BrickHouse Security Blog

Aside from just the military drones that have an unprotected video feed that anyone can hack into, it has now become apparent that all of the video feeds from the military are unprotected and can be seen by anyone that wants to. The military initially developed the Remotely Operated Video Enhanced Receiver, or ROVER for short, in 2002 to let the troops on the ground download footage from the Predator drones and AC-130 gunships as it was taken. Since then, every military airplane has been equipped with a ROVER system.

Since this technology proved so very useful to the soldiers, the military tried to field test it and make it accessible to the soldiers as fast as possible, causing them to send it out to the field with some bugs. [...]

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Car sale scams are pretty common when you buy from other people directly who are not professional dealers, but these scams are easy to catch when you are there in person, checking the car out. However, nowadays with online shopping, buying a car online from someone that lives far away can make it very easy to get ripped off.

This is exactly what happened to Chris from Iowa. He bought a 2003 Ford Mustang Cobra through eBay Motors, got it delivered to him, and at first he believed that he had gotten the deal of a lifetime on his dream car.

“I mean it was a good price, but it was one of those ones where you go, is this too good to be true.  And you know I think back and yes it was it was too good to be true” said Chris.

[...]

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Since last week’s failed bomb attempt, the TSA has issued several new security measures that affect flyers, but this latest move is probably the most invasive one yet. The TSA now plans on expanding their use of full body Scanners at U.S. airports.

Full body scanners would likely have enabled airport security officials to detect the powdered explosive that the terror suspect wore on him during his attempt. However, these scanners are also very intrusive in that they pretty much make a person appear stripped down and naked in the scanner’s viewer. Regardless, the TSA has purchased 150 more of the machines and they plan to purchase 300  more this year.

However, at this time if someone doesn’t want to go through the full body scanner they’ll be able to request a pat down instead. NowPublic has a full list of US airports that are currently using full-body scanners as a primary screening tool which is definitely worth checking out. Users of the FlyerTalk forum have also put together a list of US airports that are using full-body scanners in some capacity. Let us just hope there arrant any terrorists that are aware of these helpful lists.

(Via the Examiner | Image via ImpactLab)

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As our cell phones become capable of doing so much more then just making phone calls, such as downloading applications, shopping online, and even managing our bank accounts, hackers look to them more and more as a system to exploit. This is not just something we have to worry about having in the future, but this is something cell phone users need to be concerned about right now.

Russian antivirus company, Kaspersky Lab, has found a new malicious program that has already been used to part phone users from their money. This program works by hijacking Nokia phones and making small charges to the owner’s wireless account, and then sending that money to the account of the hacker.

In yet another similar incident that happened last month, an Australian student created and spread a virus on jailbroken iPhones. This virus wasn’t really harmful as it only changed the background image on the iPhone, but its purpose was to show the vulnerability of smartphones.

“The tipping point will be when we’re using the phone to shop and conduct banking,” Mr. Moss, a security expert and organizer of the Black Hat conference said. “The more you do with the phone, the more valuable a target it becomes.”

With the overwhelming amount of mobile malware popping up, a new company called Lookout has started up. Right now Lookout is testing security software for phones running Windows Mobile, and the Android operating system, and they will soon be introducing security applications for the iPhone and BlackBerry. The software will protect phones from rogue programs and it will allow the phone’s owners to remotely back up and erase data on their phones in case a phone is stolen. A user will also be able to track their phones on the web using the phone’s built-in GPS.

Lookout has been working hard to bring to the public’s attention to focus on just how vulnerable people’s cellphones really are. One of the ways they have succeeded in doing this recently, was by camping outside the Academy Awards ceremony in Hollywood, and scanning the phones of the stars walking the red carpet by using a short range Bluetooth wireless connection. They found that as many as 100 of the stars’ phones were vulnerable to hacking over such a connection, effectively proving us just how vulnerable these phones really are.

(Via NYTimes)

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After the recent terrorist attack attempt that happened this past Christmas, airports are stepping up their security measures once again. This time around there are going to be a lot more restrictions, and double the security checks. Some of the new restrictions include the uncomfortable rule that passengers have to stay seated during the last hour of the flight and are not allowed to go to the bathroom during that time. This rule applies to both domestic and international flights.

During that last hour of the flight, passengers will also be prohibited from having any items in their laps or seat area. What kind of items will this will apply to has not been defined yet (books, magazines, water bottles, hand-held electronic games, and babies?). Some airlines are also prohibiting pillows and blankets.

“The remaining in the seat during the last hour of the flight rule is being imposed by the Transportation Security Administration as a direct result of the fact that the recent failed terrorist attempt occurred during the last hour of a flight and the terrorist spent 20 minutes in the restroom preparing his bomb” – Examiner.com

Another new rule in effect is that each passenger is only allowed to carry one item (how that is defined may vary by airline). And there will also be two security checks. First one will be when entering the boarding area, and then another one right before you board the plane. To make sure you catch your flight on time, you should check the rules for your airport before leaving, and make sure to arrive extra early.

(Via the Examiner)

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It looks like 2009 is going to end having been some whopper of a year for product recalls. Johnson & Johnson is recalling 100 counts bottles of Tylenol Arthritis Caplets with the red EZ-Open Cap.
Originally Tylenol issued a voluntary recall of just the 100 counts bottles, because of a moldy odor coming from the bottles. The odor may cause nausea and stomach pain which might originate from the chemical 2,4,6-tribromoanisole.

Johnson & Johnson is not sure how the chemical made its way into the product’s packaging but they believe that it might have originated from the breakdown of another chemical that was used to treat the wooden pallets that were used to transport and store the packaging.

To return or dispose of these bottles, call 1-888-222-6036 (Monday­–Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. EST, and Saturday–Sunday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. EST) or go to www.tylenol.com

(Via WXYZ TV)

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Terrorists have a new weapon of choice, an undetectable bomb that even the most advanced scanners can’t pick up. It is a military grade explosive known as PETN, and it’s powerful enough to blow up a car with just a 100 grams. It is also the same type of explosive that terrorists like the Shoe-Bomber attempted to use, and the same one that the infamous Christmas flight bomber failed to use on his flight to Detroit.

What is so appealing about this explosive to terrorists is that it is very small, yet powerful for its size, it’s also undetectable by metal detectors, and it can be hidden on the body. Even with the Millimeter Wave Screening scanner (a new scanner used in some airports that takes an X-Ray like picture of the body), the bombs were not detected.

This experience shows us that the government and airports have to step up their security and find a new way to screen passengers for these types of explosives. Or at the very least, start using more of the methods of screening passengers to prevent terrorists from sneaking explosives onto the planes.

(Via the Canadian Press)

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In an effort to address the health concerns of troops stationed in the harsh desert climate of the Middle East, the Desert Research Institute in Nevada is getting $1.2 million dollars to use to create a mobile aerosol monitoring system for the Department of Defense.

The goal is to use the surveillance system to collect real time data that will help the Army Center for Health Promotion and Preventive Medicine better understand the relationships between troop exposure to desert dust and other air pollutants, as well as respiratory and other health conditions.

Johann Engelbrecht and Hans Moosmüller are the research professors that have been designated with the task of designing and building the mobile surveillance facility, and initial testing will be done at the DRI Reno campus. This initiative is funded from part of about $90 million that has been designated for Nevada on behalf of the U.S. Senate in an effort to create more jobs in the state.

(Via RGJ)

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NORAD’s Santa Tracker for 2009 is finally live. People around the world can now track Santa as he makes his way around the globe. The tracker uses Google Earth to allow users to see where Santa is at the moment and where he was previously. NORAD’s map even has some videos of Santa making his way through the sky on his sleigh.

Check out the official NORAD Santa Tracker site for the up-to-the-minute map. Alternatively, you can also use get updates on Santa’s whereabouts via Twitter and Facebook.

But Santa isn’t the only person that folks have been trying to track down lately. Recently, one of Santa’s elves went rogue, stole Santa’s sleigh with all of the children’s toys and ran away with them! BrickHouse Security promptly launched a contest asking people to help track down the Elf Gone Rogue by sending in photo clues, and fortunately the Elf Gone Rogue was caught just in the nick of time for Christmas. Check out the contest entries here with all of the neat photo clues that were sent in. If not for everyone’s help, NORAD might not have been able to track Santa’s sleigh at all this Christmas!

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Since Facebook released their privacy changes last week, the reception to the new changes has been overwhelmingly positive. This is in high contrast to some of Facebook’s previous changes to the system, like their controversial Beacon feature which broadcasted information about a user’s activities on the web. This feature was very quickly removed and it resulted in a whopping $9.5 million settlement for some lucky Facebook members.

This time around Facebook was much more careful before they went ahead and implemented any radical new changes pertaining to user’s privacy. Facebook started testing out the changes as far back as June, when they announced a limited beta release which involved more than 1 million testers. Additionally, the company even took the extra steps to consult advocacy groups and offered them in-advance briefings through a non disclosure agreement. [...]

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Twenty one year old Dustin Archibald was caught on camera in Denham Springs, Louisiana, stealing a decoy camera. A land owner had set up the decoy camera after several of his digital game surveillance cameras were stolen from his property. Dustin fell into the land owner’s decoy trap, and he was subsequently caught on camera stealing with a “No Trespassing” sign visible in the background.

Archibald claims that he was not stealing the camera, but  rather taking it so the landowner would not be able to hunt deer in the area. Unfortunately, with the property owner’s photographic evidence from his surveillance cameras, Archibald was identified right away and he consequentially turned himself into authorities.

(via WAFB)

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It seems that for U.S. troops, the war on terrorism never takes a break, even during the holidays. The U.S. is employing 24 new Hawker Beechcraft four-man twin-propeller planes, with the first expected to arrive this week during Christmas.

These high tech planes will provide ground troops with a full set of eavesdropping and surveillance tools, including the ability to record still images and video, and send them directly to ground troops. Ground troops are being equipped with portable computers that let them view these images and video.

According to Jeffrey Richelson, author of the “U.S. Intelligence Community” these planes are equipped with sensors that that can monitor insurgents’ conversations and help pinpoint their location.

“It’s a lot of intelligence and dissemination capability in a small package,” Richelson said. The planes, with self- protective equipment, are “also clearly designed for a combat environment.”

On that note, we hope that these planes help keep our troops safe in the coming year. And we also want to send out a Seasons Greetings to all our troops stationed overseas, and their families waiting for them at home.

(Via Bloomberg News)

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As if your mailbox wasn’t already full of enough spam, now MP3 spam is making a come back. The trend first started popping up in 2007 when spammers started using MP3 files as attachments on emails.

According to Symantec, new forms of MP3 spam have now been spotted in the wild. These emails contain no message, and no subject body, they just have an MP3 attachment with a heavily distorted 5 second message recorded in a female voice that promotes a meds domain. Some of the random .mp3 file names that have been associated with this series of spam include milsoppy.mp3, enwomb.mp3 and realiser.mp3.

Trend Micro, another major antivirus firm has reported other MP3 spam that is pushing Viagra and other sexual enhancement pills. The MP3′s message encourages users to visit a web page that points to Canadian pharmacy sites.

Symantec’s Samir Patil blogged that, “Old trends never die, they just resurface from time to time. Case in point, spammed messages that have .MP3 file attachments, which were last seen two years ago, made their presence felt once again today.”

(Via Security Watch)

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The Star-Ledger recently featured BrickHouse Security’s Baby Jesus GPS program in one of their video segments. This is the second year that BrickHouse Security has made their Baby Jesus GPS program available to religious institutions nationwide. [...]

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