There are plenty of ways to protect yourself and your assets without having to rely on secrecy.

Wiretapping Skype calls: virus eavesdrops on VoIP

Some computer viruses have a crude but scary ability to spy on people
by logging every keystroke they type. Now hackers and potentially law
enforcement have another weapon: a virus that can eavesdrop on voice
conversations that go over computers instead of a regular phone line.

The capability has been shown in a new “Trojan horse” virus that
records Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) calls through the popular
Skype service. Skype calls are free or low cost and can work between
two computers or between one computer and a phone. There were 480
million Skype users worldwide at the end of June, but it’s unlikely
many would be hit by the new virus.

It’s better suited for targeted espionage rather than mass infections
because criminals would have to sift through an unfathomable amount
of audio recordings generated by the virus.

Law enforcement in the U.S. would presumably need a court
order to surveil someone’s Skype calls, but the barriers to deploying
the virus might be lower for intelligence agencies and authorities in
other countries.

The virus, which security firm Symantec Corp. calls the first
“wiretap Trojan,” doesn’t target a particular vulnerability
in Skype. Instead, it hooks into parts of the Windows operating
system that handle audio processing. Then it intercepts all audio
data coming from Skype before it’s encrypted by the software,
according to Symantec’s analysis. The audio gets saved as MP3 files
and can be sent to computers controlled by the criminals.

“It’s more interesting than dangerous,” said Kevin Haley, director
of Symantec Security Response. “It’s an espionage tool. That’s its clear
purpose. It’s not practical for any type of broad-based attacks.”

The virus was designed and released by Ruben Unteregger, a Swiss
programmer who said he started researching on his own before turning
it into a project for his employer, ERA IT Solutions. In 2006 the
software company was reported by the Swiss newspaper SonntagsZeitung
to have been working on a VoIP-cracking virus for the Swiss government,
an account Unteregger said he couldn’t confirm because of a nondisclosure
agreement he signed for the project.

ERA IT Solutions says it never had an order from a government agency to
develop the program, and that it stopped working on it when Unteregger
left the company last year.

“This is Ruben’s affair only,” said company representative Riccardo Gubser.
Unteregger said in an e-mail interview with the AP that his goal in releasing
the virus’ programming code was to make people aware that
“we are now becoming a surveillance society” and that “police Trojans are
reality and questionable.”

The above article first appeared in AP Technology.

Until our next issue, stay cool and remain low profile!

Privacy World

PS – With banking secrecy for Americans and others in decline, it
could behoove you to obtain a Singapore company and Singapore
bank account.

Singapore is not a part of the EU directive and there are no
reporting requirements. Email for modalities simply by placing
“Singapore” in the subject heading.

Larry

I am hoping to do a scouting expedition around December to South America looking for arable land. I will be looking for friends and potential business partners on site (have a few contacts in Paraguay). Don’t think I want to live in Brazil but it wouldn’t be a bad idea to live close to the country’s significant food and fuel resources. Will try to visit several countries in the vicinity.

At this point, the only mildly interesting investment opportunities in USA are discounted residential rental properties, but bargains are surprisingly sparse because something like 75% of the unsold inventory is being kept off the market, and a lot of the glut of properties are impractically far from centers of employment. Taxes are soaring.

I have some business interests in Nicaragua and regularly visit. Do you know if there are any Panamanian banks that have a branch in Managua? What are your thoughts on Nicaraguan real estate? Thanks for your informative, politically incorrect and entertaining info.

Tom

Also a curiosity… You claim you have multiple passports and spend your life traveling. So why do you keep your US citizenship in the present situation? Well, I never lived in USA so this may be the reason why I’m asking. Just wondering.

Would it be possible for you to link to a list of reputable businesses in these various countries, particularly those who have Web sites that can be linked and are looking for business. Of course, I do not want you to disclose a personal business relationship that could compromise your own business, it’s just that I see several web-accessible realtors in Panama and know nothing of any of them. If there were one or two firms per country that seemed reputable, it would be great if you could link to them. Obviously, we should do our own due diligence, but it is nice to at least narrow down the list.

Thanks for your efforts on our behalf and keep up the good work (and entertainingly interesting accounts of your travels).
Doug

Are you aware of The Survival Podcast – I think you’d like it.

I’m most interested in being in the right asset class at the right time, and having Plans A, B & C in hand. Like many of your subscribers, I follow resource markets, broad indices, real estate, currencies, special situations and precious metals (up and down) – I see my mission as swapping between sectors to some extent, and keeping focus on the bigger picture.

Enjoying your work,

Justin

Thanks

Kyle