Counter-espionage

Thwarting operations

Counter-espionage is an investigative activity aimed at countering acts of espionage that a party or entity is undergoing or is at risk of undergoing. This investigative action is aimed at first detecting, and then putting an end to, any unlawful actions performed to achieve illicit ends. The globalisation of markets and technological evolution make a multiplicity of risks and threats present and relevant today. From the leakage of internal company information by means of unfaithful employees (by means of a USB stick saving inside it confidential company documents, files and data, handed over to competitors) to external attacks perpetrated by means of the covert installation of sophisticated equipment such as bugs and recorders, strategically placed in places such as rooms where executives and their offices meet, to intercept conversations and gather information to the detriment of the company. The risks to a company can therefore come from inside as well as outside, but almost always, even when they come from outside, they are realised through the collaboration of unfaithful internal staff. With reference to the corporate context, therefore, counter-espionage is an activity that is resorted to in order to put an end to the espionage suffered or to prevent it. Generally, the attackers can identify themselves as individuals or as actual criminal organisations dedicated to these purposes.

What is the goal of espionage? What motivates this illegal conduct? The aim is to get hold of confidential material or information that would secure a profit or competitive advantage: for instance, particular projects and/or industrial designs, lists of customers and suppliers of a competitor, confidential files, data and documents, and any other intellectual property. Think again of being privy to a competitor's programmes and software, construction techniques, chemical formulae, working methods, price lists of goods and services. In essence, it is a question of arriving at a multiplicity of elements such as to achieve unfair competition against the affected enterprise. In other words, the purpose of espionage activities could be summarised as profiting from the illicit acquisition of other people's information. Well-designed counter-espionage activity is therefore necessary to effectively counter threats from outside or inside.

To this end, we recommend some good practices that can be adopted to shield a business against espionage:

• In order to prevent cyber threats, it is important to test the vulnerability of the company's network infrastructure by conducting an analysis of potential threats that the company might face from both outside and inside.


• Regarding the physical security of company premises and locations, it is important to analyse the vulnerabilities inherent not only in the access and exit points, but also in the perimeter and the video surveillance system. The security consultancy will provide an overview of the vulnerability analysis to which the company itself is subjected in order to prevent unauthorised access by third parties. In addition to vulnerability testing, both cyber and physical, a good technique is to perform simulated attacks to check the degree of resistance of the company's structure. In this way, flaws in the system are identified, which can and must subsequently be remedied.


• Continuous training of its employees on the subject of security at regular intervals (at least once a year) is necessary to instruct and educate them on the correct handling of all the equipment that the company makes available to staff and the consequent handling of documents and all other data.


• A cyclical environmental clean-ups to check for the presence of any concealed collection devices mentioned above is highly recommended.


• Encompass pre-employment surveys within the candidate selection process. By checking the reliability and reputation of candidates in advance, future damage could be avoided. In fact, pre-screening often already reveals noteworthy information (criminal record for offences of this kind committed in the past, previous experience in competing companies, etc.).

Using an investigative agency specialised in counter-espionage therefore allows companies not only to protect themselves, but also to obtain evidence that is indispensable for identifying the perpetrators of criminal conduct in order to report them to the competent authorities and claim compensation for damages.