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Travel Tips: be wary of free cell phone charging stations.

This was reported a while back, but I was reminded of it while planning for an overseas trip. Airports, convention centers, and many other locations offer free charging stations for attendees or visitors to be able to get an extra boost of power for their cell phones. They typically will have USB cables attached or built in USB ports where users can plug their own cables in.

The other side of that cable could be connected a device or computer designed to download data, contacts, and images from the cell phone. This can be done to some degree even if the lock screen is still on. It was proved in concept at the DefCon hacker convention in 2011 when researchers from Aries Security set up charging kiosks specifically designed to warn users of the risk. The kiosks did not steal any information, but when an active device was plugged […]

Charles Patterson2016-12-16T20:24:02-05:00July 16th, 2013|

How eavesdropping was punished in medieval times

The problem of eavesdropping dates back to the 1370s, according to one historian

By Arika Okrent | June 24, 2013, TheWeek.com

When people live together in small communities, they can be a great source of comfort and support to each other — but they can also really get on each other’s nerves. Every community must figure out the best way to keep conflict to a minimum. In the late middle ages, English village courts tried to maintain equilibrium by imposing punishment for eavesdropping, scolding, and noctivagation (aimless night wandering), three offenses, as Marjorie McIntosh explains in her book Controlling Misbehaviour in England, 1370-1600, “often said in local records to be damaging to local harmony, goodwill, and peaceful relations between neighbors.”

The term “eavesdropping” originally came from Anglo-Saxon laws against building too close to the border of your land, lest the rain running off your roof, the yfesdrype or “eaves drip,” mess up your […]

Charles Patterson2016-12-16T20:24:02-05:00July 14th, 2013|

Iron Mountain And Shred-It Pay $1.1 Million in Lawsuit Over Failure To Properly Shred Sensitive Government Documents

Honesty is the best policy. Major document shredding firms were misrepresenting their capabilities in order to win contracts.

Articles from KNOE.com, the Boston Globe and Boston Business Journal

PHILADELPHIA, July 9, 2013 /PRNewswire/ — Two of the biggest document-shredding companies in America, Iron Mountain Corporation (“Iron Mountain”, NYSE “IRM”) and Shred-It USA (“Shred-It”), have agreed to pay a total of $1.1 million to settle a lawsuit alleging that they defrauded the government by failing to shred sensitive documents as required by their contracts with the United States government.

The settlement follows a multi-year investigation by the United States Department of Justice triggered by a lawsuit filed by Pennsylvania resident Douglas Knisely, owner of a family-operated document-shredding business.

A third Defendant, Cintas Corporation (“Cintas”, NASDAQ “CTAS”), a multi-billion company based in Cincinnati, Ohio, continues to contest allegations that it defrauded the federal government by failing to properly shred sensitive documents.

The qui tam lawsuit filed in federal district court in Philadelphia in 2010 by Mr. Knisely alleged […]

Exec Security2016-12-16T20:24:02-05:00July 13th, 2013|

Espionage? Moi?

Excerpts from Foreign Policy magazine
BY ADAM RAWNSLEY | JULY 1, 2013

Sure, Paris is a hypocrite when it comes to spying. But it isn’t alone.

If you buy the latest reporting out of Europe, France is outraged, simply outraged, at news that the National Security Agency has been eavesdropping on the European Union through its mission in New York and embassy in Washington. French political parties are now rumbling about offering asylum to Edward Snowden, the former NSA contractor at the center of the leaks. The French government is demanding answers from the United States about its snooping. Monsieur Le Président himself, François Hollande, is calling for an end to the spying.

All of which is pretty hilarious, given France’s penchant for stealing American defense technology, bugging American business executives and generally annoying U.S. counterintelligence officials. If you’ve been paying attention, you know that France is a proficient, notorious and unrepentant economic spy. “In economics, […]

Exec Security2016-12-16T20:24:02-05:00July 5th, 2013|

Hidden microphone discovered inside Ecuadorian embassy

Here is one reason regularly scheduled sweeps of offices are important…

Daily Mail
By HARRIET ARKELL PUBLISHED: 11:19 EST, 3 July 2013 | UPDATED: 11:19 EST, 3 July 2013

A hidden microphone has been found inside the Ecuadorian embassy in London where WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has been living for the past year, the country’s foreign minister has said.

Ricardo Patino said the microphone was found inside the office of the Ecuadorian ambassador to the UK, Ana Alban, in Knightsbridge in central London.

The foreign minister did not say who was believed to be responsible, and the embassy made no comment today – Mr Assange’s 42nd birthday.

Mr Patino said the device was discovered during a brief visit he made to London last month when he met Assange and held talks with British Foreign Secretary William Hague.

‘We regret to inform you that in our embassy in London we have found a hidden microphone,’ Mr Patino […]

Charles Patterson2016-12-16T20:24:02-05:00July 3rd, 2013|

EU orders global sweep of diplomatic missions after US spying reports

Published time: July 01, 2013 16:08 RT.com

The European Union has ordered a worldwide security sweep of all its premises following reports US intelligence has bugged its offices in Washington, Brussels and the United Nations.

Jose Manuel Barroso, president of the EU’s Executive Commission, “has instructed the competent commission services to proceed to a comprehensive ad hoc security sweep and check” in light of the most recent spying allegations leveled at the US, spokeswoman Pia Ahrenkilde Hansen told reporters.

The sweep follows a report by German weekly Der Spiegel, based on revelations by fugitive whistleblower Edward Snowden, that the National Security Agency [NSA] bugged EU offices and gained access to EU internal computer networks.

Ahrenkilde said allegations of US spying were “disturbing” and demanded “full clarification.”

“Clarity and transparency is what we expect from our partners and allies and this is what we expect from the United States,” she continued.

Exec Security2016-12-16T20:24:02-05:00July 2nd, 2013|

Spying by US allies on each other is common and expected, Obama suggests

By The Associated Press
on July 01, 2013 at 10:20 PM, updated July 01, 2013 at 10:33 PM

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama brushed aside sharp European criticism on Monday, suggesting that all nations spy on each other as the French and Germans expressed outrage over alleged U.S. eavesdropping on European Union diplomats.

…

Obama, in an African news conference with Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete, said the U.S. would provide allies with information about new reports that the National Security Agency had bugged EU offices in Washington, New York and Brussels. But he also suggested such activity by governments would hardly be unusual.

“We should stipulate that every intelligence service — not just ours, but every European intelligence service, every Asian intelligence service, wherever there’s an intelligence service — here’s one thing that they’re going to be doing: They’re going to be trying to understand the world better, and what’s going on in world […]

Exec Security2016-12-16T20:24:02-05:00July 2nd, 2013|

James Bond Lotus Esprit submarine from The Spy Who Loved Me up for auction

{this would have been a good deal for Auction Hunters…}

Goes under the hammer in September

The Lotus Esprit submarine that starred in The Spy Who Loved Me will be going under the hammer at RM Auctions’ London auction in September.

Dubbed “Wet Nellie,” the car was built by Florida-based Perry Oceanographic for a reported cost in excess of $100,000 (€76,870/ £65,755) – roughly $500,000 (€384,350 / £328,775) in today’s money. It was a fully functional submarine that was used for underwater shots during filming.

After production wrapped up, the car was shipped to New York where it was put into storage for a decade. In 1989, the contents of the storage unit were sold at a blind auction to cover delinquent rent. A local couple submitted a “modest” bid and were surprised to discover they won a classic movie car.

Bond spy car up for auction

Charles Patterson2016-12-16T20:24:02-05:00June 28th, 2013|

Wiretap Exemption Blocks Recorded-Call Suit, Omni Hotels

Omni Hotels were recording phone calls for “service observation”, that is having the ability monitoring or record calls for quality assurance, as we have all often heard announced at the beginning of a call. In this case Omni was not making that announcement and a class action suit was made against them.

Law360, Los Angeles (June 24, 2013, 5:04 PM ET) — By Matthew Heller

Omni Hotels Management Corp. urged a California federal judge Monday to toss a putative class action alleging it has illegally recorded telephone conversations between customers and its employees, saying California’s wiretapping law did not apply to the “routine” business practice of “service-observing.”

Omni’s attorney David Farkas said the luxury hotel operator could not be sued for violating the California Information Privacy Act by taping calls without first telling the guests or getting their approval because the law included an exemption for recording equipment “furnished and used […]

Charles Patterson2016-12-16T20:24:02-05:00June 28th, 2013|

Cat Bandit Smuggles Cellphones into Russian Prison

By Matt Peckham @mattpeckham TIME News Feed

How far would you go to smuggle a clutch of cellphones into a prison? Strap them with packing tape to a cat, then let the poor unwitting feline sneak over a prison fence to deliver the contraband goods?
Cat Smuggler

Guards at a prison in northern Russia noticed just such a feline perched on a fence, reports the Moscow Times. Upon closer inspection, they discovered the cat had several cellphones and chargers secured by tape encircling its abdomen. The cat was caught last Friday attempting to bypass a security perimeter around Russia’s Penal Colony No. 1, a prison located near the Republic of Komi’s capital city, Syktyvkar.

“Two packages were taped to the animal’s back,” said the Republic of Komi’s penitentiary service in a statement. “When the packages were unwrapped, guards found objects prohibited in the penitentiary facility — two […]

Exec Security2016-12-16T20:24:03-05:00June 22nd, 2013|

Risky Business of Travel

ASIS Security Management magazine has a recent article regarding the security aspects of business travel. The article offers information security advice highlighting some of the concerns addressed by the security department at industrial supply company W.W. Grainger, offering advice to their employees who travel internationally. Even though they are not in research and development or other high-tech field, they recognize the value in their confidential information. They did not mention eavesdropping countermeasures, but that is also a key element in information security plans, often overlooked by security departments.

By Ann Longmore-Etheridge [Full article available here]

… W. W. Grainger is a Fortune 500 industrial-supply company based in Lake Forest, Illinois, with offices in Central and South America, China, Canada, India, Japan, and Puerto Rico. Grainger has about 21,000 employees, out of which about 1,500 may travel internationally on business in a given year. Keith Blakemore, CPP, its director […]

Charles Patterson2016-12-16T20:24:03-05:00June 9th, 2013|

New weapon in the terror tool kit? Encryption software blocks eavesdropping

By Shaun Waterman The Washington Times

A cheap new encryption technology for mobile phones completely blocks eavesdropping, even from warrant-wielding law enforcement agents – raising fears the technology could fall into the hands of terrorists or criminals.

The software poses a growing problem that U.S. law enforcement agencies call “going dark” – the spread of communications technologies that cannot be intercepted even with a warrant because agencies lack the technical capabilities.

But experts say the feds’ proposed solution to get around the blackout – by legally mandating the insertion of “back doors” into such software to allow eavesdropping – creates an opening which could be exploited by hackers, online criminals or cyberspies.

The issue is not unique to the United States. Intelligence and counter-terrorism officials in the United Kingdom are concerned about the new mobile phone application, called Seecrypt, according the London Mail on Sunday.

The app provides individual users with military […]

Exec Security2016-12-16T20:24:03-05:00May 23rd, 2013|

Hacking Humans, Corporate Espionage and the Spies Among Us

This article is from Cari Guittard from Huffington Post who recently interviewed Ira Winkler, President of Secure Mentem and the Internet Security Advisors Group (ISAG) regarding changes in corporate espionage and some simple countermeasures. Ira Winkler is an expert in computer security and penetration testing. His responses point to the need to pay attention to many overlooked internal threats. Full article can be read [here].

Ira points out that internal threats from employees are often overshadowed by the well publicized concerns over cyber warfare. It’s important to recognize that along with hacking and computer threats, the information leaked through other forms of electronic eavesdropping can be equally devastating to a corporation.

Hacking Humans, Corporate Espionage and the Spies Among Us

By Cari E. Guittard, Principal, Global Engagement Partners; Professor of Global Management, Hult International Business School

I reconnected with Ira after his remarks at the SC eSymposium to get his take on […]

Charles Patterson2016-12-16T20:24:03-05:00May 18th, 2013|

Your Business Is Never Too Small For A Cyber Attack

Forbes.com This article is by George Westerman, a research scientist in the MIT Sloan School of Management’s Center for Digital Business. He is co-author of IT Risk: Turning Business Threats Into Competitive Advantage. [Read Original Article]

A few years ago I was working with a small consulting firm, and one of our up and coming salespeople left for a competitor. No big deal. It happens. But several months later, the management team noticed a disturbing trend. The company kept losing bids for new business to this very same competitor. It had happened four times in a row when finally we realized that we’d forgotten to turn off the former employee’s network access. He had been logging into our network, stealing our information, and then undercutting us.

As cybercrime reporting goes, this may be small potatoes. But it wasn’t small to this company. It illustrates a […]

Exec Security2016-12-16T20:24:03-05:00May 15th, 2013|

The Cat Who Couldn’t Spy: A CIA Fail

News.Discovery.com MAY 10, 2013
The CIA once recruited a feline agent to spy on enemies, according to a new book that sheds light on the elite cat and its abysmal failure during “Operation Acoustic Kitty.”

Emily Anthes, author of the new book “Frankenstein’s Cat”, told Discovery News that felines weren’t the only non-human field agents.

There were “cyborg insects as well as cyborg rats (called ratbots),” she said, adding that “there’s a long history of using dogs in military and police operations” with some of the dogs “outfitted with cameras and other sophisticated technological equipment.”

The U.S. military has also tried to use implants to control shark movements.

Operation Acoustic Kitty, however, is one of the more memorable attempts to turn an animal into a spy. It took place in the 1960s.

“In an hour-long procedure, a veterinary surgeon transformed the furry feline into an […]

Exec Security2013-05-13T21:27:11-04:00May 13th, 2013|

Judge modifies rules for trade secret cases

An article in the Arizona Daily Sun [azdailysun.com] points out the need for taking steps to protect information that you consider proprietary. To gain legal protection for information you consider private, one of the things necessary is to demonstrate that significant steps have been taken to maintain the secrecy of that information.

Performing regular TSCM sweeps will help establish that the information that may be exchanged in phone conversations, meetings, or conferences can be considered as proprietary and protected under trade secret laws, and that the interception of that information can be prosecuted fully.
–cp

AZDailySun.com May 05, 2013 • HOWARD FISCHER Capitol Media Services

PHOENIX — Companies that want to sue former workers who have stolen what they say are trade secrets need to prove that what was taken is truly a secret, the Arizona Court of Appeals has ruled.
And they have to prove they made a […]

Charles Patterson2016-12-16T20:24:03-05:00May 9th, 2013|

Never Bring a Knife to a Gun Fight: One Simple Weapon to Fight Economic Espionage in a Cyberspace World

In this article in the National Law Review, the bottom line is key:

The author states “Innumerable resources describe trade secrets best practices, but there is one straightforward, critical practice that companies routinely ignore: Forensically audit all electronic devices of your departing employees. The majority of private enterprise trade secret thefts are made by departing employees. Most occur within one month of the employee’s departure. If possible, commence your audit not when the employee actually departs, but when the employee announces his or her departure.”

The writer emphasizes the risk of digital information being stolen, and also notes “non-cyber” methods of espionage. He did not mention however, the risks of interception of verbal information or communications. When performing audits of departing employees, or any other information security audit, a full TSCM sweep may be in order as well. —

Never Bring a Knife to a Gun Fight: One Simple […]

Charles Patterson2016-12-16T20:24:03-05:00May 5th, 2013|

Credit Suisse Alleges Espionage Against Former Employee

International Venture Capital Post; IVC POST | Marc Castro Updated: May 04, 2013

Credit Suisse Flag

The image is the frontage of the Credit Suisse corporate headquarters, whose recent performance in the bourse left much to be desired. (Photo : Reuters)

Credit Suisse Group AG has filed suit against its former vice president for emerging markets group on the grounds she stole confidential documents and trade secrets prior to her transfer to Goldman Sachs.

The complaint was filed in Manhattan state court against Agostina Pechi claiming she had sent highly sensitive and confidential information and documentation to her personal email account months before her date of resignation. The information included databases, client contact information and team sales targets.

Credit Suisse called it an ‘after hours document raid’ when she scheduled to be on furlough when the alleged illegal acts were committed related […]

Charles Patterson2016-12-16T20:24:03-05:00May 5th, 2013|