*Security and TSCM Archives - Page 11 of 30 - Exec Security TSCM

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International Spy Museum new location underway.

Construction fences are up and site work is underway for a new and expanded International Spy Museum (SPY) in the nation’s capital. Preparations recently began as SPY and The JBG Companies reached agreement to relocate the Museum to a newly constructed building at L’Enfant Plaza—between the National Mall and the Southwest Waterfront’s Wharf. This new facility will serve as an immediate and multi-faceted catalyst for transformation—not only for SPY, but also for the L’Enfant Plaza and 10th Street, part of the long-term vision for the Southwest Eco district.

Future Spy Museum at L'Enfant Plaza Future Spy Museum at L’Enfant Plaza

“The International Spy Museum has long been a destination for residents and visitors, finding innovative ways to keep us connected with our past,” said District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser. “The new Spy Museum will be a welcome addition to Southwest as we […]

Charles Patterson2016-06-16T20:12:03-04:00June 16th, 2016|

Political eavesdropping, from municipalities to nations

Political privacy concerns abound. Recent articles point to eavesdropping concerns in a small municipality's board of education as well as on the national scale in Brazil.

Charles Patterson2016-12-16T20:23:33-05:00June 16th, 2016|

Eavesdropping and bugging the analog way- …picking up good vibrations. New research taps into tiny motors.

Researchers at the University of Illinois have now discovered that they can record the voltages present on the small vibration motors that exist in many high tech devices then reconstruct audio from the location of the device. Phones, toys, watches, and many IoT (Internet of Things) devices all may contain vibration motors. Of course, you would need access to the motor to be able to monitor the voltage, so phones and watches may not be that susceptible to covert monitoring, but with new devices appearing everyday, the old threat of picking up good vibrations could be making a comeback.

Charles Patterson2016-12-16T20:23:33-05:00June 9th, 2016|

Eavesdropping software spots patterns humans miss.

Machine-learning system looked at the waveform of the voice data – its pattern of spikes and troughs – rather than the audio recording directly. It detected thing that humans missed.

Charles Patterson2016-12-16T20:23:33-05:00June 2nd, 2016|

Trade Secrets and the Need for TSCM, eavesdropping detection sweeps

Protecting trade secrets and confidential information is key to the success of all corporations. Recently a new bill introduced by Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah and Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., was signed into law by President Obama. This law is aimed at allowing businesses to sue in federal court for trade secret theft. Such lawsuits previously were left to state courts. TSCM inspections and sweeps are an important step for identifying conversations and meetings as confidential, and that the information being discussed is a trade secret.

Charles Patterson2016-12-16T20:23:33-05:00May 20th, 2016|

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|

Czech: Wiretapping devices found in Prague detective’s offices

Prague, May 7 (CTK) – Wiretapping devices, including a hidden camera, have been found in the rooms of the Prague economic criminal police, daily Pravo wrote Friday and public Czech Television (CT) said the police suspect a connection with the case of Jana Nagyova…

Pravo wrote that two mutually independent sources confirmed for it the information about the finding of wiretapping devices in the offices of Prague police. According to the sources, the devices were planted in the offices of the team that is investigating a suspicion of a subsidy fraud connected with the construction of the Capi hnizdo (The Stork’s Nest) farm and conference centre owned by Deputy Prime Minister and ANO head Andrej Babis.

[Read more @ Prague Daily Monitor]

Exec Security2016-09-01T11:55:17-04:00May 9th, 2016|

Honorable mention: unsung heroes of World War II and the Cold War

In recent history, many assisted in protecting our freedom. I came across two names recently and wanted to mention them here.
Frank Bresnahan of New Jersey, was recently recognized by the Northern New Jersey ASIS organization. Frank held a Top Secret security clearance and trained employees during the Cold War to be aware of Russian nationals attempting to extract information. Frank is now 100 years old.
And Betty Davies now 92, was with the Australian Special Wireless Group during World War II. As part of the Australian Special Wireless Group, Betty underwent secret training by wireless operators who had just returned from the Middle East, eavesdropping on German communications and Japanese Morse code interceptions.

from Security Management Magazine

ASIS Northern New Jersey Chapter Visits Centenarian Member

The Northern New Jersey Chapter of ASIS International was recently analyzing its meeting attendee records when it discovered something unusual. A member named Frank Bresnahan was on the books […]

Exec Security2016-12-16T20:23:33-05:00April 22nd, 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|

Beware of cameras and IoT with built in spyware- best to buy/update from reputable sources

If it’s too good to be true, it probably is. In Mike Olsen’s blog at artfulhacker.com he reports on getting a great deal on an IP camera from Amazon, but while troubleshooting some issues he inspected the firmware and found a link to a known malware site. Apparently some versions of the camera software have the malware and some do not.

spyware link in camera firmware

On a different forum another user reported finding the malware and was able to identify a good version of the firmware vs a malware infected file. This is from a Whirlpool.net.au forum discussing the SC10IP camera available from KMart.

With the influx of IoT devices (Internet of Things) appearing throughout our homes and offices, most will have the ability to upgrade their firmware via the internet. When upgrading firmware, be sure you are connecting to […]

Exec Security2016-12-16T20:23:33-05:00April 19th, 2016|

Alabama Governor in trouble after bugging recording released.

Yes, bugging is illegal, but the eavesdroppers may not face punishment. Release of the recordings can cause damage as Alabama Governor Robert Bently found out.
MONTGOMERY, AL (WTVM.com)
Audio clips of Alabama Governor Robert Bentley are at the center of a scandal involving him and former senior political advisor Rebekah Mason. He's denied having a physical affair with Mason, but the damage is done.

Charles Patterson2016-12-16T20:23:33-05:00April 16th, 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|

Exec Security TSCM Update- new website, new look!

We have updated our website and newsletter emails here at Exec Security.
Feel free to report any issues or send us comments at info@execsecurity.com.
We hope you continue to enjoy our news updates. Thanks for subscribing!

Charles Patterson, President, Exec Security TSCM Technical Services

Charles Patterson2016-04-15T10:53:59-04:00April 10th, 2016|

New way to brick your Apple devices

Back in February, it was exposed that changing the date of your iPhone could brick the device. Now it’s been discovered that a similar threat exists over wifi as well, as the devices try to sync their time with an NTP server.

Brian Krebs from krebsonsecurity.com goes into more detail about this:

If you use an Apple iPhone, iPad or other iDevice, now would be an excellent time to ensure that the machine is running the latest version of Apple’s mobile operating system — version 9.3.1. Failing to do so could expose your devices to automated threats capable of rendering them unresponsive and perhaps forever useless.

Zach Straley demonstrating the fatal Jan. 1, 1970 bug. Don’t try this at home!

On Feb. 11, 2016, researcher Zach Straley posted […]

Exec Security2016-12-16T20:23:34-05:00April 10th, 2016|

New York’s top court rules that parents can eavesdrop on kids

Ruling could open up admissibility of nanny-cam recordings in courtroom litigation.

Associated Press
ALBANY — Parents can legally eavesdrop on young children if they reasonably believe it would be in the child’s best interest, the state’s highest court ruled Tuesday, establishing an exception to New York law against wiretaps without the consent of at least one person on a call.

The 4-3 ruling by the Court of Appeals involved a cellphone recording of a man threatening to beat the 5-year-old son of his live-in girlfriend. The boy’s father recorded the conversation.

“The father had a good faith, objectively reasonable basis to believe that it was necessary for the welfare of his son to record the violent conversation he found himself listening to,” Judge Eugene Fahey wrote for the majority.

He cautioned that the ruling shouldn’t be interpreted as a way to avoid criminal liability for wiretaps “when a parent acts in […]

Exec Security2016-12-16T20:23:34-05:00April 6th, 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|