Turning the iPhone Into a SpyPhone

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If you know your target’s phone number, you could text message a link to a malicious Website, which would covertly install a third-party application executing malicious code. The corollary would be to send your target an e-mail with a nefarious attachment; he clicks on it and the attacker “owns” the phone. Or there’s always the “man-in-the-middle” (MITM) attack, which is perhaps the most James Bondian: You sit in, say, Starbucks with a laptop set up, as part of the ruse, to operate as a Wi-Fi access point, so a target’s Web browsing and e-mail pass through your computer first. (How can you tell who has an iPhone as opposed to someone with a standard laptop, rival smartphone, or PDA? Simple — the exploit only works on iPhones.)

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Honduran Official Arraigned in Wiretap

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras — The former director of Honduras’ state phone company appeared in court Wednesday on charges he was involved in the illegal wiretapping of President Manuel Zelaya’s phone conversations.

Prosecutors allege that Marcelo Chimirri ordered two other suspects to tape eight conversations, in which a voice that sounded like Zelaya’s outlined a strategy to control the nation’s news media.

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Report: China spies threaten U.S. technology

WASHINGTON (AP) — Chinese spying in America represents the greatest threat to U.S. technology, according to a congressional advisory panel report Thursday that recommended lawmakers consider financing counterintelligence efforts meant to stop China from stealing U.S. manufacturing expertise.

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In the report, the commission said China’s spies allow Chinese companies to get new technology “without the necessity of investing time or money to perform research.” Chinese espionage was said to be straining U.S. counterintelligence agencies and helping China’s military modernization.

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Foreign Intelligence Services Spy on German Companies

Whether it’s research results, strategies for development, product information, client data or budget plans — business secrets of successful companies are increasingly becoming coveted by industrious spies.

 

The spies, said Elmar Remberg, deputy chief of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (Germany’s domestic intelligence agency), come from the former republics of the Soviet Union, but primarily, from China.

 

“China is intensively collecting information around the world — political, military and scientific data, and company strategies in order close the gap in their technology developments as quickly as possible,” Remberg said.

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And there are other weak points, said Michael Hange, deputy chief of the German Federal Office for Information Security. “W-Lan and mobile communication are popular points of assault,” he said.

 

A company in Thailand, for instance, offers monitoring services of cell phone conversations.

 

“You only have to get a hold of your parnter’s cell phone and type in a few commands and then you can monitor all the calls,” Hange said.

 

Experts say, however, that there is no way to protect against industrial espionage one hundred percent. They recommend that companies have a good IT security plan and stress that managers of companies must be more aware of the dangers. Employees must also be trained, even if they are trusted.

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What and How of Industrial Espionage

By: James Walsh

The Cold War is long over, but World War III is an economic war. Competition is now global and there are more competitors than ever before.

Business ethics are not what they used to be. Personal reputation and accountability cannot carry you too far. The pressure is on as never before and in a crowded business community questionable illegal and immoral practices are cloaked in anonymity.

Today’s business environment is rife with incidents of industrial espionage. Knowledge is no longer just power, it is money too. BIG MONEY! Tapped phones, bugged offices, covert recordings, undercover employees, phony repair people, car phone monitors, fax intercepts, dumpster divers, competitive intelligence professionals etc. are terms related to business and yet one would have never heard of them. They are related to information security and that is a subject not taught yet in business schools.
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Hushmail open to Feds with court orders

Open secret

By John Leyden → More by this author

Published Thursday 8th November 2007 13:36 GMT

US federal law enforcement agencies have obtained access to clear text copies of encrypted emails sent through Hushmail as part a of recent drug trafficking investigation.

The access was only granted after a court order was served on Hush Communications, the Canadian firm that offers the service.

Hush Communications said it would only accede to requests made in respect to targeted accounts and via court orders filed through Canadian court.

Nonetheless, the incident illustrates that Hushmail’s marketing claims that not even its own staff can access encrypted email is well wide of the mark.

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Devices Enforce Cellular Silence, Sweet but Illegal

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As cellphone use has skyrocketed, making it hard to avoid hearing half a conversation in many public places, a small but growing band of rebels is turning to a blunt countermeasure: the cellphone jammer, a gadget that renders nearby mobile devices impotent.

The technology is not new, but overseas exporters of jammers say demand is rising and they are sending hundreds of them a month into the United States — prompting scrutiny from federal regulators and new concern last week from the cellphone industry. The buyers include owners of cafes and hair salons, hoteliers, public speakers, theater operators, bus drivers and, increasingly, commuters on public transportation.

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