The elusive suspect had countered the manufacturing site security'sreactive measures for the last 3 months. Dogging the well placed butineffective overt closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras, the unknownsuspect gained access to the administration's offices and finger-paintedanti-corporation slogans along the walls with red paint for the fourthtime. Even after increasing physical security patrols to that area, thestealthy suspect made his mark on the walls expressing his discontentfor the company's stock price.
An often simple, butmiscalculated solution to this type of investigation and others like itis the use of covert video cameras.
Catching your criminal redhanded and much like an undercover sting operation on COPS can dowonders for solving your investigation. However, there are manytechnical considerations you need to know before you join the CIA'sblack ops team.
In this three-part series we will cover covertcameras, recording devices and setup for your investigation.As you may have experienced withyourown CCTV system, not all cameras are created equally. When shoppingfor a covert camera there are four main factors that need to be decidedupon before you set up:
Size is an obvious part to focus on due to your covert setup, butnot always a must. Cameras range from large bricks to fingernail-sizepinhole 2.9mm lenses. You will also find as the size of the cameradecreases, often times the resolution and lux levels get worse and theprice goes up. With that said, I always leave size on my list of needslast. Cameras can be hidden no matter what the size, and will be moreeffective with high resolution and a low lux level.
In a worldwhere everyone has a digital camera or HDTV, many people alreadyrecognize the need for high resolution images. This should be nodifferent with your covert camera. The last situation you need is tocatch a criminal act on video but then be unable to identify theindividual clearly due to the poor resolution from your cheap camera. Tocombat this, always make sure you are getting a camera that captures740 x 480 lines of resolution or more. Anything less and you may have ahard time making out details, especially in low light situations.
Speaking of low light, cameras are rated by their ability to useillumination to see. This is called the camera's lux level and any legitvendor will have this information about their cameras. The lower thelux level, the better the camera works in darkness. Typically you willfind very low lux level cameras to be black and white or to have thesupport of infrared led lights attached to the camera. Be sure to checkthe lighting of the area you plan on recording for any changes (timers,sun going down, etc) before setting up your surveillance.
Lastlyyou need to think about the camera's power consumption. Although not asimportant as resolution or lux level, don't forget about this step.Depending on your camera deployment you may resort to using ac adaptersat a nearby electrical outlet, battery power or even solar power for theremote locations. Sometimes you may find the perfect and only placementfor your camera, but no electrical outlet that you can use unnoticed.In this case a battery pack (I like using an R/C car battery pack) mightbe useful and knowing the camera's power consumption information canhelp you set this up. Again, a reputable vendor will have thespecifications for voltage and you can easily calculate the battery lifeyou can achieve with different battery sizes (9 volts, R/C, golf cart,marine batteries).
One word of advice in shopping for covertcameras: Never buy "nanny cam" setups online. Ebay and other vendorsoften place cheap pinhole cameras with no resolution and high lux levelsin what appear to be ingenious setups like clock radios, lamps andteddy bears. Although creative, the bad quality cameras, high mark-upprices and the fact the clock you just purchased doesn't blend into theoffice your suspect knows better than you, will leave you throwing itinto a junk box never to see the light of day.
CSOonline.com1) Basic internet surfing, email and IM is NOT ANONYMOUS on the internet
2) Without taking the proper steps you WILL get caught
3) Again, it only takes one mistake and you can kiss your pranking ass goodbye.


t is pure evil. Even I was a victim of it TWICE! Don't let
it's size full you. This monster can make anyone seriously go crazy,
fast!
The Annoy-a-tron generates a short (but very annoying, hence the name) beep every few minutes. Your unsuspecting target will have a hard time 'timing' the location of the sound because the beeps will vary in intervals ranging from 2 to 8 minutes. The 2kHz sound is generically annoying enough, but if you really really want to aggravate somebody, select the 12 kHz sound. Trust us. The higher frequency and slight 'electronic noise' built into that soundbyte will make a full-grown Admin wonder where his packets are.
Assuming you have done your part in selecting a suitable hiding location for the Annoy-a-tron, it will do its part to drive your co-workers slowly mad with its short and seemingly random beeps. And when someone does locate the Annoy-a-tron, they're really not going to know what it is - which is almost as much fun as watching them search for it. Muahaha. The Annoy-a-tron takes one CR2032 battery (included) and measures approximately: 2.5" x 1.25" x .3". It will run for 3 to 4 weeks on a single battery.
No this isn't me or my little brother, just a good example of the Annoy-a-tron in action...
Not convinced of the Annoy-a-tron's evil powers?
Read this letter from a satisfied customer and be enlightened:
Dear friends at thinkgeek.com,
I recently acquired the "Annoy-A-Tron" from your web site. Actually, I acquired two, thinking that perhaps two devices might be necessary to truly splinter the minds of my friends and co-workers. How woefully did I underestimate this powerful tool.
I have watched this simple device transform an (until-now) mild-mannered colleague into a spitting, cussing, paranoid lunatic.
He has ordered all of the staff he supervises (not a small number) to locate the source of the dread beeping before doing anything else (but since they are in on the prank, they haven't been much help). So he waits, white-knuckles gripping the edge of his desk, anticipating the next beep.
He has set a timer on his computer to track the duration between beeps. It hasn't been much help.
My favorite quote so far, nearly bursting that vein on his temple as he shouted it: "That beep has been F***ING with me for HOURS now."
He has called the facilities department to schedule a maintenance worker to investigate.
He speculates that "they" might be doing air-quality testing in the building. This beep must be some device in the ducts detecting dangerous levels of asbestos in the air. Or worse. Radon? Aerosolized mercury? Legionella spores?
The beep means something. What does the beep mean? Is it a warning? It sounds urgent, doesn't it? It's telling us to do something. But what? Replace a battery? Call the authorities? Evacuate the premises? Scrub ourselves with disinfectant and put on haz-mat suits and call our families to give them our tearful goodbyes?
I imagine that soon he will begin to take things apart. He will methodically dismantle all of the electrical devices in his office, creating an unusually precise metaphor for what is happening in his psyche.
I am reminded what a thin and fragile thread keeps us attached to sanity. Today, this tiny little device helped me break a co-worker's mind, and I thank you for the sinfully pleasurable schadenfreude.
My best to you,
John
Seattle, WA
The following programs from www.nirsoft.net are great FREE tools to keep on your usb thumb drive to quickly pull passwords from your Target's computer, the library or anyone that leaves their laptop away for a moment. Simply load the following programs on your thumb drive, place the usb thumb drive in your Target's computer, run the program and poof, all their passwords listed right there for you. | MessenPass | Recovers the passwords of most popular Instant Messenger programs: MSN Messenger, Windows Messenger, Yahoo Messenger, ICQ Lite 4.x/2003, AOL Instant Messenger provided with Netscape 7, Trillian, Miranda, and GAIM. |
| Mail PassView |
Recovers the passwords of the following email programs:
Outlook Express,
Microsoft Outlook 2000 (POP3 and SMTP Accounts only),
Microsoft Outlook 2002/2003 (POP3, IMAP, HTTP and SMTP Accounts),
IncrediMail,
Eudora, Netscape Mail, Mozilla Thunderbird,
Group Mail Free.
Mail PassView can also recover the passwords of Web-based email accounts (HotMail, Yahoo!, Gmail), if you use the associated programs of these accounts. |
| IE PassView | IE PassView is a small utility that reveals the passwords stored by Internet Explorer browser. It supports the new Internet Explorer 7.0, as well as older versions of Internet explorer, v4.0 - v6.0 |
| Protected Storage PassView | Recovers all passwords stored inside the Protected Storage, including the AutoComplete passwords of Internet Explorer, passwords of Password-protected sites, MSN Explorer Passwords, and more... |
| Dialupass | Password recovery tool that reveals all passwords stored in dial-up entries. (Internet and VPN connections) As opposed to many other tools, this tool works in all versions of Windows, including Windows 2000 and Windows XP. |
| Asterisk Logger | Recovers passwords stored behind asterisks (****) characters. You can use this tool to recover the passwords of many applications, like CuteFTP, CoffeeCup Free FTP, VNC, and more... |
| AsterWin IE | Reveals the passwords stored behind the asterisks in the web pages of Internet Explorer 5.0 and above. You can use it for recovering a lost web site password, if it's stored on your computer. Visual Basic source code is included. |
| Network Password Recovery | Recover network passwords stored by Windows XP operating system. |
| SniffPass Password Sniffer |
capture the passwords that pass through your network adapter,
and display them on the screen instantly.
You can use this utility to recover lost Web/FTP/Email passwords. |
| PstPassword | Recovers lost password of Outlook PST file. |
| WirelessKeyView | WirelessKeyView recovers all wireless network keys (WEP/WPA) stored in your computer by the 'Wireless Zero Configuration' service of Windows XP and by the 'WLAN AutoConfig' service of Windows Vista. It allows you to easily save all keys to text/html/xml file, or copy a single key to the clipboard. |
| Remote Desktop PassView | Remote Desktop PassView is a small utility that reveals the password stored by Microsoft Remote Desktop Connection utility inside the .rdp files. |
|
PocketAsterisk RemotePocketAsterisk | Reveals the password stored behind the asterisks in Pocket PC device. |


We all watch CSI, COPS and movies to
know tracking devices are real. But did you know you can have one on your
target’s (gf, husband, enemy) vehicle by tomorrow morning? Yes it is that easy
and they work extremely well, but first you need to know some background information…
What: GPS Tracking Device
Purpose: Stalk
Cost: $50 to $2,000
Where:
Legal: Local rules apply or you can say fuck it. Without a warrant in California GPS tracking is illegal, unless you own the vehicle (sucks for the wife and kids).
How: Before we get to the
obvious how, let’s talk about the two major types of GPS tracking devices.
- · Real Time GPS Tracking- As you can guess from the name real time GPS tracking devices track your target in real time. Using GPS satellites to identify the targets location the device uses a) a cell phone or b) pager to transmit the location to a third-party online service. You then log onto a website or connect to the device directly and view the target in real time driving down the highway. While this service is great but there are a lot of negatives: you are guaranteed a monthly cost and because the constant transmitting the battery life lasts only a few days.The devices can be rather large and hard to conceal as seen in the picture above. Also a food for thought, if the tracking device gets discovered the cell phone records can trace right back to you. Oh and then there is purchase price. These buggers start at $500 and up. (Side story: After putting one of these real time tracking devices on a vehicle I let it run out of batteries… the vehicle never did not return to its original location, nor did my $2,000 device. Beginners mistake.)
- · Data Logger GPS Tracking- do all of the above except transmit the information to a third-party. Instead the GPS locations are saved on a memory stick and downloaded later. Because the tracking device is not using the battery life for cell calls they can last weeks if not 30-90 days. These devices can easily be purchased for $50 to $250 too. The downside to this device is you better hope you know where your target is going to be when you are ready to get the device back. Without it, you have no information.
So
it comes down to two choices, both work great, but do you really need to watch
your target as they make a left on Main St. and waste money? Ok so you settled on the data logger. Good
idea. Installing it is a breeze, find a piece
of metal under the bumper and the device will clip right on with magnets. Now sit
back and let it do its work. When a few days have passed return to your target’s
vehicle and get the logger. Download the data and poof you can see the bitch
isn’t at work when she says she is.
Why: “I’m working late honey…” Bullshit.
After your months of stalking and causing havoc are the cops on your trail or maybe your wife is looking for you porn collection? Stay on top of things and clean up shop in three easy steps.
What: CCleaner, Eraser and OH SHIT Disk (aka Darik's Boot And Nuke)
Purpose: Protect yourself
Cost: FREE
Where:
Legal:
Courts
can rule you are tampering with evidence, however if you show a pattern of
using it often not to hide evidence from the courts, but for general privacy
concerns you will be fine.
How: CCleaner is a free program that deletes internet cache, cookies, and
other junk to speed up your computer and protect your privacy.
Combine
that with the professional level hard drive cleaning software Eraser and all
the deleted files from CCleaner and your normal deletions will be gone from
prying forensic eyes (Sorry Encase and AD).
Lastly
you never know when the cops will come knocking, so Darik's Boot And Nuke can
sit in your cd-rom or thumbdrive waiting to be used. A click of the mouse and
everything is gone. EVERYTHING! Obviously a combination of the above will
better protect you in the long run, especially when the police break into
your house in the middle of the night with a sneek and peak warrant…
Why: Obviously
a combination of the above will better protect you from the police or even your
own counterintelligence wife. Don’t hold back on using all three programs too…
You never know when the police will break into your house in the middle of the
night with a sneak and peak warrant…
Your ex
won’t take your calls anymore and who answers when caller id is blocked? How
about make her think her mom is calling… Better yet want to hear your targets
voicemail?
What: Fake Caller ID
Purpose: Stalking, Prank, Surveillance
Cost: FREE to a few bucks
Legal: Depends on how you use it…
How: Spoofcard.com is an indispensible resource that allows you to
change your outgoing caller ID # to anything number you want free! I can see
you drooling already. By typing in your number, a fake number (or your ex’s
moms number) and your target’s number the company will call you, then when you
are on the line call your target with your custom caller ID showing. That
simple. Sadly the site only always 5 free calls per phone number, so A) use
different numbers to make the call or
support the site and purchase some
calling cards, they deserve the business for this one…
Ok, so hearing your ex-gf’s voicemail is what really caught
your attention? Now this is illegal, so
do it with her approval… but rumor has it (remember Paris Hilton voicemails
that leaked out) if you call your target’s cell phone with their same phone
number as the caller id you will get sent straight into their voicemail
account. Doesn’t work on all carriers, but a most of the major ones… (Target #:
555-423-1111 + Caller ID# used: 555-423-1111 result= Voicemail)
Why: Another do I need to
explain??? Pranks are endless… Why is the white house (202-456-1414) calling
me? As for the first scenario above,
getting someone to answer your call can be even more valuable. Fuck getting into their personal voicemail can
be the holy grail!
So you have googled your target’s name and email
only to come across someone has same name as your lying girlfriend. Could there
be two Cherie Durham’s with the same bitchy personality in this world? (Hey
fake name generator made that sound pretty real) She’s got to have a social networking
account out there, that’s how the bitch cheats…
Why can’t I find it? The problem with your search is the internet is like
an iceberg with two levels, the surface level and the deep web. Google and most
search engines only search the surface level. They can’t get into sites like
myspace or facebook because of membership access or blocks. Private and
restricted sites that are hard to search are said to be in the deep web. With
the two sites below this isn’t true anymore!
What: IdentiFight
and PiPL
Purpose: Stalking
Cost: FREE!
Where: http://identifight.org/
and http://www.pipl.com/
Legal: Yup
How: The first site, indentifight.org uses its rotating access into deep
web social networking sites to find your target by email. (Don’t know email
address, we’ll show you how…) Enter the email address and the search will look
in the following areas for accounts:
Pipl.com is a lot more powerful
search tool that will find addresses, phone numbers, some social network sites
like myspace and general information you might already have on google. Not as
target specific as indentifight.org but when you need anything about anyone at
no cost, these are both the places to start your digging.
Why: Do I really need to explain? No cost search
feature should be your first attempt to gather information about your target.
Name, emails, accounts, phone #s, addresses, pictures, etc can be found
instantly. Back in the day this information would gather top dollar from
private investigators, but now it’s yours free. Also use the site to test your
own “identities” and
make sure they aren’t too public.
Thinking
bigger picture, take the phone number found for your ex Julie Knowles,
information about her job posted on linkedin and even use the name of Keith her
best friend from facebook and do a little prank or social engineering.
So you think it’s easy to come up with clever fake
names? John Glen or Maria Gonzales sound like they are right out of a movie and
ummm won’t cut it with the cops. Better yet “officer my address is 213 Main St…”
How real does that rolling off your tongue or look on your fake id?
What: Fake Name (address, credit card, ss#, tracking #)
Generator @
Cost: FREE!
Where: http://www.fakenamegenerator.com/
Legal: Totally legal… depending on how you use it.
How: Simply visit this unique and FREE site to instantly come up with an
unique, yet normal sounding name, address, website, email address, phone,
maiden name, DOB (date of birth), Visa # and expiration date, social security #
and UPS Tracking #. The site also lets you do batches and names from 13 different ethnic
backgrounds and addresses from around the world.
Here is an example:
Nicholas
P. Walker
953 Leisure Lane
Santa Paula, CA 93060
Website: iAlot.com
Email Address: NicholasPWalker@audiodyn.com
This is a real email address. Click here to use it!
Phone: 805-525-7214
Mother's maiden name: Forrester
Birthday: March 26, 1946
Visa: 4556 1711 2235
4185
Expires: 12/2010
SSN: 603-21-8297
UPS Tracking Number: 1Z 400 8V8 32 2150 814 2
Why: In this day and age everybody, especially when
on online should remain anonymous. Using the first name that comes to your head
may stand out as too common or odd to an experienced police officer or anyone
that has seen a lot of movies. Remember flashy or unique attracts attention;
you don’t want a red Ferrari driving down the street in a surveillance, rather
a common beige Toyota Camry that blends away into forgetfulness. The same should be reflective of your choice
in names. "Where did you get this car from?" "My friend..." "And your friend's name is?" "Ummm Bob."
So next time you are signing up a
fake email or myspace account or you need to mass produce 20,000 (batch mode)
fake ids, this site is your ticket to generic but common information. Better
yet, as the cop approaches your window text a the word FAKE to 41411
and site will text you back information instantly.