The Antwerp Diamond Heist

What has this to do with security? Nothing much except if you count in physical security. But this one happened in our backyard and is a long but really interesting read!!! I first talked about this story in 2007 as a social engineering attack (Social engineering with chocolate) but the details in the article were scarce. But the wired article has a lot more details.

In February 2003, Notarbartolo was arrested for heading a ring of Italian thieves. They were accused of breaking into a vault two floors beneath the Antwerp Diamond Center and making off with at least $100 million worth of loose diamonds, gold, jewelry, and other spoils. The vault was thought to be impenetrable. It was protected by 10 layers of security, including infrared heat detectors, Doppler radar, a magnetic field, a seismic sensor, and a lock with 100 million possible combinations. The robbery was called the heist of the century, and even now the police can't explain exactly how it was done.

The loot was never found, but based on circumstantial evidence, Notarbartolo was sentenced to 10 years. He has always denied having anything to do with the crime and has refused to discuss his case with journalists, preferring to remain silent for the past six years.

Until now.

Read full story. Somehow, it reminded me of the Tiger Team. ;-)

Bonus: 9 Dirty Tricks: Social Engineers' Favorite Pick-Up Lines (Source: Networkworld.com)

(Photo under creative commons from (στρατός (formerly known as Michelangelo_MI)'s photostream)