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.
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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. [...]
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.
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 [...]
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
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]