Introduction
Counterespionage is a complex activity. It involves a range of activities to protect the trade secrets or sensitive intellectual rights of a commonly. This essay will describe an effective counterespionage program that a large software company can apply. A software company faces many threats, especially from companies dealing with related software (Prunckun 111). The company must ensure that it maintains the secrecy of its trade secrets. If this does not occur, then the company is at risk of losing to competitors or shutting down in the end. Espionage would mean that the company’s software is no longer reliable.
For the counterespionage program to be effective, information should be shared among all stakeholders in the company. Espionage would lead to the loss of unique intellectual property that will have a detrimental impact on the company’s operations (Sims and Gerber 57). All stakeholders should understand the risks arising from espionage and how to prevent such an occurrence.
Physical security
Physical security is paramount as a counterespionage measure. Physical security will prevent malicious people from accessing information from the company. Furthermore, physical security entails physical intrusion prevention. It will prevent outsiders from gaining access to the company for malicious purposes. It is achieved using security personnel. Security guards should be hired to protect the premises day and night. It will deter physical access to the company’s premises. Physical security also involves adding locks to doors to stop unwanted traffic (Benny 178). Moreover, the doors should have biometric locks as an additional layer of security. It will involve allowing access to locations in the company through retina scans or fingerprint sensors. It will have the advantage of controlling access as well as recording the activities of employees within the organization. Specifically, this acts as a deterrence that prevents employees in the organization from taking part in industrial espionage.
Physical security will also involve the use of CCTV and IP video. It will prove beneficial in the end as a deterrence mechanism. Individuals will not be engaged in espionage if they are aware of the presence of CCTV surveillance (Sims and Gerber 39). It is an effective strategy that prevents unwanted access to information on the organization. Furthermore, it is a means to record and detect malicious activities within the organization, preventing information from leaving the organization in the first place.
Personnel Security Information
Personnel security information is vital as a counterespionage measure. It entails the use of various security protocols, such as keycards to record the activities and movement of employees within the organization (Prunckun 149). Employees should be given special credentials that make it easier to track their activities within the organization. Employees will require predetermined permissions to access resources within the company. In case of an espionage attack, it will be possible to determine where it arose. However, risk can arise from people in the company. The company must establish personnel security protocols to define what employees can access (Javers 67). Specifically, the security protocols will only allow trustworthy personnel thins the company to access sensitive information. Moreover, people who do not require specific information for their daily activities in the company will not have access to certain information.
Protocols are set up to control the access of information. Personal security will also look at employee turnover. Former employees can provide damaging information of use to competitors. It is vital to ensure that the company has trustworthy employees who will not give trade secrets of competitors in case they lose jobs at the company (Sulick 132).
Technical security
Technical security entails looking at the risks that arise from cyberspace. Individuals who collect sensitive information can easily and efficiently use cyberspace with little risk of detection. The prevalence of cyber tool sharing, the proliferation of malicious software, and the routing of activities through third countries make it hard to trace the origins of cyberspace espionage (Carroll 64).
Technical security should ensure that the company’s IT department is aware of how to deal with espionage. The IT department plays an integral role in counterespionage measures. Technical security involves constant updates of the company’s security software. Specifically, it involves security software that is used to detect and prevent unwanted access and espionage (Sims and Gerber 72). Moreover, technical security involves the implementation of early detection systems in case of espionage. It will allow the company to determine the extent of the espionage and prevent further network intrusion within its systems. Espionage can have detrimental consequences on the company. For instance, it can lead to corruption or loss of the company’s software product. It is vital to detect such events early and to ensure that the business can maintain the secrecy and integrity of its software (Benny 84).
Industrial espionage awareness and prevention training
Industrial espionage awareness and prevention training will go a long way as a counterespionage measure. It involves informing individuals within the company about espionage, and how to avoid risks. For example, prevention training can involve vulnerability test programs where workers in the organization can commit acts of low-tech sabotage against facilities in the organization. It will allow the organization to detect weakness in its protection mechanism (Carroll 113).
Espionage can also occur without the knowledge of the employee. It can arise in cases the employees give out sensitive information such as personal login credentials. Social engineering is a common strategy in industrial espionage where employees of a given company are duped to hand out confidential information without their awareness (Sulick 59). Through prevention training, it will be possible to ensure employees are aware of what kind of information constitutes sensitive data. Additionally, it ensures that they know that they have an important role to play in preventing espionage.
Reoccurring review of risk assessment processes
Finally, there should be a reoccurring review of risk assessment processes. It involves looking at strategies within the organization that applies when assessing risk. Risk is a complex issue that changes continuously. The company needs to understand the complex nature of risks and review the risk assessment process. Essentially, it will be possible to ensure that the company is in a position to deal with any risk that emerges (Prunckun 231).
The company needs to analyze the kind of risks that the employees know of. After that, situations are then created where employees can be gauged based on how they deal with the situation. Through this, it will be possible to determine how employees within the organization are prepared to deal with espionage. Re-evaluation will also be vital in understanding how the organization performs in operational security (Sims and Gerber 91).
Conclusion
In conclusion, industrial espionage is a common occurrence in many companies. The risks of espionage, especially for a software company, are high due to the ease of accessing software trade secrets. Moreover, espionage can have a detrimental impact on the company’s operations. In this regard, it is vital to apply counterespionage measures. It involves several strategies like physical security, personnel security, technical security, prevention, and awareness training. Through this, the company will prevent espionage or will be in a position to deal with it in case it occurs.
References
Benny, Daniel J. Industrial Espionage: Developing a Counterespionage Program. Boca Raton, Fl.: CRC Press, 2013. Print.
Carroll, James. House of War: The Pentagon and the Disastrous Rise of American Power. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 2006. Print.
Javers, Eamon. Broker, Trader, Lawyer, Spy: Inside the Secret World of Corporate Espionage. New York, NY: Harper, 2010. Print.
Prunckun, Henry W. Counterintelligence Theory, and Practice. Lanham, MD.: Rowman & LIttlefield Publishers, 2012. Print.
Sims, Jennifer E., and Burton Gerber. Vaults, Mirrors, and Masks: Rediscovering U.S. Counterintelligence. Washington: Georgetown University Press, 2008. Print.
Sulick, Michael J. American Spies: Espionage against the US from the Cold War to the Present. Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press, 2013. Print.