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Archive for the ‘Security’ Category
Friday, February 10th, 2012
Brittney Baxter is just 7 years old, but she can sure put up a fight. She screamed and kicked her way out of a kidnapping attempt in an Atlanta area Walmart on Wednesday.
The Georgia girl was wandering through the Bremen Walmart toy aisle on when she narrowly escaped being kidnapped by a man police say recently finished a prison sentence. Her mother had stepped away for less than a couple of minutes to go to the fruit section. Within that short time frame, Thomas A. Woods, 25, of Austell, Ga., grabbed Brittney and tried to take her out of the store.
Fortunately, store video captured Woods trying to silence Brittney while she fought back. In an interview with ABC News, Brittney said, “I was screaming and kicking and trying to get away and he put his hand over my mouth.”
The video shows a man, believed to be Woods, approach Baxter and grab her, covering up the girl’s mouth and struggling to subdue her.
Woods decided this wasn’t going to be easy, so he dropped the girl and ran out of the store.
Even better, surveillance cameras outside the store captured Woods getting into his car. This allowed police to put out a detailed alert that resulted in Woods being caught by police. He was caught less than an hour later at his home in Tallapoosa, Ga., which is a town about 10 miles west of the store.
Last October, Woods completed a prison sentence for an involuntary manslaughter conviction dating back to when he was 17 years old. Woods is currently on probation, and claims he had nothing to do with Baxter’s attempted kidnapping. He denies being in the Walmart.
Woods has been charged with attempted kidnapping.
Brittney’s family is grateful their daughter is okay, and happy that she is such a fighter. “I’m very proud of her,” said her dad, Randall Baxter. “I just thank the Lord that she got away.” Brittney’s mother is still understandably very shaken and said she will now be afraid to let her daughter out of her sight.
In the ABC News interview, Brittney was asked if she had any advice to offer other children. Brittney said, “Always scream, try to scream and kick as hard as you can and go get someone you can trust.”
Good advice from Brittney and good for her for fighting back and not allowing herself to become another missing child victim and statistic.
Watch video @ abcnews
Other Source: Huffington Post
Tags: attempted kidnapping, busted, cameras, crime, security, video security systems, video surveillance
Posted in busted, Caught!, Crime News, hard to find security equipment, hidden camera, National News, safety, Security, Technology, U-Spy Store, U-Spy Surveillance Equipment, Video Security | No Comments »
Monday, February 6th, 2012
Anonymous hackers posted a YouTube video of an embarrassing and sensitive conference call between the FBI and Scotland Yard in which investigators talk about their hacking suspects.
Ironically, this sensitive conference call between the FBI and Scotland Yard was recorded by the very people they are trying to catch – the hacking group known as Anonymous.
Anonymous released an almost 17-minute-long recording of what appears to be a Jan. 17 conference call dedicated to tracking and prosecuting members of the hacking group (video link included in story link below).
The FBI stated that the information “was intended for law enforcement officers only and was illegally obtained.” Yet, the FBI states that none of its systems were breached. Really? Clearly systems were breached; otherwise, the group would not have been able to eavesdrop on the conference call. The FBI says it’s not entirely clear how the hackers got their hands on the recording.
Anonymous published an email they say was sent by an FBI agent which gave details and a password for accessing the call. Since Anonymous is pretty good at hacking into emails, I would say this is clearly how they got their “hands on the recording.”
Speaking on the condition of anonymity, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press that authorities were looking at the possibility that the message was intercepted after a private email account of one of the invited participants was compromised.
London police did confirm that one of its e-crimes specialist was on the intercepted conference call, but were quick to add that “at this stage no operational risks” to the police service had been identified.
I think the investigators should start using handles instead of their real names. The first set of callers used their first names and identified which cities were handling specific cases. (more…)
Tags: crime, eavesdropping, hacking, investigation, police, spying
Posted in "Hmm.", Crime News, eavesdropping, hacking, Online Security, Security, Technology, U-Spy Store | No Comments »
Thursday, January 26th, 2012
Chicago is installing new street light called, ”Intellistreets.” They are a bit different from your average street lights. These lights also double as surveillance monitors. They can take pictures, monitor conversations, play music, direct traffic, and send emergency signals. Homeland Security applications are included in these lights and they are being installed in a few cities, including Chicago, Pittsburgh and Detroit – all funded by the government. The first installation of the system was launched in Farmington Hills, Michigan.
Maybe we should call these lights ”Spying Street Lights.”
The system detects movement and if too much movement is detected, the police are notified.
Many citizens view this as an invasion of privacy, “creepy” and the feeling that Big Brother is watching. Others see the system as a way to keep their neighborhoods safer.
The system’s founder is Ron Harwood. He said he came up with the idea after 911 and Hurricane Katrina. Harwood is president of the company that manufactures these lights – Illuminating Concepts. In an interview with Fox News, Harwood said that if speakers are installed in the poles, authorities could speak to people to tell them what to do if there is an emergency. He also said that access to pictures/images would not be available to just anyone. He said that a police officer, city official or city employee would have to “ask” to retrieve an image from a pole and that image would be in the form of a “picture.” After Harwood’s development, he began discussions with Homeland Security.
I think we all know that law enforcement or investigators need more than a picture if they are analyzing a crime. It would seem you would need active surveillance to determine what took place during a crime. When people don’t feel they are being told everything, they aren’t going to trust the system. If the system is capable of surveillance and monitoring conversations, why would one believe that only a picture would be released to authorities? (more…)
Tags: cameras, invasion of privacy, spying, Spying Street Lights, video surveillance
Posted in "Hmm.", Abuse, eavesdropping, hidden camera, Local News, National News, privacy, safety, Security, Technology, U-Spy Store | No Comments »
Monday, January 23rd, 2012
A Wisconsin man charged with domestic abuse told cops that a “ghost” was responsible for injuries suffered by his wife, according to police.
Michael West’s ridiculous story did not prevent police from arresting him for strangulation, battery, disorderly conduct, and resisting arrest.
Police responded to a report of a domestic dispute on Jan. 15, at the West residence in Fond du Lac, Wis. Police found West’s wife crying and bleeding from the nose. Drops of blood stained areas of the kitchen and her Packers’ jersey.
According to a criminal complaint, West and his spouse got into an argument on January 15th that turned violent. The victim told cops that West twice strangled her, and that he punched her in the face when she tried to dial 911. The woman told police her husband repeatedly punched her in the face and attempted to strangle her “to the point that [her] vision went black and [she] felt like she was going to pass out.”
Police said West appeared intoxicated and was yelling and swearing at the two officers who were questioning him. The man claimed his wife had fallen several times, injuring her face and neck.
When asked specifically about the marks on the woman’s neck, West said, in slurred speech, “A ghost did it.”
West resisted arrest, but was eventually handcuffed and taken into custody. His wife told police the fight began over the impending foreclosure on their home.
Sources: MSNBC and The Smoking Gun
Tags: domestic abuse, investigation, security, Violence
Posted in "Hmm.", Abuse, crime, hard to find security equipment, Home, Personal & Travel Security, safety, Security, U-Spy Store, U-Spy Surveillance Equipment | No Comments »
Tuesday, January 17th, 2012
Can you imagine being able to hear the noise a bacterium makes when it moves between hosts or what a virus sounds like? Thanks to the development of the world’s smallest ear, you may hear these noises someday. Scientists have developed the “nano-ear”- a microscopic particle of gold trapped by a laser beam, which can detect sound a million times fainter than the threshold for human hearing.
Sound a bit Sci-Fi? This is an amazing development for science, but what if this technology gets into the wrong hands and gets used by the wrong people – primarily our enemies?
It’s still at the experimental stage, but this could lead to far more sensitive surveillance microphones in the future. The required laser beam could be carried by a difficult-to-detect optical fiber strand to the sensor. Combined with DSP and advanced acoustic signal processing algorithms, this could represent a major security threat.
We already have listening and viewing devices that can be planted in target locations and people can wear or carry audio listening devices on their clothing, etc. However, all of this requires some work or being within a reasonable range of proximity to your target. In addition, listening/recording quality may not be perfect. How would you feel if the human ear could be turned into a super- sonic listening device? (more…)
Tags: eavesdropping, invasion of privacy, security, spying, surveillance
Posted in "Hmm.", eavesdropping, Electronic Countermeasures - Debugging, Gadgets, privacy, Security, Technology, U-Spy Store, U-Spy Surveillance Equipment | No Comments »
Thursday, January 12th, 2012
People who have been the victim of identify theft know it can take months or even years to clean up the mess. It is one of the most stressful experiences a person can have. The story I am about to share is very real. A close friend of mine was a victim of such a crime and the fact that resetting that person’s email password was all the thief needed to do to get the ball rolling is scary. This individual didn’t use simple passwords, yet the thief was still successful. Still, you should make your passwords and security questions unique and don’t use the same information for multiple accounts. Make the answers to your questions incorrect – just random information that isn’t even true. You may have to write down this information since all of us have so many accounts – making it impossible to remember everything. But, this minor inconvenience sure beats the major nightmare you will live if your identity is even stolen.
Herbert Thompson is an academic software developer who loves being a geek. He has stolen the identities of several casual acquaintances. In one case he gained access to a bank account in seven very simple steps. He didn’t use any programming tricks – only a little sleuth work.
As part of an experiment and with the permission of some people he barely knew, Thompson stole their identities to demonstrate to the public just how easy it is to gain access to personal data and banking information. His experiment only required some basic surfing for freely available personal data. The following steps show is how vulnerable we all are to security breach. (more…)
Tags: hacking, identity theft, Online Security, privacy, security, theft investigations
Posted in Abuse, hacking, Online Security, privacy, safety, Security, Technology, U-Spy Store | No Comments »
Tuesday, November 29th, 2011
A woman being referred to as the “blond bandit” suspected of multiple heists in Virginia has now been linked to another crime – a carjacking on Thanksgiving Day in Maryland.
Stephanie Lynn Schwab, 26, earned her nickname after after being named in connection with an earlier carjacking and two bank robberies, all of which took place between Nov. 18 and Nov. 21. She is described as a 5’3″ white female with blond hair and green eyes.
In her most recent incident that occurred on Thursday, Baltimore County police say Schwab asked a woman for a ride from the parking lot of a Safeway supermarket to a Shoppers Food Warehouse. When the victim stopped her car, Schwab allegedly displayed a knife and told her to keep driving.
The victim asked a nearby man for help. At that point, the suspect attempted to climb into the driver’s seat. In her defense, the victim tried to grab the knife from Schwab and was cut on the hand. Schwab then fled on foot. (more…)
Tags: Bank Robbery, carjacking, catch a thief, crime, criminal, Violence
Posted in Crime News, National News, safety, Security, U-Spy Store, Violence | No Comments »
Monday, November 28th, 2011
There are concerns that we are becoming a “surveillance society.” Privacy vs. personal freedom. The blurring of online and offline privacy. How much of your personal freedoms are you willing to sacrifice to give the police and government the tools they can use to catch criminals? It is a very tough question because it seems the answer depends on whether the use of those tools, such as surveillance cameras or online tracking, are properly used or whether they get abused. Personally, I feel the line gets crossed when companies or social sites capture my personal information and store it in databases. However, if I or a member of my family were a victim of a crime and it was caught on a surveillance camera, I would be glad if it led to the investigation and capture of the criminal.
It is being reported by The Washington Post that police in D.C. are beefing up areas covered by license plate cameras. Currently, more than 250 cameras in D.C. and its suburbs are constantly grabbing license plate numbers and sticking them into databases. The police aren’t doing this quietly, but it’s being done with “virtually no public debate.”
D.C. has the highest concentration of these plate readers in the entire nation (one reader per square mile). This means that District police are building the biggest location database based on license plates in the whole country.
First, these are apparently different types of cameras than the cameras cities have been affixing near stoplights and other places to catch people running red lights or speeding – the “here’s a ticket 2 weeks later in the mail” cameras.
These plate readers cost about $20,000 each and can snatch images of numbers and letters on cars traveling nearly 150 mph and across four lanes of traffic. These plate readers in D.C. take 1,800 images per minute, with each one being stored in a database. 
These plate readers have made it possible for police to track everyone’s movements as they travel across the city. (more…)
Tags: cameras, Online Security, police, privacy, Video Security, video surveillance
Posted in GPS Technology, Online Security, privacy, safety, Security, Technology, U-Spy Store | No Comments »
Tuesday, November 22nd, 2011
This story is tantamount to arms trading where weapons are sold by governments and companies to countries and then a blind eye is turned as to the misuse of such weapons. The newest weapons? They are hacking tools that enable governments to break into people’s computers and cellphones and “massive intercept” gear that can gather all Internet communications in a country.
Documents obtained by The Wall Street Journal open a rare window into a new global market for the off-the-shelf surveillance technology that has arisen in the decade since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. More than 200 marketing documents, spanning 36 companies were obtained from attendees of a secretive surveillance conference held near Washington, D.C., last month. TeleStrategies holds ISS (Intelligence Support Systems) World conferences world-wide. The one near Washington, D.C., caters mainly to U.S., Canadian, Caribbean and Latin American authorities. The annual conference in Dubai has long served as a chance for Middle Eastern nations to meet companies hawking surveillance gear.
The Journal this year uncovered an Internet surveillance center installed by a French firm in Libya and reported that software made by Britain’s Gamma International UK Ltd., had been used in Egypt to intercept dissidents’ Skype
conversations. In October, a U.S. company that makes Internet-filtering gear acknowledged to the Journal that its devices were being used in Syria.
Companies making and selling this gear say it is intended to catch criminals and is available only to governments and law enforcement. They say they obey export laws and aren’t responsible for how the tools are used. There goes that blind eye.
Among the most controversial technologies on display at the conference were essentially computer-hacking tools to enable government agents to break into people’s computers and cellphones, log their keystrokes and access their data. Although hacking techniques are generally illegal in the U.S., law enforcement can use them with an appropriate warrant, said Orin Kerr, a professor at George Washington University Law School and former computer-crime attorney at the Justice Department. (more…)
Tags: government spying, invasion of privacy, privacy, security, spying, surveillance
Posted in "Hmm.", Abuse, cell phone security, eavesdropping, Electronic Countermeasures, Gadgets, hacking, Mobile Phone Security, Online Security, privacy, Security, Technology, U-Spy Store, U-Spy Surveillance Equipment | No Comments »
Monday, November 21st, 2011
Several police departments across the country are taking action to shield their radio communications from the public because cheap, user-friendly technology has made it easy for anyone to use handheld devices to eavesdrop on officers responding to crimes.
Law enforcement officials across the country are beginning to use the practice of encryption saying they want to keep criminals from using officer’s internal communications to evade them. Journalists and neighborhood watchdogs are not happy with this new practice as they say open communications ensures that the public receives information as quickly as possible that can be vital to their safety.
I can understand the argument from both sides; however, D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier gives us some examples supporting the need to secure police communications. The police do have valid concerns, but as you read on, you will see there could be alternative ways of managing this problem without a complete shut down on the public.
D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier said recently that a group of burglars who police believe were following radio communications on their smartphones pulled off more than a dozen crimes before ultimately being arrested and that drug dealers fled a laundromat after a sergeant used his radio to call in other officers — suggesting that they, too, might have been listening in.
“Whereas listeners used to be tied to stationary scanners, new technology has allowed people — and especially criminals — to listen to police communications on a smartphone from anywhere,” Lanier testified at a D.C. Council committee hearing this month. “When a potential criminal can evade capture and learn, ‘There’s an app for that,’ it’s time to change our practices.” (more…)
Tags: catch a thief, eavesdropping, police, police scanners, security
Posted in eavesdropping, National News, safety, Security, Technology, U-Spy Store | No Comments »
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