What I Would Do to Protect Against Industrial Espionage

Industrial Espionage, an act "conducted by a foreign government or by a foreign company with direct assistance of a foreign government against a private United States company and aimed at obtaining commercial secrets." There are a plethora of methods these secrets can be gained. What we have to do is set up a plan and policies that will help protect those secrets from both cyber and industrial espionage thieves.

First things first, you have to lay the foundation to protect against espionage. The first step to successful defense is to identify information that, if lost, would seriously hurt the company, and the worth of that information to your company and its competitors. These are your "prize possessions" and should warrant the best defenses. Intelligence security managers must be able to identify company intellectual property (IP), the place where the IP resides, and the worth of the IP, so they can guard and limit who has access to this information. Then make a risk assessment to detect existing security weaknesses to those prize possessions. Examples of such information may include: copyrighted material, patents, trademarks, operating procedures, user manuals, policies, memos, reports, plans, contracts, source code, recipes, manufacturing plans, chemical formulas, design drawings and patent applications.

Secondly, one has to set up the Security Awareness Program. A business's people, information, managements, and techniques are vital assets. Protecting the security, secrecy, integrity, and accessibility of these assets is important to maintaining cost-effectiveness, conformity, public face, and a competitive edge. Companies face dangers to their employees, structures, procedures, and material every day. These threats include computer viruses, network attacks, fraud and even natural disasters. Unfortunately, even the best tools and procedures can be defeated by a user who is unaware how to use them, or how important security is. In order for the organization's security program to work efficiently, all employees must support the organization to protect its assets. Security Awareness provides the utmost return on investment, and has the ultimate affirmative effect on a company's security. The cost of a Security Awareness Program is quickly recognized when tools and methods are adhered to, and employees know how to be more secure.

Finally, put everything to test. Simulate an actual attack. This testing should focus on all types of information, no matter what its form. You should execute testing along several attack paths in an all-inclusive approach, for example, combining a network pen test with physical and social engineering assessments. Those results will give you a better idea of your attack defenses.

To protect yourself, you must begin to view your organization from an attacker standpoint and realize that no company is 100 percent secure. A determined, skilled and highly