Technical Surveillance: criminal

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Jumat, 30 September 2011

(KMOV) -- Wednesday night, TRICARE, the health care program for millions of military members, retirees, and their families announced a data breach that affects an estimated 4.9 million people.

Read TRICARE's statement here: www.tricare.mil/mybenefit/Download/Forms/DataBreach_PublicStatement.pdf

Science Applications International Corporation reported that one of its employees was driving backup computer tapes from one federal office to another in San Antonio, Texas. At one point, the car was broken into and the backup tapes were stolen. SAIC says it won't disclose how many tapes were taken, but says only "some" were encrypted.

The tapes that were lost included names, Social Security numbers, addresses, and medical treatment information of patients who were treated at San Antonio military treatment facilities (or patients who have had lab work processes there) from 1992 until September 7, 2011.

TRICARE and SAIC say they are working to identify all the beneficiaries whose information may have been lost and notify the affected people. TRICARE says that the risk of harm to patients is low because the thief would have to have access to specific hardware and software and know how to pull the data from the tapes.

Jarrett Kolthoff, who runs a cyber security firm called SpearTip, LLC, says people should be concerned.

"It doesn't take a rocket scientist to grab that information and than use that data in a nefarious manner," said Kolthoff.

"If it was unencrypted, my concern would be the leverage that somebody could use against individuals."

Rabu, 28 September 2011

The Best Spies Money Can Buy

darkreading.com

Security firms have found evidence that espionage agents are buying time on leased botnets: Will cybercriminals services lead to more efficient spying?

During the past decade, cybercriminals have specialized in the various tasks needed to compromise computers, steal data, and make money. Now, more elusive nation-state attackers could be using rented botnets and cybercriminal services to streamline their own operations, security experts say.

In June, security firm FireEye detected evidence of such a connection when it found instances of a remote-access Trojan whose code seemed to have been reused to infect machines with fake antivirus software. In another incident, cybercriminals sold access to compromised military and government computers, allowing would-be cyberspies to get direct access to their targets, says Darien Kindlund, senior staff scientist at FireEye.

The two examples are part of a building body of evidence that suggests attackers representing what the military and security industry refer to as the advanced persistent threat (APT) are not shying away from using criminals' resources to help them in their missions.

"If military and government hosts are being sold on the black market, who are the most likely buyers -- spammers?' No, they could buy something cheaper on a different network. But for APT?'Yes, it meets their mission objectives," Kindlund says.

Selasa, 20 September 2011

3,000 Intelligence officials' names, emails leaked as 'INSA spies'

computerworld.com
Last week, a "premier intelligence and national security organization" was hacked and then hundreds of intelligence officials, ranging from the NSA, FBI, CIA, the Pentagon, the White House, had their names, email addresses, some phone numbers and even home addresses posted on Cryptome.

Intelligence and National Security Alliance (INSA) published a Cyber Intelligence report [PDF] about the need to develop better cyber intelligence sharing, analysis and defenses against the "cyber threat environment" where hackers are cracking into everyone's systems, from government agencies to private companies. 48 hours later, a cyberattack was launched against INSA website and the membership list was leaked after the hack.

MSNBC reported that "in apparent retaliation, INSA's 'secure' computer system was hacked and the entire 3,000-person membership posted on the Cryptome.org." There were 95 email addresses belonging to the "supersecret National Security Agency, as well as scores of others in key positions at the White House, the Pentagon, FBI, CIA, the Office of Director of National Intelligence and the State Department." John Young who runs Cryptome said in a telephone interview with NBC that he had no reservations about publishing 'INSA Nest of Official and Corporate Spies.' Young said, "We would love to name every spy that lives on Earth."

NSA President Ellen McCarthy confirmed the leak is real and told MSNBC that exposed members are not happy about the published list of names and email addresses. "Intelligence people are not very fond of getting a lot of attention."

More...

Rabu, 14 September 2011

How hackers find their targets

The rash of large-scale data breaches in the news this year begs many questions, one of which is this: how do hackers select their victims?

The answer: research.

Hackers do their homework; in fact, an actual hack typically takes place only after many hours of first studying the target.

Here’s an inside look at a hacker in action:

Using search queries through such resources as Google and job sites, the hacker creates an initial map of the target’s vulnerabilities. For example, job sites can offer a wealth of information such as hardware and software platform usage, including specific versions and its use within the enterprise.
The hacker fills out the map with a complete intelligence database on your company, perhaps using public sources such as government databases, financial filings and court records. Attackers want to understand such details as how much you spend on security each year, other breaches you’ve suffered, and whether you’re using LDAP or federated authentication systems.
The hacker tries to identify the person in charge of your security efforts. As they research your Chief Security Officer or Chief Intelligence Security Officer (who they report to, conferences attended, talks given, media interviews, etc.) hackers can get a sense of whether this person is a political player or a security architect, and can infer the target’s philosophical stance on security and where they’re spending time and attention within the enterprise.

Kamis, 01 September 2011

Hacker to be sentenced in LA in 'sextortion' case

LOS ANGELES (AP) — By disguising malicious software as popular songs, hacker Luis Mijangos managed to tap into and control more than 100 computers of young women and teenage girls.

He read their emails, watched them through webcams without their knowledge and most damaging was his discovery of nude photos they had taken of themselves. Mijangos then threatened to post the images online unless his victims were willing to provide more racy photos or videos to him or if they went to police.

Mijangos, 32, of Santa Ana is scheduled to be sentenced Thursday in federal court in what authorities believe is one of the more unusual cases they've seen because they contend Mijangos wasn't interested in getting money. He was motivated by sex.

Prosecutors are asking a judge to impose a seven-year prison sentence against Mijangos, who pleaded guilty in March to one count each of computer hacking and wiretapping.

Calling it "sextortion," authorities said Mijangos infiltrated the most intimate parts of his victims' lives and scarred them for a lifetime.

"He could have hacked into their computers, obtained financial information, deleted the malware and left undetected," prosecutors wrote in court documents. "Instead he made contact with his victims and played psychological games with them intending to inflict emotional harm."

Prosecutors portrayed Mijangos as a savvy and sophisticated computer programmer who monitored every detail of those he watched over the course of 1½ years.

Senin, 21 Februari 2011

Boxes of child porn, surveillance video removed from salon owner's home

MALDEN, MO (KFVS) - Investigators carried out boxes of surveillance video, porn, and child porn from a Malden man's home and business Monday morning.

Malden Police Chief Jarrett Bullock says this is the largest child porn bust in Malden's history and possibly in the state of the Missouri.

Joseph Layland Jr., 36 faces 10 charges after police found surveillance video of customers in a tanning booth at his tanning salon and child porn.

Layland Jr. is charged with four counts of the Class B felony of possession of child pornography, and six counts of the Class D felony of invasion of privacy.

Class B felonies can carry a sentence of five to 15 years. Class D felonies can carry four years each.

Minggu, 02 Januari 2011

Midland police claim man hid baby monitor in neighbor's bedroom

MIDLAND — Authorities allege a Midland parolee hid a baby monitor under a dresser in his neighbor’s bedroom in order to spy on the couple.

Paul A. Rivard is charged with second-degree home invasion, larceny in a building, eavesdropping and aggravated stalking, according to reports.

Investigators also allege Rivard, 36, burned and buried clothing belonging to the neighbors, broke furniture and re-arranged items inside the house, according to reports.

The incidents allegedly occurred from August until November.

Rivard remains jailed on $250,000 cash or surety bond as he awaits a Jan. 4 pretrial conference before Midland County Circuit Judge Michael J. Beale, court records show.

Kamis, 09 Desember 2010

Hidden camera found in gas station bathroom

abcHOUSTON (KTRK) -- A shocking discovery was made inside the bathroom of a gas station in one of the busiest parts of town. A woman was horrified to see her every move was being caught on a hidden camera. The victim tells police she found the camera in the bathroom of a Shell station at the West Loop and Westheimer, right in the heart of the Galleria area. And the bathroom wasn't the only place investigators say a camera was recording women inappropriately.

Investigators don't know for how long the cameras were operational at this busy Shell gas station but they know there were several victims.

"It was set up where he could see the women unrobing, taking their clothes off and using the restroom and filming that," said Donna Hawkins with the Harris County District Attorney's Office.

Minggu, 24 Oktober 2010

Hotel room security defeated by a piece of wire

This video clip is pretty alarming - it shows how easy it is for a stranger to enter your hotel room, using nothing more than a piece of wire. As you can see in the clip, the wire goes under the door, and is used to open the door from the inside. In all my years of staying in hotels, I never realized how simple it could be.

Jumat, 25 Juni 2010

US nails Chinese CEO

special.globaltimes.cn
The proud Harvard graduate was once a respected CEO of one of China's top 10 independent electronic component distributors in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province.

Now Wu Zhenzhou sits in a 6-square-meter cell in a US detention center facing a possible 20-year sentence for conspiracy to violate US export laws and illegally exporting electronic equipment from the US to China between 2004 and 2007. He will be sentenced August 17.

Branded a "Chinese spy" by the American media, his was one of the most high-profile US counterintelligence cases in 2009.

Some 50 FBI officers were involved in the arrest of the three Chinese defendants - originally indicted on 38 counts, including conspiracy to violate the US Arms Export Control Act for allegedly exporting defense weapons and electronics, money laundering and filing false documents with the US Department of Commerce.

Rabu, 16 Juni 2010

Official allegedly took lurid photos, bugged offices

boston.com
In stunning allegations that appalled residents and town leaders, authorities accused Town Administrator Kyle J. Keady yesterday of planting a video camera in the ceiling of the women’s restroom in Town Hall, secretly recording conversations in his office, and bugging his assistant and the town accountant.
Keady, a 46-year-old who has been town administrator for seven years, compiled “hundreds, perhaps thousands, of photo images’’ taken with hidden cameras, authorities said. Police said they seized hard drives from Keady’s home and office Monday that contained numerous “close-up photos of various body parts’’ of visitors to his office.

The lurid allegations came to light as Keady was arraigned in Ayer District Court on charges of illegal recording, illegal possession of a recording device, and video recording a person in a state of nudity. He pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Kamis, 13 Mei 2010

Thieves Flood Victim’s Phone With Calls to Loot Bank Accounts

Bank thieves have rolled out a new weapon in their arsenal of tactics — telephony denial-of-service attacks that flood a victim’s phone with diversionary calls while the thieves drain the victim’s account of money.

A Florida dentist lost $400,000 from his retirement account last year in this manner, and the FBI said the attacks are growing.

A spokeswoman for the Communication Fraud Control Association — a telecom industry organization — told Threat Level that although fraudulent transfers have been halted in a number of cases, the losses are increasing.

“I know it’s in the millions,” said Roberta Aranoff, executive director of the CFCA. “It has exceeded a million dollars easily.”

Last November, Robert Thousand Jr., a semi-retired dentist in Florida, received a flood of calls to several phones. When he answered them, he heard a 30-second recording for a sex hotline, according to the St. Augustine Record.

Kamis, 06 Mei 2010

Former Con Man Helps Feds Thwart Alleged ATM Hacking Spree

A North Carolina grocery worker is being held without bail in Houston on attempted computer hacking charges after inadvertently partnering with an undercover FBI agent in an alleged citywide ATM-reprogramming caper.

Thor Alexander Morris, 19, was arrested at a Houston flea market last month after trying a default administrative passcode on a Tranax Mini-Bank ATM there, according to the FBI. Morris, who was wearing a wig to disguise his appearance, allegedly hoped to reprogram the machine to think it was loaded with $1 bills instead of $20 bills. That would let him pull $8,000 in cash with $400 in withdrawals from a prepaid debit card.

Senin, 15 Maret 2010

Erin Andrews peephole stalker lands in jail

Michael Barrett, 48, had pleaded guilty to stalking Andrews over an 18-month period and removing the peepholes from the doors of at least three different hotel rooms to shoot video of her naked on his mobile phone.

After a celebrity web site turned down buying the videos, Barrett posted 10 of them on the Internet, identifying the ESPN reporter as the victim.

Barrett was sentenced by a federal judge in Los Angeles on Monday and ordered to pay Andrews $7,366 in restitution.

Andrews, 31, told Monday's sentencing hearing that she still suffers fear, anxiety and public humiliation as a result of having been stalked. "I'm being victimized every day...and I did nothing to deserve it," Andrews said, adding the videos will likely always be on the Internet.

"I'm living public humiliation. It's my body that's on the Internet...He stalked me, he terrorized me -- this will never be over for me, and I don't want it to ever be over for you," she said, looking at Barrett.

Sabtu, 20 Februari 2010

Student says school webcam spied on him at home

Pennsylvania parents are suing their son's school, alleging it watched him through his laptop's webcam while he was at home and unaware he was being observed.

Michael and Holly Robbins of Penn Valley are suing the Lower Merion School District, its board of directors and the superintendent. The parents allege the district unlawfully used its ability to access a webcam remotely on their son's district-issued laptop computer.

The lawsuit seeking class-action status was filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

The suit said that on November 11, an assistant principal at Harriton High School told the plaintiffs' son that he was caught engaging in "improper behavior" in his home and it was captured in an image via the webcam.

Rabu, 13 Januari 2010

New details in Chevy Chase spy case

The Chevy Chase scientist accused of attempted espionage may have impersonated a naval research official and stored classified information at his home, according to documents filed in federal court last week.

Stewart Nozette, 52, of the 100 block of Grafton Street in Chevy Chase Village demanded information on a classified national defense project from a Naval Research Laboratory official, Mark Johnson, claiming that he had "paid for it." The exchange took place when Nozette was working on the classified project at a Defense Department-affiliated laboratory in October 2002, according to an affidavit from an FBI agent seeking a search warrant of Nozette's home and vehicle on Oct. 16, 2009, just three days before Nozette was arrested and charged with attempted espionage.

Kamis, 07 Januari 2010

Bank Thieves Foiled by GPS-Spiked Cash

Forget exploding dye packs. Three thieves who made off with about $9,000 in cash from an Illinois bank were thwarted by a GPS device inserted in the cash that led authorities straight to their door, according to the Chicago Tribune.

Timothy Rucker, 33, Phillip Griffen, 31, and Brandon Barnes, 25, entered a branch of the TCF Bank on Dec. 30 with their faces concealed and pointed a gun at a teller, demanding cash.

The three made off with a nylon bag full of money. But unknown to them, the bag contained two GPS-tracking devices hidden among the bills.

Signals from the devices led police to the home of one of the suspect’s parents, where the thieves were arrested about an hour after the robbery.

Threat Level was unable to reach the bank to determine the make of the device it used. But it could have been a system such as the one made by 3SI Security in Pennsylvania, a leader in currency protection systems.

The company wouldn’t answer any questions about its security systems. But according to its website, the GPS currency tracker it sells, called Electronic Satellite Pursuit (ESP), has helped recover more than $3.1 million.

Rabu, 06 Januari 2010

Accused scientist spy breached top-secret policy in '02

washingtonexaminer.com

A Maryland scientist accused of giving classified defense information to an FBI agent posing as an Israeli intelligence officer was under suspicion of breaching top-secret protocols as early as 2002, court documents said.

Despite the suspicion, Stewart Nozette was allowed to keep his clearance through 2007. It finally was stripped after federal authorities found classified information on his home computers while investigating him for fraud. He has since pleaded guilty to stealing almost $1 million in salary and benefits by lying on invoices for work he did for the Department of Defense and NASA through his nonprofit company, Alliance for Competitive Technology.

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