The term “espionage” often brings images of double agents and covert undercover missions to mind. This is how espionage is depicted in the movies, but in real life, it can take on many other forms. Businesses may not need to worry about James Bond spying on their company, but they should be concerned about corporate espionage. Corporate espionage, often referred to as industrial espionage, is the practice of spying for financial or commercial gain.

In June 2020, a knife attack at a kindergarten in China injured 39 people, many of them children. The perpetrator was a security guard at the school. This was an insider attack and a horrific act that happens far too often across the world. While the majority of the cybersecurity industry is focused on securing data, the growing convergence of digital and physical security remains unhinged.

The world has seen more unprecedented events in the first six months of 2020 than some see in a lifetime. From a pandemic threatening the health and lives of people worldwide and triggering unprecedented social isolation to recent devastating events catalyzing global civil unrest, this year almost feels apocalyptic. As always, in times of disruption and uncertainty, vulnerabilities are exposed, and opportunities are opened for the selfish few to capitalize on others’ misfortune.

Making the transition to a work from home arrangement has been a heavy lift for a lot of organizations. However, due to various risk factors and regulations, making the sudden shift to working from home has been more complicated for some sectors than others. Industries such as the financial and healthcare sectors, as well as those working for the government, face tighter restrictions on how they are allowed to work remotely.

Every organization needs to keep tabs on other players in the industry in order to stay competitive. It’s common for an organization to analyze a competitor’s website, perform secret shopping trips, and monitor a competitor’s marketing strategies. This type of competitive research is perfectly legal. But if an organization unlawfully obtains another company’s sensitive information, it is considered industrial espionage, which is illegal.

Organizations protect critical assets and sensitive information from the outside world by continually updating their security controls and policies. However, the origin of a breach is not always outside of the organization, and recently, insider breaches have gained attention amid an increase in the flexibility of tools for information sharing. Insider threats can be accidental or intentional, but the impact of insider breaches remain the same.

In the fast-paced and highly commercialized world of manufacturing, better automation creates a valuable competitive edge. The physical systems leveraged in the industry, the machinery, and the manual processes have all become more automated since the first industrial revolution. Today, smart systems that leverage advanced technologies such as machine learning and integrated IoT control are creating a next-generation industrial environment often termed 4.0.

Data security is a term we’re all pretty used to hearing by now, but cybercriminals are only one part of the equation. Did you know that internal employees can also pose a threat to your business? Insider threats are caused by internal staff, employees, or partners who either wish to cause the company harm - or who simply compromise your organization’s data security through carelessness or lack of training.

The world has been moving toward a fully connected workplace model for years, even prior to COVID-19. Now, understanding your company’s digital presence - and footprint - is more important than ever. Everything you or your employees do online could have lasting consequences for you, your employees, and your brand. Digital forensics provides you with a concrete, analytical way to investigate personnel claims and provide the necessary evidence to properly assess internal issues.

An insider threat is a threat to an organization that comes from negligent or malicious insiders, such as employees, former employees, contractors, third-party vendors, or business partners, who have inside information about cybersecurity practices, sensitive data, and computer systems.