As discussed in a previous article, the results of electronic
surveillance as part of corporate espionage can have serious effects
for business. How valuable is your companies market strategy or
merger
plans? And on a domestic or global scale - what is it worth to your
clients or competitors?

The effect of globalisation and protecting national interest can also
come into play - countries like the United States and United Kingdom
Intelligence agencies have admitted to conducting industrial
espionage
in support of national companies. So the need to engage in espionage
to provide a competitive edge for local companies is extremely
important in domestic markets to compete against global companies,
and
can be almost essential when large companies are competing overseas.
‘Sponsored Economic Espionage’, as it has come to be called, usually
involves the use techniques such as: Bugging, Wire Taps, GSM
Intercepts & Email and Internet Tracking. Many international
companies have been affected by this ‘Sponsored Espionage’, with
local
companies (some owned by the government) able to change their tactics
to better their international rivals.


Those without government support are still capable of obtaining
information through less than legal means. Common methods used by
corporations for competitive advantage using electronic surveillance
include:
• Hiring unscrupulous people (such as some Private Investigators,
cleaners or even low-paid internal staff) to place surveillance
devices and to conduct searches of office areas.
• Using GSM call ‘interceptors’ to listen in to calls made via
mobile.
• Hacking or ‘tapping’ PBX lines, usually on outgoing call lines


Companies involved in supply of goods to developing countries and
those competing for tenders or negotiating mergers and takeovers are
at greatest risk of economic espionage.


Companies operating in high risk environments should consider what
measures can be taken to provide better overall electronic security.
These measures should include looking at all communications methods
used by key personnel in espionage hotspots, and performing a risk
analysis of these locations.


A thorough risk analysis of surveillance threats should take into
account how more sensitive conversations are conducted, what physical
security procedures are in place, and the defined procedure for
making
a ‘sensitive’call. Your sensitive call procedure should take into
account the differing needs of locations such as public spaces, in
car, in office and home, as well as when the location was last
inspected and who has had access since then.


A professional TSCM team can operate in the different locations you
conduct business on a regular basis, and work with you to provide
protocols which can be used to improve your internal procedures. The
actual method used to make a call is just part of the security
procedures needed to provide adequate risk coverage. A comprehensive
approach uses a range of precautions to reduce the chance of success
of any electronic surveillance.


In our next article we will discuss the various types of radio
surveillance devices.




› See More: Economic Espionage