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Global articles on espionage, spying, bugs, and other interesting topics.

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Spanish Reporter Bugged

According to Spanish sources, a few months ago Mr. Ignacio Cambrero has discovered a bug in his personal laptop.  After it was by Mr. Cambrero,  the Spanish Intelligence services determined that the signals sent from the device went to a computer housed at the headquarters of ENTV, the Algerian state television Service.
The Spanish services who proceeded to disable the device, have determined that this kind of chip can only be installed through a physical contact with the computer. This means that  Ignacio Cembrero’s computer was implanted with the device during his visit to Algeria or from a contact with an “Algerian official”. (more)

By on 17/11/2010

Open Season on Marital Bugging and Tapping in the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit

A Texas court has ruled that a husband accused of monitoring his wife’s computer through a keystroke logger did not violate federal wiretapping laws. 

Larry Bagley was sued in June by his wife Rhea Bagley, who accused him of surreptitiously placing audio recording devices in their house as well as a software keystroke logger. The Bagleys are in the process of divorcing.

The complaint in this civil case says that during the divorce proceedings, the husband revealed the existence of the surveillance tech and acknowledged that the “software recorded screenshots of activity on this computer.” The husband replied in court documents that “in all conversations, the defendants’ children were present and defendant was able to consent to recordation by way of vicarious consent.”

U.S. District Judge Lee Rosenthal ruled on October 18 in favor of the husband, saying that the court was required to follow a Fifth Circuit decision saying that the federal wiretap law known as Title III does not apply to marital relationships.

Here are some excerpts from the court’s opinion:
Whether Title III provides a remedy for interspousal wiretapping within the marital home is a question that has divided the federal courts of appeal. The Fourth, Sixth, Eighth, Tenth, and Eleventh Circuits have held that such wiretapping is actionable under Title III. The Second and Fifth Circuits have held that Title III does not apply to interspousal wiretaps. (more)

P.S. The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit includes:

By on 03/11/2010

Book Banning Over Industrial Espionage Fears

Many of Germany’s top companies are blocking access to Facebook and other social networking sites over fears of industrial espionage and other security concerns, according to a new report. Business weekly Wirtschaftswoche said that many companies on the Dax-30 blue-chip index saw an unacceptable risk posed by employees using such sites at work. (more) …not to mention the financial drain of social notworking.

By on 02/11/2010

Are whack jobs bugging our Hollywood Actors?

Actor Randy Quaid (aka General George S. Merlin, “Bug Buster”) and his wife, Evi… were in Canada seeking political asylum over their stated fears they would be “whacked” if they returned to Hollywood… they fled to Canada to escape the so-called “star whackers” – a cult that is bugging their phones and hacking their computers.

“They’re absolute businessmen. It’s the mafia; it’s organized crime,” said Mrs. Quaid… The couple has said this “mafia” is behind eight celebrity, including Heath Ledger, deaths in the last 5 years. (more) (trailer)

By on 02/11/2010

Firesheep Makes Stealing Your Wi-Fi Secrets Easy

via Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols
From all the yammering, you’d actually think there was something new about Firesheep, the Firefox extension that lets you grab login IDs, passwords, and other important information. What a joke. I, and any hacker or network administrator worth his salt, have been able to do this kind of stuff for years.
The only thing “new” about Firesheep is that how it easy makes it to do. I’m unimpressed. Anyone who was serious about grabbing your personal information has already been doing it for years. Trust me, if someone really wanted your data and you’ve been using open Wi-Fi networks, they already grabbed it.
No, the real worry isn’t about some jerk grabbing your Twitter password in a coffee house. The real worry has always been that your office Wi-Fi is easy to compromise and then someone can use a packet-sniffer to get something that really matters like your your Accounts Payable password. (more)
Need a Wi-Fi Security Audit and Compliance Inspection? (you do) Please call me. (more)

11/4/10 – UPDATE:  IBM researchers are proposing an approach to WiFi security they call Secure Open Wireless in light of the release of the Firesheep tool. (more)

11/5/10 – UPDATE: 10 Ways to Protect Yourself from Firesheep Attacks (more)

By on 28/10/2010