Chris Brook

The number of Macs infected with the Flashback malware continue to decline but it’s not entirely clear to what degree. Initial numbers estimated that there were about 600,000 infected computers in total yet those numbers dropped last week to 237,000 and now, according to research by Symantec published last night, remained around the 140,000 mark this week.

Estimates of the extent of cyber crime are hopelessly overblown, two computer security researchers argue in an editorial from Sunday’s New York Times.

If you’re worried that your conversations are being monitored, old fashioned “coded talk” also works to disguise the meaning of your conversations. Asking “how are the kids?” rather than “how’s the progress on our new chip design?” may be enough to throw attackers off the scent.

(Images via perspective‘s Flickr photostream)

Don’t ignore physical security. Morehouse said he knows of many executives and foreign travelers who have returned to their hotel room to find it trashed and mobile devices missing. Once criminals have physical control of your device, protecting its contents is a much bigger challenge. 

(Images via blmurch‘s and chokingsun‘s Flickr photostream)

The pace of change in mobile spying applications is rapid. However, when it comes to intercepting phone calls in the field, phones that use the older 2G mobile communications standard are easier to crack. Often, organizations that want to carry out an attack will force a mobile device from 3G into 2G only mode. Researchers have already demonstrated, publicly, that the A5/1 algorithm that protects 2G communications can be broken and communications decrypted in real time. Of course, depending on your destination, 3G wireless may not be an option to begin with.

Google Voice is a free VOIP service that can be used to create “throw away” voice accounts for travelers. Having your conversations handled on Google’s infrastructure also provides a measure of security over foreign telecommunications networks, which – depending on the country – could cooperating with the state to conduct surveillance on visiting executives. Once your trip is over, discontinue the number. Even better: kick it old school style with analog communications. “A lot of the focus of the surveillance industry is on digital communications. Analog is considered a thing of the past.

If you have to have Internet access, Morehouse said that executives should avoid using public Wifi connections at all costs. Hotel and public wifi networks are notoriously dodgy and can expose traveling business executives to man-in-the middle and redirection attacks. At the same time, travelers are drawn to them for fear of racking up expensive data fees on foreign 3G networks. Business conferences and other gatherings are a great resource for those looking to steal confidential information and monitor communications, so beware.