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Summary of article:
CNN reported that the industrial espionage crisis is becoming increasingly serious among large technology companies around the world. Insiders and predators are more destructive than ordinary hacker attacks. However, many companies prefer to remain silent because they fear being exposed.
CNN reported on the 10th that at the beginning of the personal computer revolution, France’s Bull Computer (BULL) was overtaken by American technology companies. From 1987 to 1989, French Directorate-General for External Security (DGSE)IBM Texas Instruments and other American companies hatched a scheme to send stolen trade secrets back to France. Later, the FBI and C.I.A.cia ) worked together to crackdetective In the case, the employees involved were fired. Forty years after the incident, the espionage crisis facing large technology companies around the world has become more serious, with consequences that have become even more serious.
The report pointed out that the espionage problem faced by technology companies as technology giants is more serious than the outside world realizes.
Greg Pollock, research director at cybersecurity firm UpGuard, said the risk of stealing trade secrets is now even greater, once again putting the focus on espionage by corporate insiders. He said that it is true that a large amount of data is stolen through hacking attacks, but the most important information still comes from private conversations.
Rebecca Krauthammer, CEO and co-founder of QSecure, a U.S. government cybersecurity contractor, points out that experienced people won’t choose just one path to obtain trade secrets. Cyberattacks may allow countries or companies to steal information, but human sources can decide which secrets are important and what decisions can be made with the secrets.
If you want to steal your competitor’s trade secrets through traditional interpersonal channels, two frequently used methods include capturing employees who are willing to leak secrets and planting insiders. Because employees hold the decryption keys to important information, all employees can be targeted.
Krauthammer said that not only could CEOs be targeted, and things might not be as exciting as a James Bond movie, but ordinary employees in Silicon Valley should know how to be vigilant and prevent phishing scams. “However, the risk of crisis is becoming greater because of the sense of trust created by people interacting with each other.”
Elizabeth Rowe, a law professor at the University of Virginia who specializes in trade secrets and intellectual property rights, said the famous cases could be the beginning of a broader problem.
Federal legislation passed in the late 1990s made industrial espionage a criminal offense, but cases came primarily from companies voluntarily reporting it. Companies can also file civil suits against their rivals.
However, the problem is that many companies are reluctant to disclose that they are facing a spying crisis.
If a company goes to court, investors may feel that important company secrets have been lost. Therefore, civil lawsuits involving complex trade secrets are extremely costly for companies. The litigation process may also expose or leak trade secrets.
Roy said this means that whenever a case of industrial espionage hits the headlines, there are many more cases yet to come to light.
Summary FAQ
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The report notes that big technology companies are facing an increasingly serious industrial espionage crisis. The risk not only comes from external hackers, but also from insiders leaking secrets, poaching, and planting insiders, and the consequences are more serious than in the past.
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Experts believe that hackers can steal large amounts of data, but human intelligence can determine which secrets are really important and help decide what actions can be taken with this information, so it is more valuable to the country or business.
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Because once legal action is taken, the outside world may think that important secrets of the company have been leaked, affecting investor confidence; Additionally, the litigation process may also expose secrets again, so many companies choose to keep a low profile.
