Industrial Espionage and Digital Forensics

by: jameswalsh
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Cases of industrial espionage are becoming very common these days and our extensive usage of electronic data and Internet is only fuelling the danger further.

What is Industrial Espionage?

Industrial espionage involves illegal access to a third party data through illegitimate means. The most common aim for people indulging in industrial espionage is commercial gain. Since people are aware of the valuable nature of key information, data theft has become very common. People also engage in industrial espionage for seeking revenge on former or current employer.

In rare cases, espionage also involves not merely stealing of data but destruction of data thereafter. In such cases, the data is stolen and then the person carrying out the espionage runs a virus which works against the usual ‘save data’ logic. Therefore, rather than saving the data, the virus starts deleting all the data.

What Kind of Data is at Risk of Being Stolen?

Cases of industrial espionage may involve but are not limited to stealing trade secrets, future product or service strategy, research material, records of company employees, list of customers and clients, engineering designs, financial information, future planning, and bids and merger information.

Has it Become Easier to Steal Confidential Data from Competitors?

We live in a digital age today. Our daily tasks have been simplified to a large extent thanks to Internet and electronic data. However, this digital age is as much a bane as it is a boon. It is because of this digital age that our electronic data is more vulnerable than ever before.

It is no longer sufficient for the company to install iron gates before its office premises in order to protect its data because the data thieves do not even need to be in the company premises in order to steal the official company data. Recent studies have proved that, in most cases, the industrial espionage threat comes from within the company. You may need your employees to create confidential data but what do you do to protect the confidentiality of the data from the very same employees?

Employees have access to internal servers and systems. As a result, it becomes very easy for them to access confidential data without even being caught. In fact, employees do not even need to leave the company premises in order to walk away with the stolen data; all they need to do is send a simple mail attachment of the stolen data to their personal email account.

The modern day data storage devices are not of much help either when it comes to bringing down data theft cases. With data storage devices such as USB flash drives becoming smaller and their data storage capacity becoming bigger, these devices have become perfect partners in crime. In addition, modern day mobile phones not only allow data storage but also allow users to capture images, which is even more threatening to a company’s confidentiality policy.

How Can Confidential Corporate Data Get Stolen?

Besides the internal threats to a company, the confidential company data is also at risk due to outsider threats. Hacking is the most common way to gain access to someone else’s computer system. Hackers are malicious elements who infiltrate into a company’s computer network to obtain valuable or confidential data.

Spyware is another commonly used technique to gain access to confidential computer systems. Spyware allows the malicious people like hackers to obtain confidential data by recording a user’s keystrokes. Some people carrying out industrial espionage activities also use Trojans to accomplish their goals.

Role of Digital Forensics in Catching the Culprits

Since the criminals are adopting digital techniques to illegally gain access to confidential data, the need of the hour is digital forensics experts who can help to track down these digital culprits. Digital forensics experts perform a step-by-step analysis of the problem by analysing the digital gadgets that may have been used to carry out the crime.

Digital forensics experts are proficient in tracing Trojans, viruses, and spyware back to their creators. The experts also evaluate ambiguous directories, Internet cache folder and deleted mails as part of their investigation process. It is important to gather appropriate evidence in order to punish the law-breakers. Therefore, in such cases, digital forensics experts can be of huge help. Digital forensics experts gather the requisite evidence that may be needed in court to prove the criminal intent and activities.

About the Author

James Walsh is a freelance writer and copy editor. For more information on computer crime and Computer Forensics see http://www.fieldsassociates.co.uk

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