*Security and TSCM Archives - Page 17 of 30 - Exec Security TSCM

News sent out via mailchimp.

Waiting to be hacked… new consumer devices offer new eavesdropping potential.

Internet connected devices are attracting a lot of attention. Many, though, have potential security vulnerabilities just waiting to be hacked. The following devices may not have been exploited yet… but considering the possibilities, it’s only a matter of time. Some of these just appeared at the CES show in Las Vegas and may not have hit the street yet but many are already at work in homes and offices.

Netatmo Welcome, uses facial recognition to detect and alert you to people in view. “Welcome” sends the names of the people it recognizes to your smartphone. The camera also notifies you when it sees an unknown face. Through the app you can check who is currently home, access live stream and past events.

Netatmo Welcome

Netatmo touts “stunning HD images, extensive 130 degree field of view, and superior night vision”

Petcube brings video and audio monitoring into your living room. […]

Exec Security2016-12-16T20:23:43-05:00January 12th, 2015|

Know your eavesdropping laws, even if you’re a former police chief…

Former Windham, NY police chief, now the town supervisor, has been arraigned on eavesdropping charges following a 10 month state police investigation. Stacey Post is accused of planting an audio and video recording device in the Windham town office building, recording employees without their knowledge.

The arrest goes back to March, 2014, when a Bureau of Criminal Investigation unit executed a search warrant at Post’s office and at her residence. A computer was seized from her office.

She faces three counts of felony eavesdropping and one misdemeanor count of possessing eavesdropping devices. Further charges are pending.

More from Albany, NY, News 13 WNYT:

Stacey Post, Windham, NY town supervisor accused of eavesdropping on town employees.

Exec Security2016-12-16T20:23:43-05:00January 12th, 2015|

Hackers attack LA road signs

Science fiction stories often have tales of computerized devices taking over the world. Probably a more immediate worry, rather than the devices controlling us, would be hackers take over those devices, as that is already happening. Cyber security researcher, Graham Cluley, clues us in on happenings in downtown LA where hackers changed the words on a traffic sign. Not the first time, of course. His article also mentions road signs warning of approaching Daleks and even a pending British invasion.

The threat of a mastermind Moriarty broadcasting a sinister message to the world through every road sign, advertising sign, and every TV channel, is still a bit distant, but as attacks appear daily on individual devices, the threat comes closer to home. Any devices that have remote programming access via the internet could be vulnerable, from road signs or laboratory equipment to phone systems and alarm systems – any network connected device. On […]

Exec Security2016-12-16T20:23:43-05:00January 12th, 2015|

Tech watch: Device uses lasers to map an entire room through a 1-inch gap

from DailyMail.co.uk Science and Tech

Looking through a keyhole could soon reveal far more than you imagine. Scientists have developed a device that could map an entire room simply by shining a laser through a 2cm gap. The system could be used in applications such as firefighting, battlefield surveillance and disaster recovery operations.

The technology is the work of Harbin Institute of Technology in China and is based on a laser that can see around corners, according to a report by Jacob Aron at the New Scientist. The system worked by firing ultrafast laser pulses at walls ‘behind’ an area that can’t be seen, to capture a ghostly 3D reflection. The technique is similar to using a mirror to see round a corner – but instead of a mirror, the ‘reflection’ is reconstructed from laser light that scatters back off a wall. The camera ‘times’ the beams […]

Exec Security2016-12-16T20:23:43-05:00January 10th, 2015|

Walls have ears: Toronto’s new mayor wants better walls to prevent eavesdropping.

Audio leakage from an office or boardroom is a significant but often overlooked concern. Toronto’s new mayor is taking it seriously. Repairs on walls have been requested to help prevent inadvertent eavesdropping. “In this office you can hear straight through the wall.” …”the issue is that the drywall in the office does not extend above the tiles in the drop ceiling, so sound carries through the open space above the partitions.” said Amanda Galbraith, director of communications in Mr. Tory’s office. A proper TSCM inspection will help reveal such vulnerabilities.

by Elizabeth Church, The Globe and Mail

Toronto’s new mayor, John Tory, came to power on a pledge to build bridges, but inside his city hall office, he’s putting up better walls.

Turns out the divider between Mr. Tory’s boardroom and the office next door – occupied by none other than former mayor Rob Ford – is in need of an […]

Exec Security2016-12-16T20:23:43-05:00January 10th, 2015|

Morgan Stanley sacks employee who pilfered account data

...companies now no longer face just external threats. Employees may give in to threat or greed, and with their access to information, can cause a data breach without specialized knowledge or cyber security skills. Staff are often given far-reaching data access rights, but with this power, rouge employees can prove to be a serious risk to corporations. While the threat of insiders is unlikely to wane, companies can protect themselves more effectively by setting in place access restrictions to sensitive data and monitoring employee access to information caches.

Exec Security2016-12-16T20:23:45-05:00January 7th, 2015|

The Sony hack should make cyber security a hot boardroom topic

From Fortune, by Tom Huddleston, Jr.

The massive scale of the cyber attack shows why top executives need to be more involved in shaping cyber strategy at companies.

Spooked by the Sony Pictures hack and the leak of sensitive documents, companies of all kinds are now scrambling to shore up their cyber defenses.

The movie studio’s breach is just the latest in a series of hacks in recent years, including attacks on Target, Home Depot, and JPMorgan Chase that collectively compromised the personal information of tens of millions of customers. But Sony’s hack stands out as a more frightful example because of hackers’ unfettered access, the huge damage they caused and the ultimate capitulation to their demands, seen by Sony’s controversial — albeit short-lived — decision to shelve the comedy film The Interview.

“I think the scale of this impact on Sony is what’s going to make a lot of […]

Exec Security2016-12-16T20:23:45-05:00December 28th, 2014|

Skype for Android Bug Can Be Used for Eavesdropping

A vulnerability in Skype that could be used for eavesdropping has been discovered and described by Reddit user “Ponkers“. He explains it this way: “All you need is Skype on two [of your own] devices, call someone with one, then disconnect it from the net as it’s ringing. Their phone will now call you back on your other device, camera, mic and all.”

Detailed graphic of Skype Interruptus [Image:Ponkers/Reddit]

Ponkers’ description may not be that clear, and the cute graphic may not help, so I’ll try to explain it again. Use Skype on your phone AND on your computer, logged in on both devices, then place a Skype call to a different party with Skype on their Android phone. Before they answer, drop the Internet connection on the device you originated the call from (such as turning on airplane mode). The recipient device may try to automatically reconnect […]

Exec Security2016-12-16T20:23:45-05:00December 23rd, 2014|

Surveillance alert: Elf On A Shelf and a Santa Spy Cam

Ontario professor Laura Pinto thinks the popular “Elf on a Shelf” toy is conditioning children for growing up in a surveillance state. Is that any different than Santa knowing when you are sleeping, when you’re awake, and if you’ve been naughty or nice? It is apparently quite sinister.

from the Inquisitr.com

Laura Pinto is a digital technology professor at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology. Pinto recently published an academic report which argues that the Elf On The Shelf book fosters a “sinister” message. The “Who’s The Boss” paper claims that the idea of an elf reporting back to Santa Claus each night in regards to the behavior of children, “sets up children for dangerous, uncritical acceptance of power structures.”

What you looking at?

Elf on the Shelf is a story about how

Exec Security2016-12-16T20:23:45-05:00December 17th, 2014|

Internal threat: Spying, subterfuge and stolen treasure- Inside Nike and Adidas

by Drew Harwell, Washington Post

The massive heist from the world’s biggest sportswear firm was, as Nike attorneys allege, an inside job.

Nike vs Adidas

Faking a broken laptop, one of the sneaker giant’s top directors is said to have met secretly with an interloper to copy some of what a Nike lawsuit this week called the firm’s “most important and highly confidential” intelligence.

Days later, the director and two other elite designers defected to the firm’s bitter rival, allegedly scrubbing e-mails and text messages that, attorneys said, hid “evidence of their betrayals.”

The claims of stealth and subterfuge have reignited Nike’s decades-long sneaker war with Adidas, the German-based shoe titan and Nike’s chief competitor. But they have also cast a spotlight on the high-stakes palace intrigue hidden beneath the world’s fiercely competitive, multibillion-dollar sneaker and sportswear empire.

Exec Security2014-12-16T17:40:52-05:00December 16th, 2014|

NORAD tracking Santa for over 50 years

For almost 60 years, NORAD and its predecessor, the Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD) have tracked Santa’s flight.

The tradition began in 1955 after a Colorado Springs-based Sears Roebuck & Co. advertisement misprinted the telephone number for children to call Santa. Instead of reaching Santa, the phone number put kids through to the CONAD Commander-in-Chief’s operations “hotline.” The Director of Operations at the time, Colonel Harry Shoup, had his staff check the radar for indications of Santa making his way south from the North Pole. Children who called were given updates on his location, and a tradition was born.

In 1958, the governments of Canada and the United States created a bi-national air defense command for North America called the North American Aerospace Defense Command, also known as NORAD, which then took on the tradition of tracking Santa.

Exec Security2016-12-16T20:23:45-05:00December 13th, 2014|

Wiretapping ATMs

News came out last month [here] on information security blog Krebsonsecurity.com, about attacks on European ATM machines that involved cutting into the machines and tapping into the wires that connect to the internal card reader. The hole would then be covered up with a fake decal or sticker. Photos supplied by NCR now show what such attacks could look like.

A hole left by crooks who added “wiretapping” or “eavesdropping” theft devices to a compromised ATM. Image: NCR.

“In this attack, the ATM fascia is penetrated close to the card reader to create a hole large enough for the attacker to reach inside the ATM and place a tap directly onto the card reader in order to skim card data as it is read by the ATM,” NCR said in an advisory it produced on the increasingly common attacks.

A key element in all aspects of security […]

Exec Security2016-12-16T20:23:45-05:00December 9th, 2014|

Future watch: iPhone with laser beams, 3D mapping, more…

Consumer technology eventually encroaches on ideas that were only dreamed of in the past. Developments come quickly these days, so it’s worthwhile to keep an eye on where things are going. An eavesdropping technique that has been difficult to deploy in the past, could also be built right into an iPhone if this reported patent comes to fruition. Lasers can be used for eavesdropping by beaming onto a distant object or window pane, then interpreting reflections of vibrations of that beam in order to get audio from the target room. If the lasers described below get built into a smart phone, I’m sure it wouldn’t be long until an app is developed for using them for eavesdropping as well. As it is, though, a pocket-sized 3D laser mapping device would also be a spy’s delight.

“such technology may result in museums and other public venues [not to mention engineering and […]

Exec Security2016-12-16T20:23:46-05:00December 8th, 2014|

NSA tools highlight the need for Cyber Security and TSCM to work together.

Pages leaked from the supposed National Security Agency – Advanced Network Technology (NSA-ANT) catalog reveal eavesdropping and spy technology using advanced wireless communications (revealed in Der Spiegel in 2013 here). Edward Snowden may not be on your Christmas list, and the NSA may or may not be out to get you, but here’s the thing, if the NSA has such devices, surely other nation states and advanced criminal espionage organizations can be expected to have similar items available. In the past, one may have assumed this type of technology existed, but now there is clear description of some of the potential threats.

A number of the NSA-ANT product sheets are displayed on Wikipedia as well as other websites revealing leaked information. Take a look at a few of them listed below.

Detection of such devices goes beyond the normal cyber-crime security efforts. These miniature circuits can appear as standard pieces […]

Exec Security2016-12-16T20:23:46-05:00November 28th, 2014|

Cyber bugs studied used for disaster rescue, real bugs…

by Kelly Dickerson, LiveScience.com

Remote-controlled cyborg cockroaches could one day be among the first responders at disaster scenes to help locate survivors.

A team of researchers at North Carolina State University has created a swarm of cyborg cockroaches, nicknamed “biobots,” that are equipped with microphones to pick up sounds and trace them to their sources. The researchers hope the biobots could one day be used in disaster-relief situations to locate survivors.

Cyber cockroach, equipped with microphones and transmitters could aid in disaster rescue.

Each cockroach has a tiny circuit board “backpack” attached to it that researchers can use to control the bug’s movement. Some of the biobots have a single microphone that can capture sounds at a disaster scene and send them back to personnel. Others have a series of microphones that can pinpoint the source of a sound and then steer […]

Exec Security2016-12-16T20:23:46-05:00November 27th, 2014|

Genie put back in the bottle with $500,000 fine. First ever conviction for cellphone eavesdropping software.

A man who advertised and sold the notorious StealthGenie mobile-phone spyware has pleaded guilty to federal charges, earning himself a $500,000 fine, the Department of Justice said Tuesday. Hammad Akbar, a Danish citizen originally from Pakistan, was arrested in September and charged with advertisement and sale of interception devices — a category that includes spyware apps like StealthGenie. Once the app was secretly installed on the target phone, it would remain undetectable while recording every phone call and text, every photo and every email, among other things. The app, which investigators said was designed for use by “stalkers and domestic abusers,” could be installed on iOS, Android and BlackBerry devices. “This illegal spyware provides individuals with an option to track a person’s every move without their knowledge,” the FBI’s Andrew McCabe said.

Akbar allegedly sold a copy […]

Exec Security2016-12-16T20:23:46-05:00November 27th, 2014|

NC: City Hall installs cameras AND listening devices.

Southport, NC, City Hall appears proud to have a new security system- 8 cameras AND listening devices. I guess they may have not paid attention to problems other city offices have faced around the country. University of California Police Department and Nelson, NH City Hall are two examples where law suits were brought with allegations of eavesdropping (see Exec Security posts here and here). Once you add audio to your recordings you face a different set of rules. I wonder how long it will take until they are asked to remove the microphones due to law suits?

SOUTHPORT, NC (WECT) –Southport residents who visit City Hall to pay a bill will be watched and heard in a different way from here out.

On every hall, every corner, and every doorway a camera will be watching your […]

Exec Security2016-12-16T20:23:46-05:00November 26th, 2014|

Pennsylvania “All Party Consent” rule stops judge, alleges eavsedropping

Are recording systems running in your conference rooms? Make sure you treat recordings responsibly and know your laws. Microphones can be very sensitive, picking up unintended conversations.

A courtroom in Stroudsburg, PA has a sensitive recording system in place, but Pennsylvania is one of the few (12) states that require that all parties must give their consent if a conversation is to be recorded. Comments from Judge Jennifer Sibum revealed that she had overheard private attorney conversations.

According to a source, the district attorney’s claims against Judge Jennifer Sibum surfaced from comments the judge made last month on the bench to lawyers in the courtroom who were present for a status conference, a routine court procedure. One of the lawyers in court Oct. 29, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the judge said she was “unhappy with some of the things she heard on these tapes.”

“She […]

Exec Security2014-11-25T21:01:36-05:00November 25th, 2014|