Canadian Technical Security Conference (CTSC) - April 23-25, 2013

Canadian Technical Security Conference (CTSC) - April 23-25, 2013

The annual Canadian Technical Security Conference (CTSC) event (Cornwall, Ontario) is a three (3) day professional development and networking opportunity with a local, regional, national and international following of professional technical operators, TSCM specific and test & measurement based equipment manufacturers and service providers. 

The conference is being held at Strathmere, near Ottawa.
GPS Coordinates, Latitude 45.157216, Longitude 75.703858

This annual CTSC conference event is of special interest to local, regional and international technical security professionals from the private sector, corporate security industry, financial sector, oil, gas and mining sector, government, law enforcement and military organizations and agencies. (more) Contact: Paul D Turner, TSS TSI 

This is the conference's 8th year. Every year I hear reports about how worthwhile it is. Every year they schedule it when I am obligated to be elsewhere :(

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Burglar Used SpyCams to Case High-Income Homes

The discovery of a hidden camera may help solve a series of break-ins at upscale homes in several North Texas cities.



"This one has already been camouflaged," said Dalworthington Gardens police Det. Ben Singleton, holding what looks like a piece of bark that would go unnoticed in most yards.

It's actually a video camera not much bigger than a matchbox, and it's activated by a motion detector. Such cameras turned up in March planted outside several upscale homes in Dalworthington Gardens.

"I've never seen anything like this," Singleton said. (more)

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New Italian Cocktail "The Gepetto" - Thwarted by SpyCam

A retired Italian carpenter has been arrested after his sleuthing wife suspected he was trying to poison her and set about trying to prove it with the help of a spy alarm clock bought on the internet.

Click to enlarge.

The drama began in February in the northern Italian town of Dalmine, where the couple had reportedly lived for almost 40 years. The 61-year-old woman grew suspicious when some water brought to her by her husband created a burning sensation in her mouth.

The woman, who has not been named, sent it off for tests in a laboratory, which, when they came back, revealed the presence of hydrochloric acid.

Perturbed, the woman became even more worried when she found a bottle among her husband's things that had no label on it and was filled with a clear liquid. She sent that off to be analyzed, as well, and was told that it, too, was hydrochloric acid.

Police confirmed that she then took advice from relatives and bought a miniature video-camera-cum-alarm-clock, proceeding to film her husband in the kitchen. (more)

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The Era of Women Spies is Returning

White House counterterrorism adviser Lisa Monaco is all poised to head the FBI, following last week's appointment of Julia Pierson as director of the Secret Service and an unnamed CIA agent will be the first woman to lead the agency's clandestine service. 

With these back-to-back developments, the era of women spies seems to have returned. 

Some of them became legends and remained in the history as picturesque creatures, who with their skill, grace, charm or nerve, pulled the strings behind the most delicate political movements of the world. 

Learn more about some of the most famous and sexy spy women...
• Mata Hari
• Virginia Hall
• Hedy Lamarr
• Elizabeth Van Lew • Belle Boyd
• Sarah Emma Edmonds
• Noor Inayat Khan

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Amazing Drone Footage - Just for fun - Enjoy Your Weekend

The SkyMotion Video team provided the aerial video services for the 2012 Tourism Partnership of Niagara commercials for the Niagara Falls region shoot - making use of their state of the art remote controlled helicopter drone.



Niagara Falls has of course been filmed countless times in the past using full sized helicopters. However, with this remote controlled helicopter, the shoot was not limited by minimum altitude restrictions, and so was able to achieve shots which were unlike any before. Flying only a couple feet above the water, the camera was able to approach the waterfall edge to give the viewer a true sense of the shear scale of the world famous falls.

However, the Niagara region is not limited to just the falls. The surrounding area is full of beautiful landscapes with quaint towns, and world class vineyards. The area is full of life, and the hope is that these dynamic shots give a real sense of the variety of things offered by not only the falls, but by the region as a whole. (more) (more movies)

PS - The security tie-in's... 
• Law Enforcement - Crime scene documentation and assessment.
• Security Consultants - Security assessment surveys.

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Apple's iMessage has DEA Tongue Tied

Encryption used in Apple's iMessage chat service has stymied attempts by federal drug enforcement agents to eavesdrop on suspects' conversations, an internal government document reveals.

Click to enlarge.

An internal Drug Enforcement Administration document seen by CNET discusses a February 2013 criminal investigation and warns that because of the use of encryption, "it is impossible to intercept iMessages between two Apple devices" even with a court order approved by a federal judge...

When Apple's iMessage was announced in mid-2011, Cupertino said it would use "secure end-to-end encryption." It quickly became the most popular encrypted chat program in history: Apple CEO Tim Cook said last fall that 300 billion messages have been sent so far, which are transmitted through the Internet rather than as more costly SMS messages carried by wireless providers. (more)

But... if messages are exchanged between an Apple device and a non-Apple device, they "can sometimes be intercepted, depending on where the intercept is placed." (more)

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Security Consultant Alert - IAPSC Annual Conference in Napa, CA

NOTE: It is not too late to register. Be a hero. Take your significant other to Napa for a few days.

The International Association of Professional Security Consultants (IAPSC) Annual Conference is the largest and most exclusive gathering of top security consultants.

Their 2013 conference offers a wide range of topics focused on Security Consulting and Business Profitability, as well as, Technical, Forensic, and IT Security. 

Presenters will discuss security standards, best practices, risk management, promotional uses of media, including webinar development, marketing and communications techniques for consultants, retirement and selling your business, as well as technical and forensic security focused sessions.

Visit the conference website
View the conference program
Download the brochure
Register Now

Not yet an IAPSC Member? 
When you register to attend the conference, ask about special registration offer available exclusively to new members. (more)

I have been attending IAPSC conferences, each year, for about two decades. Every one has been well worth attending. I return to the office with a broader knowledge of security, fresh ideas about improving services to my clients, and recharged mental batteries. If you are on the fence about going, hop off... and into the vineyard. Try it once. You will see what I mean. Be sure to find me and say hello. ~Kevin

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