09 Jul Corporate Espionage
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Because what you don’t know… CAN hurt you!!
Corporate Espionage:
TSCM & Cyber Intrusion
Whether it is called business, industrial or corporate espionage, this activity has increased dramatically over the past few years. With the ever increasing development and availability of covert digital eavesdropping devices and cyber intrusion technologies, this activity will continue to increase because the potential financial benefit is monumental. Nothing is more important to the viability of your business than the safe and secure discussion of your business activities and plans.
Cyber intrusion goes far beyond the training, expertise and capabilities of most IT professionals in the typical corporate setting. A comprehensive security plan includes two completely distinct areas of specialization that incorporates both TSCM and Cyber security specialists. These diverse skill sets are increasingly in demand as cyber attacks grow and the sheer volume of personal and corporate data that can be captured in a single corporate espionage attack can devastate a business.
Trade secret theft costs businesses billions of dollars each year. The challenging global economic climate insures the continuing proliferation of illegal information gathering through corporate espionage. It also makes it more difficult for businesses to retain top talent, develop new technology and secure new client contracts. The thefts can be from outsiders, or trusted insiders. Covert corporate information collection is always for financial gain and can be conducted in various illegal ways including:
– Electronic eavesdropping
– Cyber intrusion
– Clandestine HUMINT intelligence
Corporate Espionage Investigations
Challenging economic climates make it increasingly more difficult to set aside resources for technology development, to retain top talent, to secure new contracts and/or to retain existing clients. To remain viable, it is critical for corporations to have an effective, proactive plan in place to protect valuable corporate information from all manner of corporate espionage.
The most common and well know method of illegal corporate theft is through covert technical surveillance devices. Detection of these devices requires highly trained, experienced technicians utilizing extremely expensive, laboratory grade electronic counter measure detection equipment. Equally important is the comprehensive physical inspection of the suspected areas to locate and identify any surreptitious devices. Very few agencies have the both the necessary equipment and trained personnel to effectively perform Technical Surveillance Counter Measures (TSCM).
The first step all businesses should take is a TSCM detection sweep because no IT inspection would ever be able to detect a covert physical device. For example, a typical stapler on virtually every desk in America can easily be converted into an effective eavesdropping device. We have discovered such a device with tiny on board high-gain wireless, high-gain Bluetooth, dual-Ethernet and GSM cellular capability. With easily obtainable hacking software, this device can transmit every word from a confidential meeting in your board room as far as 1,000 feet. A typical IT security inspection would never detect this type of threat and such a device has the capability to extract massive amounts of data through the cellular network.
Remember, before any information is transmitted into “cyber space”, it is initially developed and exists in “physical space”. This is why IT security inspections are so inefficient and demonstrate the need for TSCM inspection as a critical first step. To be proactive in defending a business, most of our clients also request that we conduct periodic TSCM sweeps monthly, quarterly or semi-annually to insure protection from future illegal intrusions.
The next step after a TSCM sweep is a comprehensive Cyber intrusion inspection of the entire computer network, individual computers, website and telephonic network. Our Cyber security technicians perform vulnerability testing to identify any problems and suggest steps to address them, and penetration testing to locate any intrusions and how they gained entry into your supposedly secure network. This is essentially a form of “ethical hacking” where our technicians actually hack into your network to demonstrate any vulnerable areas. Like our TSCM service, our corporate clients usually opt to be proactive and have us perform ongoing, periodic Cyber intrusion inspections through the year.
Corporate espionage “hackers” are constantly searching for vulnerabilities in corporate security plans that allow intrusions. This is accomplished through technical surveillance counter measures and Cyber intrusion. They are well aware that vulnerabilities tend to exist where typical IT inspection methods don’t provide complete coverage because they transcend more than that specialty. TSCM Sweeps and Cyber Intrusion Inspections are highly specialized areas that both fall well outside the traditional role of the typical IT specialist.
Data targeted by corporate espionage can include marketing strategies, business plans, client lists, product trade secrets, customer information, and other data that can damage your corporate viability and reputation. This data is often provided by victims of corporate espionage who unknowingly pass huge amounts of valuable data to competitors, foreign governments or other persons/entities. Standard IT Risk Management simply does not address “cyber” hacking threats. A comprehensive, proactive security plan must include physical technical surveillance threats that use the wireless cellular network to capture data, and Cyber Intrusion Detection.
All corporate board members should remember that they have a fiduciary duty to take all reasonable measures to protect the company and ultimately, the shareholders. Failure to implement, at a minimum, periodic TSCM inspections with its risk management program may result in massive financial losses. All boards should do everything in their power to ensure the Governance; Risk & Compliance (GRC) plans are effective. No one wants to be a member of the Board of Directors of a company that becomes one of the many global corporations whose losses totaled in the billions last year.
Tampa Private Investigator
If you have any questions or concerns about the security of your business from Corporate Espionage, call Top Gun Investigations in Tampa. We can provide you the answers you need, and the peace of mind you deserve. Call 813-902-0420 for a free, confidential case evaluation or visit TopGunInvestigations.com to learn more. Because, what you don’t know…CAN hurt you!
Call today for a Free, Confidential Consultation at
813-902-0420
Because what you don’t know… CAN hurt you!!
Nationwide Corporate Espionage Investigations