicago

The following is from the Chicago Tribune:

Long before iPhones, cops battled phone use in fight against gambling

It’s probably safe to assume that shortly after man first harnessed the power of fire, someone committed the first act of arson. And so it has gone with every great innovation in history. Great leaps of technology usher in new crimes, which require new laws that unleash new struggles over enforcement.

The invention of the telephone in 1876 marked a new telecommunications era that eventually changed virtually everything, from business transactions to warfare and romance. And, of course, crime. In 1904, Chicago got an early taste of how the competing interests of security and privacy would start to play out for law enforcement and the telecom industry — in an episode with echoes of today’s dispute between Apple and theFBI, over information that might be gleaned about the attack in San […]

Exec Security2016-12-16T20:23:34-05:00March 14th, 2016|

The sounds of a 3D printer at work can be reverse engineered- big implications for industrial espionage

Your 3D printer is telling people what it’s making

From: cnet.com: In research demonstrating that industrial espionage may be as simple as opening a recording app on your smartphone, a team led by Professor Mohammad Al Faruque at the University of California at Irvine has shown that it is possible to reconstruct a 3D model based solely on audio of the printer in action.

According to the team’s research, the sounds made by a 3D printer can be used to ascertain the position and movements of its extruder. A recording of these sounds can then be used to reverse engineer these positions and use them to recreate a model of the object being printed.

Advanced parts made by 3D printing could be at risk.

Encryption can be used to protect a file. But once the design gets to the printer, the sounds of the motors give […]

Exec Security2016-03-04T18:41:02-05:00March 4th, 2016|

Netherlands: Security Service caught spying on lawyers 13 times.

Intelligence and security service AIVD unjustly spied on communications between lawyers and clients 13 times between February 2014 and March 2015, according to the annual report by the CTIVD, the committee responsible for supervising the Dutch intelligence and security services, RTL Nieuws reports.

In July last year a court in The Hague ruled that the AIVD must stop eavesdropping on confidential conversations between lawyers and their clients if there is no direct danger to national security. The AIVD did not meet these requirements in 13 of its eavesdropping cases.

AIVD office in Zoetermeer

The AIVD also spied on detailed discussions related to an individuals sex life in one investigation. In another investigation the security service eavesdropped on a non-target in order to approach the person with foreknowledge. The CTIVD found both incidents unjustified and unlawful.

Due to an “intensification of […]

Charles Patterson2016-12-16T20:23:34-05:00February 10th, 2016|

UK: Peers cannot move to Foreign Office because of expensive bugging equipment

from The Telegraph

Foreign and Commonwealth Office looks set to be ruled out as temporary home for peers while Houses of Parliament are repaired

Expensive bugging equipment fitted inside the Foreign Office could prevent peers from being relocated there while parliament is refurbished.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office had been eyed up as a potential temporary home while a multi-billion pound refurbishment of the Palace of Westminster is carried out.

The Palace of Westminster Photo: Geoff Pugh for the Telegraph

The refurbishment must be carried out by the end of the decade because the building is suffering from widespread damp problems, mice infestations and is thought to be riddled with asbestos.

Reports into the state of the building have previously suggested that it would be better to knock down the building and start again, if it were not for its historical […]

Exec Security2016-02-10T17:23:06-05:00February 10th, 2016|

SA: Accusations of Espionage and Sabotage in Tobacco Industry

JOHANNESBURG – Small manufacturers in the tobacco industry have taken on big business, accusing multi-national cigarette companies of corporate espionage and sabotage, and claiming to have the evidence to prove it.

The Fair Trade Independent Tobacco Association (Fita) says its lawyers have made contact with the authorities to lodge numerous criminal cases.

Fita has however declined to name the implicated companies.

The association says it’s conducted its own investigation, which has exposed a network of spies which conduct covert operations to obtain information about its members.

It says private investigators have illegally trespassed on private property to plant bugging devices on behalf of multinationals.

Fita further accuses the big companies of manufacturing and passing off false information to law enforcement agencies to disrupt member business operations.

Fita’s Sinen Mnguni is reluctant to elaborate on the claims.

“We will be releasing press releases in the next few weeks, for everyone to be […]

Exec Security2016-02-10T17:15:40-05:00February 10th, 2016|

MA: Cell phone smuggled into grand jury murder investigation

A woman’s cell phone was slipped into the pocket of a witness in a grand jury murder investigation, recording the proceedings. During a pre-testimony interview, a female witness found out there was a cell phone in her jacket pocket that had been set to record.
Do you need to keep cell phones out of important meetings? Countermeasures can include metal detectors, x-ray machines, walk through cell detectors and maybe- rf cellular detectors. Since this phone was set to recording, it could have been in put in airplane mode so rf detectors might not find it.

From Marshfield Mariner and Patriot Ledger

A Norwell woman was indicted Feb. 3 on charges that she taped grand jury testimony and misled the State Police investigation into the murder of a Marshfield resident Robert McKenna, Plymouth County District Attorney Tim Cruz announced.

A Plymouth County grand jury indicted Brianne St. Peter McMahon, 36, on […]

Exec Security2016-02-03T22:57:14-05:00February 3rd, 2016|

More cameras with audio: Hidden camera in county break room concerns employees

Posting a sign may not be enough- especially if you are recording audio. This judge thought it was ok to record people because “…she got a tip that officials were discussing county business in the break room” and she believed those conversations should be public.
Do you have any overzealous employees who might think the same way about your corporate meetings? Contact us if you have concerns about covert cameras that might be hidden in your place of business.

www.4029tv.com FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. —In October, Washington County Courthouse installed a camera in one of the break rooms. Judge Marilyn Edwards said they put a sign up informing people about the camera.

A sign is important but may not be enough to prevent a law suit- especially if you are recording audio.

However, Justice of the Peace Eva Madison doesn’t like the fact that audio […]

Exec Security2016-12-16T20:23:34-05:00February 3rd, 2016|

NJ: Cameras recording audio put chief in hot water

The security company who installed the cctv claims the audio was turned on by accident, possibly after a reboot (?), but the real issue is the chief deleted all the evidence. Word to the wise: check your cctv system- don’t record audio.

EDISON — On Dec. 10, 2013, two detectives with the Middlesex County prosecutor’s office were dispatched to investigate a possible crime. Lt. Daniel Del Bagno and Investigator Brian Gilmurray soon arrived at the scene: the Edison Police Department.

Someone, according to union representatives, may have been illegally wiretapping private conversations in the police department. An array of security cameras that were only supposed to record video were somehow recording audio, too.

Del Bagno, according to investigators’ memos, told Edison Police Chief Thomas Bryan to preserve all the recordings.

That’s where the investigation apparently hit a roadblock: Bryan, before the investigators had arrived, had already ordered all the data to […]

Exec Security2016-12-16T20:23:34-05:00February 2nd, 2016|

Foreign Espionage Alive and Well and Profitable

The Espionage Economy: U.S. firms are making billions selling spyware to dictators.

from Foreign Policy.com

Ricardo Martinelli resides in a condo at the Atlantis, a luxury high-rise on Florida’s Biscayne Bay made famous by the TV series Miami Vice. A hefty, white-haired billionaire, Martinelli, 63, was viewed just a few years ago as one of Latin America’s most popular leaders: From 2009 until 2014, he was president of Panama. But now, though he’s living in high style, Martinelli is a fugitive from justice.

He fled his country on Jan. 28, 2015, hours before Panama’s Supreme Court announced a corruption investigation into his administration. Among the charges Martinelli faces is political espionage, with a possible prison sentence of 21 years, for illegally eavesdropping on the phones and emails of more than 150 people: Panamanian opposition leaders, journalists, judges, business rivals, cabinet members, U.S. Embassy officials, a Roman Catholic archbishop, and even […]

Exec Security2016-12-16T20:23:34-05:00February 2nd, 2016|

The woman in charge of the FBI’s most controversial high-tech tools

The Washingon Post

In the aftermath of the shooting rampage in San Bernardino, FBI teams recovered computer hard drives, flash drives and crushed cellphones left by the attackers. They flew the evidence to technical sleuths at a special FBI facility in Northern Virginia. At the same time, a crew from the bureau’s lab there jetted to California to help reconstruct the shooting.

The tragedy in California is the latest big case that involves the mostly unseen scientists who work for the FBI’s Amy Hess in Quantico, Va. She is the FBI’s executive assistant director for science and technology, the master of much that is cool — and controversial — in the bureau’s arsenal of high-tech tools.

Amy Hess, the FBI’s executive assistant director for science and technology, at the agency’s facility in Quantico, Va. (Photo by Michael S. Williamson/The Washington Post) (Michael S. […]

Exec Security2016-12-16T20:23:34-05:00February 2nd, 2016|

Securing the corporate AV system

A number of years ago we began to see corporate AV systems using WiFi control for a number of their components.

During our Cyber TSCM wifi inspections we often find unsecured routers appearing in conference room AV racks. These routers are not usually connected to the corporate network. That may be why the installers did not think it was necessary to secure them, even though the routers have encryption capability.

If it’s not on the corporate network, there is no risk of data loss, right?
Wrong, that could be a dangerous assumption.

In fact, in spite of however strict the IT security policies may be, the IT department may not even be aware of their existence.

While a hacker may not gain access to terabytes of corporate data this way, they still could slip in to monitor or disrupt activities in the boardroom and create havoc by shutting down or interfering with presentations.

Barco CSC-1 ClickShare system, […]

Exec Security2016-12-16T20:23:35-05:00January 30th, 2016|

New Tech: Conductive concrete blocks radio waves, guarding against espionage

De-icing concrete could improve roadway safety, guard against corporate espionage

…By replacing the limestone and sand typically used in concrete with a mineral called magnetite, Tuan has shown that the mixture can also shield against electromagnetic waves. The electromagnetic spectrum includes the radiofrequency waves transmitted and received by cellphones, which Tuan said could make the concrete mixture useful to those concerned about becoming targets of industrial espionage.

Using the magnetite-embedded concrete, Tuan and his colleagues have built a small structure in their laboratory that demonstrates the material’s shielding capabilities.

“We invite parties that are interested in the technology to go in there and try to use their cellphones,” said Tuan, who has patented his design through NUtech Ventures. “And they always receive a no-service message.”

A slab of conductive concrete demonstrates its de-icing capability outside the Peter Kiewit Institute in Omaha during a winter […]

Exec Security2016-01-22T11:51:26-05:00January 22nd, 2016|

Interview with PwC’s cybersecurity partner Kris McConkey: “Perimeters are dissolving”

CIOs need to pull back from the perimeter and put in place security mechanisms around the data they are trying to protect, PwC’s partner in charge of cybersecurity, Kris McConkey, has advised. [via SiliconRepublic]

“Securing systems is becoming increasingly difficult and the perimeters are dissolving because we all have mobile devices and interconnectivity.

“A lot of organisations are going to be looking at how they secure data, as opposed to the systems, and will focus on keeping data encrypted but only readable by people with the right authority and access levels.”

As more small, personal devices are entering your workspace, adding TSCM to your information security program is an important step in securing your data and confidential information. Contact us to find out how we can help.

Exec Security2016-12-16T20:23:38-05:00January 6th, 2016|

What We Know on U.S.-Israel Eavesdropping and Who Gets to Say ‘Told You So’

from Haaretz.com

Reports that the NSA was listening in on Netanyahu’s conversations created big waves, but what really happened and how significant is the seeming breach of trust?

JTA – At first blush, it appears like a bombshell: The United States listened in on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s phone calls.

But on closer examination, the revelations reported December 29 by The Wall Street Journal might not be so far reaching. Spying on allies is both routine and legal in the United States, though perhaps not very politic.
Here’s what the controversy is all about and what may happen next.

What exactly did the Obama administration do?

According to the Journal, the National Security Agency eavesdropped on Netanyahu and other Israeli officials, in part to assess whether Israel planned to strike Iran and to track the prime minister’s efforts to scuttle the emerging nuclear deal with Iran. In the process, conversations between Israelis and […]

Exec Security2016-12-16T20:23:38-05:00January 6th, 2016|