You would never dream of letting your rivals see sensitive data about your business or reveal any future product plans that you might have but it is is possible that information like that could be obtained if you are a victim of industrial espionage.
Browsing through a site like businesstrex will show you that companies are keen to share news about product developments but only when they are ready, which is why you need to be vigilant when it comes to industrial espionage.
The online threat
One of the most prominent threats when it comes to industrial espionage is the risk of being targeted by a cyber attack.
The number of reported cyber attacks is rising each year and hackers are often called into action by unscrupulous businesses who seek to gain an unfair advantage in order to see if they can exploit any vulnerabilities in your systems and software.
A typical scenario would involve a hacker using software or malware to find a weak spot in your systems that they can then attack.
Keeping tabs on your employees
This is often a difficult one to accept, however, you should be aware that a popular industrial espionage tactic is to infiltrate your business data from within by relying on an employee on the inside who could act as a conduit by passing on details to rivals without you knowing it.
A regular tactic is for companies to plant someone inside your business with the specific purpose of gathering intelligence.
There is also the scenario where a trusted employee can be lured into revealing details in return for money or because they are being blackmailed.
Make sure all employees sign non-disclosure agreements and remain constantly vigilant for any changes in behavior that could suggest you have a mole in your organization.
Using information previously obtained
Another viable potential source of espionage would be when an employee has left you and either has an urge to get back at you for some reason and decides to act maliciously or has gone to work for a competitor and decides to pass on sensitive data that they obtained while working for you.
This provides another compelling reason for getting every employee to sign an agreement that explicitly forbids them from sharing information that they have been trusted with during their time at the business.
It is also fair to point out that some employees might unwittingly reveal sensitive data if they are tricked into revealing details using social engineering techniques, for instance.
In order to minimize the threat of industrial espionage from within it is essential that you remain vigilant, get everyone to sign a non-disclosure agreement, and carry out regular reviews of your safety protocols.
Create a concise written security policy that everyone signs and agrees to, in addition, restrict access to certain data if it is information not normally required by that person.
If you ensure that you always treat the subject of industrial espionage seriously and take steps to protect your business it should help minimize the risk of your data being compromised.