RE: LeoThread 2024-12-25 01:23

[ahmadmanga]

The Rise of Corporate Espionage

Corporate espionage is a growing concern, with the FBI estimating it costs America $600 billion annually. This new form of Cold War involves companies using spies to gather sensitive information, posing a significant threat to businesses and jobs.

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[ahmadmanga]

Types of Corporate Spies

• 🕵️‍♂️ The most common type of corporate spy is one that never crosses the line into illegality, working as market research firms or consultants.
• 📊 These spies collect information by asking for it, posing as fake customers, or gathering data from company employees through networking events and sites like LinkedIn.
• 📈 Another way to gather information is to buy shares in a company and attend shareholder meetings to gain access to private conversations with executives and directors.

Illicit Corporate Espionage

• 🚨 The second type of corporate spy gets a job in the target company to gain access to trade secrets, but this approach carries significant legal risks, including civil suits and criminal prosecution.
• 🚫 The third type of corporate espionage involves approaching existing employees of target companies and gauging their willingness to divulge sensitive information through fake job interviews or professional networking.

[ahmadmanga]

Notable Cases and Trends

• 📰 A high-profile case involved a senior Coca-Cola executive who used their position to learn industrial secrets about the company's chemical suppliers, with their employer allegedly having deep connections to the Chinese government.
• 🚀 The most common targets of corporate espionage are companies in high-tech fields, and the largest threat is currently from Chinese companies.
• 👮 Law enforcement agencies have reported a sharp rise in brazen intelligence gathering attempts traced back to Chinese companies, such as the alleged espionage carried out by Huawei in Denmark.