Corporate Espionage and Countermeasures News
News updates and articles are presented regarding corporate espionage, eavesdropping, electronic countermeasures, and TSCM. Please subscribe for automatic updates by entering your email address in the box on the right. You can search past articles and view archives in the column on the right.
Excerpts from recent posts are shown below. Click on the title to view the entire article.
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.
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.
TSCM Threat: Wireless Camera not detectable by RF or Thermal
When performing a sweep and searching for hidden or covert cameras, two tools that are frequently used are thermal imaging and radio signal analysis. During a recent inspection we came across a unique wireless camera system. The thing that makes these cameras different from other wireless covert cameras is that these are not detectable by rf inspection, wifi detection, or by thermal imaging.
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.
Some New Yorker humor (witty-leaks)
The New Yorker magazine has some of the best cartoons around: https://www.newyorker.com/cartoons/
France: defending against corporate espionage
from ft.com 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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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.
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. [...]