Tag Archives: Spyware

The Espionage Economy

by in Communications, Computer Related, Counterintelligence, Crime Awareness, Current Events, Cyber Espionage, Cyber-Crime, Cyber-Skills, Cyber-Warfare, Espionage Files, Information Warfare, Intel Overwatch, Intelligence Tradecraft, Privacy, Security, Technology, The Surveillance State, Tradecraft and tagged , , , , , , , , ,

spyware-for-sale-final-flat-2

U.S. firms are making billions selling spyware to dictators.

By James Bamford

Ricardo Martinelli resides in a condo at the Atlantis, a luxury high-rise on Florida’s Biscayne Bay made famous by the TV series Miami Vice. A hefty, white-haired billionaire, Martinelli, 63, was viewed just a few years ago as one of Latin America’s most popular leaders: From 2009 until 2014, he was president of Panama. But now, though he’s living in high style, Martinelli is a fugitive from justice.

He fled his country on Jan. 28, 2015, hours before Panama’s Supreme Court announced a corruption investigation into his administration. Among the charges Martinelli faces is political espionage, with a possible prison sentence of 21 years, for illegally eavesdropping on the phones and emails of more than 150 people: Panamanian opposition leaders, journalists, judges, business rivals, cabinet members, U.S. Embassy officials, a Roman Catholic archbishop, and even a woman identified as Martinelli’s mistress.

Much of this alleged activity was made possible by the burgeoning business of private companies selling military-grade spyware. In 2011, the Wall Street Journal reported that the retail market for surveillance tools had increased in value from virtually nothing 10 years prior to around $5 billion annually. Yet the market functions largely unencumbered, and even since the National Security Agency eavesdropping scandal broke in 2013, U.S. policymakers have paid little attention to firms that sell surveillance equipment to foreign governments.

The scandal in Panama offers a unique window into how dangerous the espionage export business has become. Without restrictive controls, the risks the industry poses will only grow: More and more countries will acquire the tools to perpetrate corruption and abuse human rights.

Read the Remainder at Foreign Policy

Using a LiveCD (or LiveUSB) Operating System

by in Technology and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

 

By: HCS Technical Staff

(Author’s Note to the Reader: If there is any jargon that you do not know, please type the word into Wikipedia.)


What if you could try a new operating system on your computer without having to wait an hour or two for the operating system to install and not erase everything on your hard drive?

Thanks to advances made over the past ten years by open source software enthusiasts you can do such a thing.

For those who may feel a little lost here, think of open source software enthusiasts as the computer world’s equivalent of American gun tinkerers and geniuses like John Moses Browning.

There are reasons that you would want to use a LiveCD or LiveUSB operating system can basically boil down to:

  1. Using an unknown computer for work purposes (hotel business center, etc.) safely.
  2. Needing a place to quarantine a work file download (Word Document, Adobe PDF, etc.) to ensure that it is not carrying any malware (virus, trojan, worm, etc.)
  3. Examining files on a hard drive or backing up files from a disabled instance of Windows or other hard drive installed operating system.

In terms of selecting a Live Operating system to use on your computer there are hundreds of “distros” or variations out there made by enthusiasts and organizations with different goals and skill levels. 

Live Operating systems run completely in RAM and do not operate from the hard drive like Windows or MacOS X does.

Getting Started

CD-R Method

  1. The first thing you need to do is download an ISO Image file. ISO Image files (.iso) are needed to burn a DVD or data CD-ROM from a computer.
  2. To burn an ISO file to CD-ROM, go here http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/Burn-a-CD-or-DVD-from-an-ISO-file
  3. After you have burned the ISO image file to a blank CD-R, shut down your computer and power it back on.
  4. As your computer turns on, access the boot menu in the BIOS (the screen with the black background and white text) by pressing the appropriate button (usually ESC, F2, F8, or F9).
  5. You will need to look up the make and model of your computer to find out how to access the boot menu.
  6. When you are in the boot menu, select the CD-ROM and press ENTER. The LiveCD operating system will start.

USB Stick Method

  1. Download UNetbootin
  2. Download your ISO image file
  3. Insert your blank and formatted USB stick
    • Be sure to note the drive letter
  4. Open UNetbootin
    • Select your ISO image file
    • Select your USB Drive’s Letter
  5. Click OK
  6. After you have burned the ISO image file to a USB stick, shut down your computer and power it back on.
  7. As your computer turns on, access the boot menu in the BIOS (the screen with the black background and white text) by pressing the appropriate button (usually ESC, F2, F8, or F9).
  8. You will need to look up the make and model of your computer to find out how to access the boot menu.
  9. When you are in the boot menu, select the USB stick and press ENTER. The LiveUSB operating system will start.

Things to Remember

  1. Use a USB stick or portable hard drive to save any documents you make on your LiveCD OS.
    • If the power goes out and you didn’t save your files to a USB stick or portable hard drive, then you are SOL.
  2. Not all LiveCD Operating systems will work with all hardware. Some laptop wireless cards will not work with your LiveCD OS and hardware older than 10 years or so may not run the LiveCD OS very well.

Major LiveCD Operating Systems

  • Ubuntu Linux at http://www.ubuntu.com
    • Pros
      • Compatible with most wireless cards and laptop hardware
      • Full software suite available (Office programs, Mozilla Firefox Web Browser, etc)
    • Cons
      • Large in size (Fills up about 670 MB out of 700MB available on a CD-R)
      • Needs at least 1 GB of RAM to run smoothly.
  • DOD Lightweight Portable Security at http://www.spi.dod.mil/lipose.htm
    • Pros
      • Small in size (about 130 MB)
      • Runs Very Fast
      • Full software suite (Office programs, Mozilla Firefox Web Browser, etc) available on 330MB .iso file version.
      • Compatible with Smart Card Readers for those who have to use them.
    • Cons
      • May not be compatible with all wireless hardware on all laptops
      • DoD built it so the paranoid may not want to use it
      • No apps to install
      • No TOR!
  • Puppy Linux at http://www.puppylinux.org
    • Pros
      • Small in size (about 130 MB)
        • This makes it great for restoring old computers
      • Runs very fast.
      • Large Support Community with lots of applications to install
      • Full Web Browser included (Just like Internet Explorer…)
    • Cons
      • Lots of variants with odd names may be confusing to the novice. (Puppy, Racy, Murga, etc…)
  • Temporary Amnesiac Incognito Live System at https://tails.boum.org
    • Pros
      • All communications are routed through TOR
        • Please read the literature out there about TOR
      • Fast to boot up
      • Includes Encryption tools
    • Cons
      • Security and Convenience are inversely related…

If anyone has any questions feel free to leave them in the comments and I can answer them to the best of my knowledge.

References

“At Loggerheads”

by in Technology and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

BY HCS Technical Staff

Disclaimer: HCS and any affiliated persons are not responsible for anything that may result from the use or misuse of the information below.

The unauthorized interception of anyone’s communications without their consent or the appropriate legal authority is a serious crime in most jurisdictions. This information is for academic study and lawful self-protective use only.

Seriously, don’t snoop on people. It is just not cool.

Today we are going to continue our series of “Civilian ECM” articles by discussing the threat of key loggers.

Continue reading →

Malware & Cyber Warfare

by in Technology and tagged , , , , , , , , ,
by
HCS Technical Staff
How is it done?
Offensive computer attacks are usually conducted by exploiting flaws in a computer web interface (most often a “login screen”) or surreptitiously installing malicious software (“malware”) on targeted computers to produce a number of effects on the computer system or devices that it controls.
How does it happen?
In the broadest sense, human error is what leads to successful computer attacks. A computer running an unpatched legacy operating system, using an unpatched legacy web browser to view shady sites, opening the attachment on a weird email, a poorly designed web-facing login screen, unencrypted wireless transmissions, or lax enforcement of a security policy in a building are the most common examples of human error.
How does it impact relationships between nation-states?
It provides an indirect means for nation-states to wage deniable proxy war against rival nation states. The best example of this is the Stuxnet worm attack on the Iranian government’s nuclear program. There is also the element of “mutually assured destruction” in cyberwarfare that would impact how major world powers like the United States, Russia, and China deploy offensive cyberwarfare capabilities. I would not be surprised to see treaties between major nation-states (like the United States, Russia, or China) that could function as a sort of “Geneva Convention”
What threat does it pose to me as a civilian?
The biggest cyber threats to a civilian are:
  • Loss of water services
  • Loss of electrical services
  • Loss of Internet service
  • Loss of Financial services
  • Exposure of personal information and/or intellectual property/trade secrets
  • Identity Theft

What can I do to protect myself?
  • Follow basic disaster preparedness procedures
  • Use a prepaid Visa or other cash card for once-off transactions online
  • Keep some cash on you to do basic transactions in the event you have to get a new credit card number
  • Check your online bank account regularly for suspicious transactions or transactions you don’t remember making.
  • Use a LiveCD Operating sytem for online banking and sensitive personal financial transactions
  • If your machine is running Windows XP, back up your files and install Ubuntu Linux instead
    • Microsoft is no longer providing Service Pack Support to Windows XP
  • If you MUST use a Windows computer, keep the following in mind:
    • Make sure it is Windows 7
    • Routinely run Windows Update
    • Install Microsoft Security Essentials
    • Install CCleaner
    • Install Malwarebytes Antimalware
    • Keep your web browser up to date and install multiple web browsers on your PC
    • Google Chrome and FireFox are good to go.
    • I know we are all good Christian Warriors and wouldn’t do such things, but be mindful that surfing for pornography or pirated movies is not much different than going into the “bad part of town” to buy drugs. Big boy rules apply.
How can I protect my small or medium-sized business?
  • Contact Hammerhead Combat Systems Today!
Links:

Using a Live CD Operating System

by in Technology and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

 

By: HCS Technical Staff

(Author’s Note to the Reader: If there is any jargon that you do not know, please type the word into Wikipedia.)


What if you could try a new operating system on your computer without having to wait an hour or two for the operating system to install and not erase everything on your hard drive?

Thanks to advances made over the past ten years by open source software enthusiasts you can do such a thing.

For those who may feel a little lost here, think of open source software enthusiasts as the computer world’s equivalent of American gun tinkerers and geniuses like John Moses Browning.

There are reasons that you would want to use a LiveCD operating system can basically boil down to:

  1. Using an unknown computer for work purposes (hotel business center, etc.) safely.
  2. Needing a place to quarantine a work file download (Word Document, Adobe PDF, etc.) to ensure that it is not carrying any malware (virus, trojan, worm, etc.)
  3. Examining files on a hard drive or backing up files from a disabled instance of Windows or other hard drive installed operating system.

In terms of selecting a LiveCD Operating system to use on your computer there are hundreds of “distros” or variations out there made by enthusiasts and organizations with different goals and skill levels. 

LiveCD Operating systems run completely in RAM and do not operate from the hard drive like Windows does.

Getting Started

The first thing you need to do is download an ISO Image file. ISO Image files (.iso) are needed to burn a DVD or data CD-ROM from a computer.

To burn an ISO file to CD-ROM, go here http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/Burn-a-CD-or-DVD-from-an-ISO-file

After you have burned the ISO image file to a blank CD-R, shut down your computer and power it back on.

As your computer turns on, access the boot menu in the BIOS (the screen with the black background and white text) by pressing the appropriate button (usually ESC, F2, F8, or F9).

You will need to look up the make and model of your computer to find out how to access the boot menu.

When you are in the boot menu, select the CD-ROM and press ENTER. The LiveCD operating system will start.

Things to Remember

  1. Use a USB stick or portable hard drive to save any documents you make on your LiveCD OS.
    • If the power goes out and you didn’t save your files to a USB stick or portable hard drive, then you are SOL.
  2. Not all LiveCD Operating systems will work with all hardware. Some laptop wireless cards will not work with your LiveCD OS and hardware older than 10 years or so may not run the LiveCD OS very well.

Major LiveCD Operating Systems

  • Ubuntu Linux at http://www.ubuntu.com
    • Pros
      • Compatible with most wireless cards and laptop hardware
      • Full software suite (Office programs, Mozilla Firefox Web Browser, etc)
    • Cons
      • Large in size (Fills up about 670 MB out of 700MB available on a CD-R)
      • Needs at least 1 GB of RAM to run smoothly.
  • DOD Lightweight Portable Security at http://www.spi.dod.mil/lipose.htm
    • Pros
      • Small in size (about 130 MB)
      • Runs Very Fast
      • Full software suite (Office programs, Mozilla Firefox Web Browser, etc) available on 330MB .iso file version.
      • Compatible with Smart Card Readers for those who have to use them.
    • Cons
      • May not be compatible with all wireless hardware on all laptops
  • Puppy Linux at http://www.puppylinux.org
    • Pros
      • Small in size (about 130 MB)
      • Runs very fast.
      • Full Web Browser included (Just like Internet Explorer…)
    • Cons
      • Lots of variants with odd names may be confusing to the novice. (Puppy, Racy, Murga, etc…)
      • Limited to about 3GB RAM of file space(depending on your laptop hardware)
  • Liberte Linux at http://dee.su/liberte
    – Pros
    – Automatically route all communications through Tor
    – Great for the “Paranoia! Paranoia! Everyone’s coming to get me!”
    set
    – Cons
    – Slower Internet speeds due to Tor Routing
    – Flash and Javascript are a PITA to enable on it
    – Not compatible with all wireless hardware out there.
  • Temporary Amnesiac Incognito Live System at https://tails.boum.org
    • Pros
      • Same Tor Functionality as Liberte Linux
      • Updated more frequently
      • Works with a lot of wireless hardware

If anyone has any questions feel free to leave them in the comments and I can answer them to the best of my knowledge.

References