Revealed: Technical Surveillance Threats

Revealed: Technical Surveillance Threats


Spy Cam 101

Not long ago while on assignment, I was asked "How many times do you actually find technical surveillance threats?"
My answer was "Well, I would tell you but then I would have to...." Just kidding,  The real answer is more often than you would think..
Although, not every technical surveillance threat involves finding a device. It can also can mean discovering a technical surveillance vulnerability. Like for instance, the allowance of cellular devices (w/ cameras) or iPads in conference rooms and during high level meetings. Or, the allowance of digital recorders within these areas, just to name a few.

It's not always "James Bond" spy gear that turns up during a sweep.

But every now and then, I still discover a "surprise" that may (or may not) have been left behind...on purpose.

For example, take this pen & pencil holder discovered during the wee hours of the morning while sweeping the "Presidential Suite" of one of our clients facilities.

Plain looking enough, but take a closer look... Through our Thermal Imaging Camera... Notice that hot spot? So did we...It turned out to be a hardwired Spy cam, with audio....Here's another look..

This was only one of the technical surveillance threats found during this assignment. Yes, you heard me right, only one of several threats found...

So, the short answer is YES, technical surveillance threats (although crude) like the above are used for intel collection purposes by your adversaries. i.e.; disgruntled employee, competitor, corp spy, eavesdropper, etc.
So be aware, these types of surveillance threats could be lurking closer than you might think...

If you don't mind me asking, When was your last TSCM Sweep?  Not Sure?  Contact Me here. I can help.

Stay tuned for the next "reveal"....JDL

Texas constable admits ordering bugging

chron.com

DALLAS (AP) — A small-town Texas constable told the FBI he secretly bugged other officials' offices after they were accused of illegally forcing motorists to forfeit their cash, according to a search warrant affidavit.

The affidavit, based on interviews conducted by FBI agents and Texas Rangers, quotes Shelby CountyConstable Fred Walker as saying he authorized the installation of hidden surveillance cameras and digital recorders even though he didn't have legal authority. It also includes a statement from a witness who claims Walker helped organize a scheme to sell drugs seized from suspects.

It's just another chapter in a longtime drama in Tenaha, a town of 1,160 near the Louisiana border, where seizures of cash from motorists stopped for traffic violations along U.S. Highway 59 — a well-known drug route that runs from the U.S.-Mexico border to Canada — have led to lawsuits and a federal criminal investigation.

Walker, 53, was Tenaha's city marshal at the time the alleged bugging occurred. He was elected constable in 2010.

In a brief phone interview, Walker said he knew nothing about the affidavit, filed in U.S. District Court in Lufkin on Feb. 6. When asked if he arranged to have offices bugged, he hung up.

Walker's attorney, Bassey Akpaffiong of Houston, said prosecutors have told him to expect an indictment. Akpaffiong said Walker was never involved in selling drugs and never told the FBI he authorized the installation of secret listening devices.

Malcolm Bales, U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Texas, declined to comment.

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DARPA-Funded Hacker's Tiny $50 Spy Computer Hides In Offices, Drops From Drones

forbes.com

Even more embarrassing than a student discovering your GPS tracking device on his car, as the FBI found out last year, is having to ask him to give the expensive piece of equipment back.

So security researcher Brendan O’Connor is trying a different approach to spy hardware: building a sensor-equipped surveillance-capable computer that’s so cheap it can be sacrificed after one use, with off-the-shelf parts that anyone can buy and assemble for less than fifty dollars.

At the Shmoocon security conference Friday in Washington D.C., O’Connor plans to present the F-BOMB, or Falling or Ballistically-launched Object that Makes Backdoors. Built from just the hardware in a commercially-available PogoPlug mini-computer, a few tiny antennae, eight gigabytes of flash memory and some 3D-printed plastic casing, the F-BOMB serves as 3.5 by 4 by 1 inch spy computer. And O’Connor has designed the cheap gadgets to dropped from a drone, plugged inconspicuously into a wall socket, thrown over a barrier, or otherwise put into irretrievable positions to quietly collect data and send it back to the owner over any available Wifi network. With PogoPlugs currently on sale at Amazon for $25, O’Connor built his prototypes with gear that added up to just $46 each.

“If some target is surrounded by bad men with guns, you don’t want to have to retrieve this, but you also don’t want to have to pay four or five hundred dollars for every use,” says O’Connor. “The idea is that it’s as close to free as possible. So you can throw a bunch of these sensors at a target and get away with losing a couple nodes in the process.”

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DC convention helps governments spy on citizens

rt.com


Representatives from governments across the globe gathered in Washington DC last month, but it wasn’t international affairs that they were there to discuss.

The meeting, rather, was an annual conference where figureheads far and wide come together to discuss the latest and greatest ways to spy on their own citizens.

At this year’s Intelligence Support Systems (ISS) World Americas conference, the only consumers were the governments of great nations far and wide who came together in DC last month to go over the newest achievements in “lawful interception” methods, reveals an article published this week in the UK’s Guardian. According to their filing, international figureheads came together on American soil to find the freshest ways to carry out clandestine surveillance on their own citizens back home by hacking smart phones, laptops and anything else with a circuit.

The actual roster from this year’s guest list is kept top-secret, much like the information inside the exclusive DC conference room, but past reports suggest it reads like a who’s who of foreign nations. In 2008, for examples, the Spanish biometrics company Agnito said they were proud to be a participant in that year’s conference, which it describes on their website as a meeting-place that focuses on Intelligence Gathering. As the worldwide leader in voice biometrics, Agnito’s list of clients includes the Spanish Ministry of Defense, the national police of France, the prosecutor’s office of South Korea and some of the biggest banks in Spain. Don’t let that list of “friendly” nations let you think that nothing is amiss here, however. In The Guardian’s article, Jerry Lucas, president of TeleStrategies, says that the manufacturers of surveillance technologies are free to pitch products to any nation they want.

"The surveillance that we display in our conferences, and discuss how to use, is available to any country in the world,"Lucas tells The Guardian. "Do some countries use this technology to suppress political statements? Yes, I would say that's probably fair to say. But who are the vendors to say that the technology is not being used for good as well as for what you would consider not so good?"

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Olive Branch Man Caught Peeping with 'Spy Pen'

myfoxmemphis.com

OLIVE BRANCH, Miss. - An Olive Branch man is accused of using a hidden camera to videotape a woman in the shower, and she's not the only victim.

Sam Allen Nuckolls of Olive Branch was a recent house guest of a woman and her husband who live in Gosnell, Arkansas. According to the woman, she had noticed that when she went to take a shower, her house guest had several items laid out on a bathroom counter, including a pen.

On closer inspection, it turned out to be a lot more than an ink pen. It's sold by the name "Video Spy Pen," and it can shoot HD video and audio or high resolution still pictures. It even writes, just in case someone gets suspicious. However, a small flashing light on the side of the pen shows that it is recording. If you open the pen, you will see the USB input device that plugs into a computer for downloading.

That's what tipped off this victim.

She said she left the bath room, then Nuckolls re-entered the bathroom and took his belongings, including the spy pen. Later, when Nuckolls left her home, the woman took the suspicious pen, plugged it into her computer and saw the video that had been recorded in her bathroom.

Her house guest was arrested by Gosnell police. He admitted he had set up the spy cam pen and also admitted he had done it before in Olive Branch, Mississippi, and even gave names of the victims.

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Man Charged With Unlawfully Video Taping Woman at Counseling Center

lakeridge.patch.com

A custodian at the Healing Hearts Counseling Center in Occoquan has been arrested for allegedly video taping a woman three times with a hidden camera while she was in the shower at the center.

On Oct. 25, a staff member at the center reported to police that she discovered a video camera hidden in one of the facility's showers. When police investigated after 10 p.m. that evening, they found that custodian Americo Rudolpho Rodriguez-Zabalbeascoa had allegedly hidden the camera and taped the 37-year-old Alexandria woman three times. 

Rodriguez-Zabalbeascoa, 53, of Woodbridge, has been arrested and charged with three counts of unlawful taping. His court date is unavailable. He is being held without bond.

School employee caught with secret camera

whdh.com

RAYMOND, NH -- An employee at a New Hampshire high school is accused of looking for trouble. Police said he used a hidden camera to violate a secretary’s privacy.

The apparent victim said she caught him in the act.

The 27-year-old computer technician, Daniel Malo, was arrested for allegedly shooting video of a female colleague from under her desk at Raymond High School.

According to the police report, Malo admitted he has a “boot fetish.”

“I think that’s totally wrong, a boot fetish?” said Jessica Harris, a concerned citizen.

Police said Malo was called to the school guidance office to fix a woman’s computer. Malo allegedly took his digital camera out of his pocket and placed it on the floor shooting video in “movie mode.”

Police said the woman was wearing a skirt with knee high boots and asked Malo, “Is that a camera?”

Malo allegedly said it was.

There was no comment from a woman that opened the door at Dan Malo’s Manchester home.

Raymond residents that read about the arrest on the town’s website were appalled.

“Oh wow, that’s crazy,” one resident said.

“No, he shouldn’t be around children or anything like that, especially women,” added Jessica Harris.

The alleged victim was sad to be concerned and upset.

School officials said they met with the woman and assured her she was safe, they also said that no students were involved.

Read more.. 

Wagner students discover hidden camera; JROTC instructor accused

kens5.com

A Wagner High School Junior ROTC instructor has been accused of taking inappropriate photos of students.

The Junior ROTC instructor was placed on administrative leave after a recording device was found in a supply room where students sometimes change their clothing.

They say one of the female students was actually recorded doing just that. Her family has been notified, and if they choose to press criminal charges, it's possible the instructor could face legal punishment.

Officials at Judson ISD say the recording device was discovered by other students at Wagner High School. Those students turned it over to the proper authorities.

"It's a small recording device, and they actually thought that it was a flash drive. It looks very similar to that. When they discovered there were some questionable images, some video images, they immediately turned it over to their ROTC instructor, who then turned it over to the principal at Wagner," says Judson ISD spokesperson Aubrey Chancellor.

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Simon Cowell admits 'The X Factor' uses hidden cameras to expose contestants

examiner.com

"The X Factor" U.S. is inevitably getting compared to "American Idol," but Simon Cowell (who is an executive producer/judge on "The X Factor" U.S.) says that his show is doing something that "American Idol" doesn't do: use hidden cameras to expose contestants' true personalities.

In an exclusive Q&A with ReelzChannel, Cowell was interviewed by his older half-brother Tony Cowell, who is ReelzChannel's special "X Factor" U.S. correspondent. Simon said in part two of the interview (which aired on September 29, 2011):

"We put cameras in all the makeup mirrors, and we didn't tell them [the contestants]. I've worked with contestants who, on camera, are the nicest, most beautiful people you'd ever meet. [With the] cameras off, they are absolute horrors. On this show, you see everything. Otherwise, it's not real."

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5-year-old girl finds hidden camera in a D.C. Starbucks bathroom

dailymail.co.uk

A five-year-old girl walked out of Starbucks with more than just a hot chocolate after having discovered a hidden camera in the coffee shop's unisex bathroom.

The girl's family is now suing the coffee chain for damages after she and her father were taped while using the toilet in a D.C. Starbucks.

William Yockey and his family were visiting the capital in late August from their home in Norfolk, Virginia.

His daughter discovered a video camera hidden underneath the sink that was pointed towards the toilet. Yockey determined that the camera was on and recording, then notified the police.

The camera was taken by police for further investigation, and no suspects have been named.

Because so little is known about the camera- including who put it there and when- this lawsuit could theoretically be opened up to include anyone else who used the restroom at that Starbucks.

The lawsuit, which will be heard in D.C. Superior Court, claims that the daughter suffered 'permanent and continuing emotional pain and suffering, humiliation, embarrassment and great emotional distress'

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Court Affirms Legality Of Recording Police Officers

wbur.org

Last Friday, the U.S. First Circuit Court of Appeals issued a ruling that affirmed, stronger than ever, the rights of individuals to openly record the actions of police officers.

In 2007, a young lawyer named Simon Glik was walking through Boston Common when he saw three police officers arresting a teenager. Glik thought the officers were getting a little rough, so he flipped open his cellphone camera and started shooting video.

The officers arrested Glik for, in their minds, violating the state’s wire-tapping law, even though the whole incident happened out in public and Glik didn’t try to conceal the fact that he was recording.

The ACLU took up Glik’s cause and the courts threw out the charges against him. Since then, the Boston Police Department has been instructing personnel that the state’s wiretapping law does not apply to people making unconcealed audio or video recordings in public. But Glik and the ACLU have pressed on, suing the BPD and the individual officers for violating his First Amendment rights.

The officers moved to have the suit dismissed, saying they were just enforcing an interpretation of the law that was handed down to them by their superiors. But on Friday, the federal court disagreed.

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Naked eye: hidden cameras more common than you think?

Note: This just in from our ERI Associate & Friend from down under, Julian Claxton, Counter Surveillance Expert & Director of Jayde Consulting. Congrats Julian! Job well done!



smh.com.au



Hidden cameras in change rooms and toilets are far more common than people realise and advances in technology have made them so small that they are virtually impossible to detect, a Sydney counter-surveillance expert said.

Organisations are typically oblivious to the presence of hidden cameras and, on the odd occasions they do find them, are reluctant to come forward to police for fear of reputational damage, said Julian Claxton, a surveillance expert whose company, Jayde Consulting, conducts sweeps for recording devices.

Just this year, Claxton has investigated two instances in Sydney, one involving a hidden camera in the change room of a Sydney private school and another involving a camera placed in the toilet of a building in Haymarket.

"Two or three inquiries a year where devices have been found is quite significant … in this business you would be lucky to find something 1 or 2 per cent of the time," said Claxton, estimating he saw only 10 per cent of the reported cases in Sydney.

"We believe that there's a lot more going on that's not being picked up."

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Note: By the way, when was the last time your organization requested a sweep for electronic eavesdropping devices? Not Sure? Contact me, I can help. ~JDL

Security Report: Stealing ATM PINs with thermal cameras

nakedsecurity.sophos.com

At the USENIX Security Symposium last week, researchers Keaton Mowery, Sarah Meiklejohn and Stefan Savage from the University of California at San Diego presented their paper "Heat of the Moment: Characterizing the Efficacy of Thermal Camera-Based Attacks."

Inspired by previous research on safecracking by Michał Zalewski, they thought it would be easier for a criminal to snoop on ATM PINs using a thermal (infrared) camera to detect residual heat from keypresses rather than current techniques using traditional video cameras.

Thermal imaging provides several advantages. Unlike with traditional cameras, visually masking the PIN pad does not defeat the attack, and the ability to automate PIN harvesting using computer software further simplifies the task.

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Hidden video cameras found in apartment

baynews9.com

A couple of tenants said they recently discovered hidden video cameras inside their Hillsborough County apartment.

"We understand that we have camera everywhere. In the bathroom, in our room," said tenant Vanya Samokovareva. "They looks like smoke detectors."

Samokovareva, 22, and her roommate, Ralitsa Dzhambazova, 23, are from Bulgaria. The women said they came to Tampa in May through a work-travel program.

"This is terrible. I never expect that this thing can happen to me or my friend," said Dzhambazova. "We just came here to spend one summer in the United States, to work here."

The tenants said they've been renting the Westchase area apartment for about two months and found the hidden video cameras last weekend. Samokovareva said they taped a piece of paper to block the view of the camera in their bathroom, aimed right at the shower.

"The bathroom and your room, this is the private place and you make, in the bathroom you take a shower, you make everything," she said. "This is, I'm sure that if there is a camera, this is the idea to show us somewhere naked and to show what we make in the bathroom."

The tenants said they followed the cables from the hidden camera in their bedroom underneath the carpet to a locked up closet. They broke the lock off and said they found that all the cameras were feeding into a closed circuit TV box connected to a Wi-Fi router.

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Rental Firms May be Allowed to Spy on Customers With Webcams

dailytech.com

"Error: my sensor is dirty. Please take me in a steamy area... such as your shower."

Some may recall that back in May news broke of an Aaron's Inc. (AAN) franchisee remotely spying on users with a webcam to make sure they were making payments. The incident led to one outraged couple filing suit against the company, seeking class action status.

Unfortunately for that couple -- Crystal and Brian Byrd -- there case was dealt a serious setback by Judge Sean Mclaughlin, a judge with the US District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania (Erie District).

In his ruling [Google Docs], the judge refused to grant a preliminary injunction, which would have banned Aaron's and its franchisees from both continuing to monitor users with the "PC Rental Agent" remote webcam spykit and from conducting activities to obfuscate which computers had the spykit installed.

In denying the injunction, Judge Mclaughlin opens the door to continued monitoring of users, and to the company disguising how many users it monitors.

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Power Cord Hidden Camera

The Desk Accessory You Didn't Know You Needed...

Connect Easily to a DVR and Leave on Your Desk for Completely Covert Recording...

Office theft and vandalism happen every day. The Power Cord Hidden Camera is an inconspicuous camera housed in a standard-looking power cord that sits on your desk and records everything that happens while you're gone. Its slim, sleek and discreet design doesn't draw any extra attention. The device looks like an ordinary charger or computer cable, so no one will think twice that it's anything other than a loose cable forgotten on your desk. If you suspect any wrongdoing to your property, or you work in an environment that makes you suspect that your belongings may be in danger, this is the device for you. Simply pair the camera with any of a number of portable DVRs, plug it in, and you're ready to start recording. And, with a built-in motion sensor, you'll only get the footage you need.

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Candidate Catches Hidden Camera

valleycentral.com

Jessica Tetreau is outraged.

She’s a candidate for Brownsville City Commissioner District Two.

She’s also a mother, afraid a surveillance camera is spying on her and her children.

Tetreau discovered the camera Friday.

It’s hidden inside the broken window of a neighbor’s home, pointing at the house of her estranged husband.

Tetreau is separated from her husband, but says she still spends a lot of time at his home.

“This is a very well known area where children play,” said Tetreau.

Tetreau said the discovery of the camera confirmed her fear that she and her children were being watched.

"I had already seen a man taking pictures of my children,” said Tetreau.

Whether the camera is an attempt to sabotage Tetreau, she said she doesn't know.

"It would be very disgusting and disturbing if that's why it was set up,” said Tetreau.

Watch Video...

AC Adapter Hidden Camera

You never know who's watching...JDL

Motion Activated, Ultra Covert Hidden Outlet Camera with Built-in Recording.

The power plug adapter spy cam is an ultra-compact and portable, all-in-one covert video recording system. The cleverly designed AC Adapter houses a hidden camera and DVR; the built-in DVR records video directly onto the included Micro SD Card. All you have to do is plug the device into an electrical power outlet, insert the Micro SD Card into the AC Adapter w/ DVR Memory Card slot to start recording video. The AC Adapter with DVR is designed to look like a common household electronic; no one walking past this AC charger would ever suspect it was a highly-versatile and portable video recording system.

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Lawsuit Filed Over Listening Devices

wytv.com
A lawsuit involving two dozen plaintiffs and 18 defendants has been filed over alleged illegal wiretapping at the Newton Falls Police Department.

The lawsuit was filed Friday in Trumbull County Common Pleas Court by an attorney with the Fraternal Order of Police on behalf of employees, mostly police officers, and citizens of Newton Falls. Defendants include current and former city officials who "have approved the expenditures for the installation and upkeep of the illegal wiretapping system."

The lawsuit claims oral communications were illicitly recorded by hidden microphones placed in public and private areas of the police department. The suit alleges that former Police Chief Robert Carlson had the devices installed and intercepted conversations during contract talks to negotiate less beneficial contracts.

The new chief, John Kuivila, has said he found the devices in May of 2009.

Carlson, who is now retired, said he never intercepted any conversations and said he has done nothing wrong.

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Hidden Camera Found In School Locker Room

kctv5.com

EFFINGHAM, Kan. -- Police said a group of eighth-grade girls discovered a video camera rolling at Atchison County Junior-Senior High School in Effingham.Students and parents throughout the district said they are embarrassed, angry and scared. They are worried about what kind of images exist and who might have seen them.Residents said Effingham is a typical small town where everyone knows each other and word travels fast. And that only serves to heighten the uneasy feeling among students, they said."Was I in that video and has anybody seen it?" Principal Mark Preut asked, voicing the concerns of the students.Kendra Myers works at Effingham's only sit-down restaurant and has a niece at the junior high."I think the first thing that comes to everybody's minds, parents, children, everything is the Internet, like is this all over the Internet?" Myers said.Preut said everything that could contain exploitative images went straight to Kansas City's Regional Crime Lab. So even local, law enforcement don't know what was captured or how far it went.

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