Private investigator admits to bugging from 75 to 100 vehicles.

Vehicles are vulnerable to audio interception and should be inspected regularly. In this case, a private investigator claims to have bugged 75 to 100 cars.

Lawyer pleads not guilty to bugging car

Justin Berton, San Francisco Chronicle, September 25, 2012 
[Read Original Article] 

(09-25) 13:49 PDT OAKLAND — A divorce attorney pleaded not guilty Tuesday to charges that she hired a private investigator, who was a central character in Contra Costa County’s “dirty DUI” scandal, to illegally install listening devices inside the car of a client’s ex-husband.

Mary Nolan, 60, appeared in Oakland federal court, where she also pleaded innocent to four counts of tax evasion. She faces up to 15 years in prison and $750,000 in fines if convicted on all counts.

Nolan was first linked to disgraced private investigator Christopher Butler,50, in 2010, after two men told The Chronicle that she used their drunken driving arrests against them in divorce and […]

2016-12-16T20:24:05-05:00September 29th, 2012|
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International voicemail hackers attack random US phone systems

Along with eavesdropping and theft of information, your voicemail system is also vulnerable for financial exploitation. In the past decade, there have been numerous occurances of voicemail systems being hacked for financial gain.  In many of these incidents the technique used was trying to force voicemail systems to place international calls to the Philippines, Cuba, or other countries.  The number being dialed is similar in concept to the 900 numbers popular in the US, where the owner of the number will receive payment for every call that comes in.  The calls are typically answered by another answering system that just tries to keep the automated call connected as long as possible. Since these are international calls, the owner of the phone system under attack will end up with a very large bill from their long distance carrier. 

International Phone Hacking

The hacker makes […]

2016-12-16T20:24:05-05:00August 17th, 2012|
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When does social media become a security concern?

This article from Business Week reveals some of the problems that arose when a CEO’s family members posted detailed information regarding the family’s and parents’ activities and schedules. It highlights the fact that security concerns affect all aspects of life- home and office.

The Very Real Perils of Rich Kids on Social Networks  
By  on August 10, 2012, Business Week 
Zachary Dell, the teenage son of PC magnate Michael Dell, earned his 15 minutes of Internet fame this week. He appeared on a Tumblr site called the Rich Kids of Instragram in a photo posted by his older sister Alexa. There Zachary sat on the family jet, devouring a Ritz-worthy buffet on his way to Fiji. 

Anyone with a bit of curiosity could see that Alexa had posted the picture on Instagram and pointed to it via her Twitter account. On that same Twitter […]

2016-12-16T20:24:05-05:00August 15th, 2012|
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Finding spyware on smart phones, review from Defcon

In this article from Forbes.com, the writer discusses a Defcon presentation by Michael Robinson. He tested a number of common “spy” apps and reveals many ways they can be detected. 

[Read Original Article]

Espionage software isn’t just for Chinese intelligence agents and Eastern European identity theft rings. A miniature spyware industry also serves jealous spouses, worried parents, even overbearing bosses. Luckily for the targets of those small-time spies, however, it turns out that consumer-grade snoopware is much, much shoddier than the professional variety.

In a talk at the Defcon hacker conference this weekend, forensics expert and former Pentagon contractor Michael Robinson plans to give a talk on how to detect a range of commercial spyware, programs like MobileSpy and FlexiSpy that offer to let users manually install invisible software on targets’ phones to track their location, read their text messages and listen in on their calls, […]

2016-12-16T20:24:05-05:00August 9th, 2012|
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Threat of foreign eavesdropping devices

Eavesdropping devices and bugs on sale in Japan.

High tech electronic eavesdropping devices are sold openly in many foreign countries. They are easily obtained by anyone traveling on business or on vacation. These devices pictured were on sale in a small shop in Japan. Most of them are illegal to sell or use in the U.S.

If you have business associates traveling overseas, whether competitors or within your own company, they could bring back devices that could seriously hurt your business.  Transmitters could be hidden within gifts or ordinary devices.  

We have the electronic tools and techniques that can locate such devices, even when they are hidden or sealed inside other objects.

 

 

2016-12-16T20:24:06-05:00July 29th, 2012|
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Communications Security and Eavesdropping Countermeasures

Protection of information and communications is critical in today’s business world.  We will be updating our blog regularly with news, information, and advice to help you strengthen your information infrastructure. 
Please contact us directly if you have questions regarding your own privacy needs or specific situations.

Charles Patterson, President
Patterson Communications, Inc.
New York 

2016-12-16T20:24:06-05:00July 23rd, 2012|
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Where are the lines in employee surveillance?

from: VentureBeat by Curtis Smolar
https://venturebeat.com/2011/07/25/where-are-the-lines-in-employee-surveillance/

Curtis Smolar is a partner at Ropers Majeski Kohn & Bentley. He submitted this column to VentureBeat.

A reader asks:  I have had theft of trade secrets in my office.  Can I install video cameras or other surveillance measures to view the activities of my employees?
Answer:  While spying on your employees happens all the time in movies, if you’re planning to monitor your employees in the real world, it’s best to proceed with caution.  Although some surveillance at work is allowable, the more invasive it gets, the more likely it is that it will be unacceptable.
That said, if you company policy explicitly describes a diminished expectation of privacy at work, it will go a long way towards protecting your company.  Lastly, don’t be secretive about the video surveillance.
When it comes to surveillance, there are generally four kinds used.
Work related data – This […]

2016-12-16T20:24:06-05:00March 29th, 2012|
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