Espionage Can Occur Within Almost Any Organisation
No corporation in today’s highly competitive society is safe from the threat of industrial espionage or eavesdropping.
Information thieves will source any number of possible means to infiltrate your organisation’s innermost sanctum. For example, an agent may gain access to your premises as a contracted employee, a cleaner, maintenance contractor or visitor to your office premises. This leaves numerous areas exposed, particularly when you may not be aware of who that agent is, or where they have accessed.
Essentially, reasons for conducting a TSCM inspection can be considered in terms of the damage to your organisation if information is lost, as well as the financial loss or reputation loss to your organisation or executives should sensitive information be placed in the wrong hands.
A TSCM inspection involves more than just an electronic ‘sweep’. As well as identifying any electronic surveillance devices in use, an effective TSCM program is designed to detect technical security hazards, physical security weaknesses or security policy and procedural inadequacies that would allow your premises to be technically or physically penetrated.
From our experience, virtually every organisation is susceptible to espionage, particularly given the competitive nature of business in today’s global environment. In most cases, we find that staff are not aware of the importance of protecting confidential information. This can result in the engagement of ill-informed staff, who may potentially leak sensitive information to external parties.
There is also a threat from former staff who if disgruntled, may do anything to discredit the organisation.
Furthermore, clients who have been denied access to services or funds (in the financial sector), may pose a threat to the continuity of business. Finally, there is a risk of IP infringement, leaking of profit information and/or financial forecasts as well as the revealing of sensitive strategy discussions within organisations.
Tactics used by information thieves can take many forms, most of which are outright illegal, although it does occur and can be undertaken relatively easily. For example, breaking and entering a competitors’ or Managers’ office to steal information or install listening devices.
Other means utilised by such unscrupulous operators include searching through discarded waste, reconstructing strip-shredded documentation, placing an undercover agent, posing as a staff member, installing hidden cameras, social engineering, interviewing a competitors’ employees (offering fake job positions) and more.
All of these measures could easily be used to gain information relating to your business strategies, financial position, executives’ integrity, clients’ interests and the like. In some cases, such practices may be used to extort senior executives, particularly if there are any adverse incidents uncovered during the underhanded investigation process.
We have come across a number of cases in the past, where staff have been gathering intelligence on the organisation they represent and then selling that information to competitors, or setting up their own business in opposition. In most such cases, electronic surveillance has been used to eavesdrop on conversations had by senior executives.
Available on the Internet and via numerous spy shops, are literally hundreds if not thousands of listening devices (bugs), hidden cameras and other similar eavesdropping equipment. This equipment is readily available and extremely simple to install. The detection of most such items is possible via counter-surveillance inspections and programs.
Should sensitive information relating to your organisation’s financial or strategic position be revealed to the media, government or your competitors, what effect could that potentially have on your reputation, financial position or client confidence?
Please telephone us in confidence on +61 [0] 2 8006-0635, for a private consultation on how we may be able to assist your organisation. Alternatively, please click here for additional contact information.