The Rise Of Digital Espionage (And How You Can Help Combat It)

In the past, land and mineral resources were valuable. Nations would go to war over them, sacrificing lives in the process. But in today’s world, it’s not land or even mineral wealth that’s important, but the data and trade secrets held by firms and countries.

Technology has grown in power dramatically over the last three decades. Data, not physical capital, is the real store of value in our economies. Companies that have vast troves of information about the customers and products are at a considerable advantage over those that don’t. And those that have specific “trade secrets” can charge higher prices on the open market than their competitors, generating higher profits and taxes for their host governments.

State actors, therefore, are looking for ways to steal information from other nations to put theirs on an even footing. Some are even using digital espionage to attack their rivals and undermine their capacity to undertake economic projects. The US and Israel, for instance, attacked computers at industrial sites in Iran in 2010 in an attempt to undermine the country’s nuclear enrichment program. The Chinese state has also had involvement in several attacks on US companies, trying to steal proprietary information about crucial technologies.

The opportunities for people in the cybersecurity sector are exploding. Both private companies and the public sector need people who understand the present digital espionage landscape and can help defend organizations against attack.

Check out the following infographic on how nations use digital espionage against each other and the current prevention strategies designed to stop it.