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BSG Corporate Espionage, Competitive Espionage, and All Relevant Similar Areas

Defense Against Industrial Espionage, Corporate Espionage, Competitive Espionage, and all relevant similar areas such as Counter-Espionage, Espionage Defense, Corporate Security, IT Security, Cybersecurity, Information Security, Data Protection, Compliance, Corporate Espionage, Market Espionage, Economic Investigations
Defense, Prevention, and Protection Against Industrial Espionage, Competitive Espionage, Economic Espionage, Corporate Espionage, and any other form of espionage - nationwide and internationally
The issue of "business secret violation" or "know-how theft" is a real threat for any company. Intellectual property - including all business secrets - is the target of competitive espionage. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to recognize competitive espionage, prevent competitive espionage. This should be a top priority in every business. The specific tasks are: defending against competitive espionage, competitive espionage protection, competitive espionage consulting, disabling competitive espionage software.
There are many other terms that essentially mean the same problem area: Industrial Espionage, Detecting Industrial Espionage, Preventing Industrial Espionage, Economic Espionage, Detecting Economic Espionage, Corporate Espionage, Detecting Corporate Espionage, Preventing Corporate Espionage, etc. These terms are interchangeable.
The Brillstein Security Group - active internationally for over 35 years with around 600 licensed partners worldwide - focuses its services in the aforementioned areas. As seasoned economic investigators, we combat economic crime in all its aspects on behalf of our clients.
In addition, we specialize in areas such as information services, market analysis, market observation, information services for companies, economic information, market information, competitive intelligence, industry information, economic news, market research, competitive analysis, industry analysis, trend analysis, market monitoring, competition monitoring, industry observation, trend observation, corporate security, IT security, cybersecurity, information security, data protection, compliance, corporate espionage, market espionage, technology espionage.
Espionage is particularly active from countries such as Russia, France, China, Japan, India, Eastern Europe, and Arab countries, but also Germany. Such obtained economic data (Corporate Intelligence) are passed on worldwide by intelligence agents to other "friendly services"... there is an active trade in data. Possibly even YOUR data!
Economic espionage, competitive espionage, corporate espionage, and industrial espionage are again current major topics today, but often espionage is still an underestimated threat to companies in all industries.
How much especially German, but also Austrian and Swiss companies are threatened AND already infiltrated, many top managers are not aware of or repress because they believe, "there is nothing you can do anyway." Some cases only become known, usually only the minor cases – the majority of espionage cases are NOT known because they are successful... everything happens in secret. The majority of espionage attacks are therefore not known – this leads to the belief that the danger is not so bad. BUT THE OPPOSITE IS THE CASE.
Many top managers are often unaware or in denial of how aggressively they are being spied on, thinking that "there's nothing that can be done." Some cases become known, but these are usually the minor ones. The majority of espionage cases remain unknown because they are successful - all happening in secret. The numerous espionage attacks that go unnoticed lead many to believe that the danger is not so severe. However, the opposite is true.
All Western countries are at risk. The intention of other states is to obtain secret economic, political, and military information to use in their own country, sometimes even relaying it to domestic companies, meaning state intelligence services spy for select companies of their own country to strengthen the economy or assist them in planning and executing espionage.
Especially after the end of the East-West conflict (Cold War) in the last 20 years, the espionage problem has intensified. Now it's not just a few predictable states against Germany, but a multitude of competing states or former intelligence officers, now freelancers in the "market," spying in Germany against resident companies with the intention of obtaining secret information.
How did this situation arise? Well, when the communist countries in the East largely dissolved, thousands of political spies suddenly had no work and sought new fields of activity. They soon found them. Today, they no longer work for states but spy directly for companies as part of competitive espionage or corporate spying. And the good thing for the ex-spies is that they now earn much more money with their activities. It's no longer just about political or military goals; today's espionage is driven by tangible economic interests. Capitalism has also arrived in the East. But it's not just the former and active Eastern spies who are very active. Western powers and their supposed EU friends also spy on each other most vigorously. In addition, terrorist gangs and organized crime (OC) use espionage methods for their goals.
Today, spies no longer work exclusively with human sources and covert information gathering. The trend is increasingly towards obtaining information from open sources, which is now possible to an extent that was only possible in covert operations years ago. But even today, spies simply hack into IT and are rarely discovered. Electronic espionage, however, is only a supporting means; the human source, the informant or agent for on-site information gathering, remains irreplaceable.
Various espionage tactics and techniques are used. For example, the spy simply listens into rooms through the remote maintenance of the telephone system. He deciphers the access code and can then, even with the telephone receiver hung up, listen to conversations and record them in digital quality. But as already mentioned, the human factor does not lose its importance.
How did this situation arise? Well, when the communist countries in the East largely dissolved, thousands of political spies suddenly had no work and sought new fields of activity. They soon found them. Today, they no longer work for states but spy directly for companies as part of competitive espionage or corporate spying. And the good thing for the ex-spies is that they now earn much more money with their activities. It's no longer just about political or military goals; today's espionage is driven by tangible economic interests. Capitalism has also arrived in the East. But it's not just the former and active Eastern spies who are very active. Western powers and their supposed EU friends also spy on each other most vigorously. In addition, terrorist gangs an organized crime (OC) use espionage methods for their goals.Spies are trained for initiating contact and are adept at creating trust and sympathy with the target individual (the person who is the focus of the espionage action). They slip into a role that best matches the personality of the target individual, encouraging the target to seek and desire social contact. Once trust is established, the spy deliberately seeks valuable information in the target's life. If the spy finds anything incriminating that could harm the target personally or professionally, they use this information for blackmailing actions or obtaining information. This could involve financial troubles of the target, or addictions such as gambling, alcoholism, drug abuse. Additionally, sexual deviations or extramarital sexual contacts of the target can be used as leverage, with the spy threatening to expose these to the company or family using photos or other evidence.
Perhaps the spy can uncover economic crimes like theft, fraud, corruption, embezzlement, or misappropriation by the target, making them susceptible to blackmail, which the spy will exploit without hesitation. If such leverage is not found, the spy works on a social level, building trust that can lead to close friendship in the eyes of the target. The spy uses apparent emotions only as a means to an end, not caring about the target as a person, but rather the information they can provide. Once the target's trust reaches a point where confidential professional information is shared, the spy has achieved their goal and can start extracting information without the target realizing they are being spied upon, instead believing they are speaking with a trusted friend.
Today, spies no longer work exclusively with human sources and covert information gathering. The trend is increasingly towards obtaining information from open sources, which is now possible to an extent that was only possible in covert operations years ago. But even today, spies simply hack into IT and are rarely discovered. Electronic espionage, however, is only a supporting means; the human source, the informant or agent for on-site information gathering, remains irreplaceable.
Various espionage tactics and techniques are used. For example, the spy simply listens into rooms through the remote maintenance of the telephone system. He deciphers the access code and can then, even with the telephone receiver hung up, listen to conversations and record them in digital quality. But as already mentioned, the human factor does not lose its importance.
Or, under a guise, customer accounts of competing companies are obtained, allowing for software and document downloads that are otherwise reserved for customers of the company. The competition spy downloads the data and simply copies it, redistributing it in their own format online or to their customers, using the resources gained for their own company, saving the effort of creating the software and documents themselves.
Outsourcing, a big topic today, provides another entry point for spies. They gain access to sensitive areas through cover firms in cleaning services, security companies, or other service providers like service technicians. Often, the contracting companies grant unrestricted access to every room to these service providers, sometimes even with their own keys or master keys.
Furthermore, it is absolute recklessness to use employees from unverified temporary agencies in departments like secretariats. Yet, this is all too often the daily practice, where spies sometimes lurk. It could be a front company existing only for espionage purposes, lending out appropriate specialists. You are essentially inviting competition spies directly into your house.
Often, for a company that operates internationally, it is inevitable to hire a translation office. Here again, there is the possibility of espionage. Not infrequently, documents to be translated and the information within them go straight or indirectly to foreign intelligence services or to competitors for a high price. Here too, there are front companies with the purpose of espionage.
Spies are trained for initiating contact and are adept at creating trust and sympathy with the target individual (the person who is the focus of the espionage action). They slip into a role that best matches the personality of the target individual, encouraging the target to seek and desire social contact. Once trust is established, the spy deliberately seeks valuable information in the target's life. If the spy finds anything incriminating that could harm the target personally or professionally, they use this information for blackmailing actions or obtaining information. This could involve financial troubles of the target, or addictions such as gambling, alcoholism, drug abuse. Additionally, sexual deviations or extramarital sexual contacts of the target can be used as leverage, with the spy threatening to expose these to the company or family using photos or other evidence.
Perhaps the spy can uncover economic crimes like theft, fraud, corruption, embezzlement, or misappropriation by the target, making them susceptible to blackmail, which the spy will exploit without hesitation. If such leverage is not found, the spy works on a social level, building trust that can lead to close friendship in the eyes of the target. The spy uses apparent emotions only as a means to an end, not caring about the target as a person, but rather the information they can provide. Once the target's trust reaches a point where confidential professional information is shared, the spy has achieved their goal and can start extracting information without the target realizing they are being spied upon, instead believing they are speaking with a trusted friend.
Other avenues for espionage include identifying the material, personal, professional, and sexual desires and dreams of the target, then offering to fulfill them, such as expensive valuables, vacations, or bordello visits/prostitutes, or professional advancement for the target, enabling quicker career progression and, in return, the target provides more sensitive information as gratitude.
Alternatively, spies may promise to place the target in key positions within competitor companies or offer jobs to family members, covering the cost of children's education, etc., with the repayment in the form of information. Financial difficulties of the target can also be exploited, with spies offering financial help. Spies ascertain whether the target will willingly provide information or if they need to be persuaded through more coercive methods.
The lack of loyalty and motivation among many employees, also due to constant fear of layoffs and associated existential fears, or the well-known "hire and fire" mentality and consequently short tenures in companies, facilitates espionage activities.
A primary target for spies are company employees, as they do not need to be infiltrated into a company. There's no need to bypass security measures, as the employee operates behind them. The human source, the employee, simply needs to be manipulated into espionage by appropriate tactics and measures, and then the spy can expect much more information than they would through an electronic espionage attack. Employees in key positions are specifically targeted, contacted, and spied upon.
Spies primarily target high technology and cross-sectional technology, such as in biology, genetic engineering, the bio-industry, patents, and business strategies. Not only large firms but also small startups should be vigilant and incorporate anti-espionage strategies into their business models from the outset. Startups are particularly attractive targets for industrial and competitive espionage because a significant portion of innovations come from new entrepreneurs.
These companies are spied upon from the beginning for lucrative information that they may develop in the course of their later successful operations. It can be frustrating to find a competing company launching a product strikingly similar to yours, just under a different name, especially when you have spent years developing and investing significant resources in it. This is not an uncommon occurrence in the business world. The competition simply "steals" your data, information, or prototypes, bypasses the development costs, makes the business, and your company might even face bankruptcy.
Now let's address economic espionage. First, we need to clarify what economic espionage actually is. It involves either state-driven or state-supported exploration of foreign countries' businesses and enterprises. Economic espionage is one of the main activities of spies because it yields the greatest benefit, namely monetary gain. The aim is to use the acquired information and technologies for the benefit of the spy's own economy.
The difference between economic espionage and competitive espionage lies in the fact that, in the latter, companies spy on each other without state involvement. Why are so many espionage cases successful and thus undetected? Because no preventive measures are taken.
Once an espionage attack is discovered by a company, often by chance, it usually leads to total confusion and helplessness, as until then, company leaders and executives have never really dealt with espionage or counter-espionage, except perhaps in a James Bond 007 movie, which, by the way, bears no resemblance to real spy activities.
Then, efforts are often made to either collect the pieces by engaging a counter-espionage company, which can at best only limit the damage, or the companies make under-the-table settlements with the spying employees or competing companies to prevent the matter from becoming public. This is an attempt by the business world to circumvent the business-damaging consequences such as loss of image and negative press.
However, this is not the right solution! Instead, preventive measures should be established to protect sensitive information and areas, preventing successful and thus damaging espionage or sabotage against the company. A security, risk, and vulnerability analysis should be conducted to develop an information protection concept that identifies and eliminates all possible weak points. Both human and technical factors must be considered.
Not only large firms but also small startups should be vigilant and incorporate anti-espionage strategies into their business plans right from the start. Particularly for startups, as they are often the source of a large portion of innovations and thus become interesting targets for industrial and competitive espionage. These companies are spied upon from the beginning to seek monetarily valuable information they may develop in the course of their later successful operations. It is not amusing to discover that a competitor has launched a product remarkably similar to yours, just under a different name, especially after years of development and significant investment. This is not an uncommon occurrence in the business world. The competition simply "steals" your data, information, or prototypes, bypasses the development costs, profits from the business, and your company may even face bankruptcy.
Or have you ever considered entering a joint venture with a foreign company that had full access to your company and project data, only to have them lose interest in the partnership as the contract signing neared? If so, you may have fallen victim to successful espionage. Often, joint venture projects offered by foreign "companies" are merely for espionage purposes. Pretend negotiations are a popular espionage method, especially originating from Russia and Asia.
Similarly, your company could be at risk if your sales team falls prey to spies who approach with a fake purchase intent, enticing the seller with an extraordinarily lucrative deal while extracting more and more information from them. If they don't get the information they want, they threaten to let the deal fall through. The seller, enticed by the prospect of a big sale, may deliver secret product information, perhaps knowing they will soon leave the company, with a mindset of "after me, the deluge." Sometimes, employees simply aren't aware of what can or cannot be shared, innocently providing information not classified as confidential by the company, without ulterior motives but in a sincere belief of aiding the company by satisfying the inquirer, who, in fact, is a spy exploiting this naivety. However, espionage doesn't always involve such spectacular cases; it could be as simple as a mock deal conducted to scout out pricing information.
It's not just technical and product-price information that's stolen; often, it's "simply" about a company's strategies, so competitors can steer their own companies accordingly. And this doesn't always have to be done illegally. Every day, employees take information from their companies to new jobs. Of course, a new employee can be liable if they use trade secrets from their former employer at their new job. However, a company that hires former specialists and managers from competitors is not doing anything illegal, and this is common practice. Sometimes companies specifically target these individuals for recruitment, offering double the salary to switch companies.
As a "thank you," the employee often brings along customer data or other documents from their previous company. This is one of the simplest and least risky ways for a company to gain access to information, know-how, new developments, and infrastructure of its competitors. Additionally, it's common for former employees to use their acquired knowledge to start their own businesses, becoming direct competitors of their former employers, with the advantage of being informed about their structures, customer data, pricing information, products, business strategies, and financial situations. Often, relevant documents and data files are taken along when leaving the company. As we mentioned earlier, both human and technical aspects must be considered in an information protection concept. Now you know why.
Departments within companies that work with confidential and protected information are particularly at risk, such as:
Research and Development, Human Resources, Auditing, Quality Assurance, Quality Management, Data Processing, IT Department, Accounting, Project Management, Specialist and Management Staff, Sales, and other cross-sectional areas.
We want to dispel the illusion that a company can be 100% protected against espionage. This is not possible. However, vulnerabilities can be eliminated, and thresholds for spies can be raised, making the company or department a "Hard Target," leading spies to seek a "Soft Target" that requires less effort and hassle for a successful espionage operation.
Intellectual property theft spans across all production groups, ranging from sports and leisurewear, designer fashion and accessories, to watches, jewelry, household items, information technology, DVD technology, electrical devices, and much more. The economic damage to the national economy is hard to quantify, but the black market share of counterfeit products is very high globally. Protect your products from being copied by competitors and criminals. We are here to assist you with suitable prevention and action measures.
It's challenging for business-minded individuals to reckon with expenses that cannot be directly converted into tangible benefits. This is precisely the problem in counter-espionage: it is a preventative measure, where successes often never come to light because they prevent the company from becoming a target of espionage in the first place. Security is not always tangible. However, the area of security, which may not be precisely quantifiable in business terms, can be a means to maintain the business aspects of a company and ultimately achieve corporate goals.
If business success is a priority, then information protection concepts are a necessary preventative measure to maintain that success, as it helps to secure future success by ensuring that the company benefits from its information, strategies, and developments, rather than unintentionally or unknowingly allowing competitors to partake. The question shouldn't be whether a company can afford security but rather whether it can afford not to have it, especially if the company or individual projects could be destroyed by information theft.
The German economy alone suffers annual losses of several billion euros due to economic and competitive espionage. For this reason alone, it is vital to start implementing self-protection measures today and arrange a meeting with our counter-espionage specialists. Security and information protection must become part of corporate culture. Furthermore, it can help in future and current business dealings to know that transactions with your company are conducted in a safer and more trustworthy environment.
Our services include, but are not limited to:
Developing an information protection concept.
Assessing the current and desired states.
Conducting/creating a threat/risk/vulnerability analysis of the company itself and relevant third-party contacts. This analysis incorporates specific threats, risk potentials, and security-related incidents (Security Audit, Penetration Test).
Identifying core areas of vital information, trade secrets, and business secrets that need protection.
Predicting the frequency and likelihood of potential damages.
Analyzing possible damages resulting from the loss of information and the significance of these business secrets.
Determining the effort required to recover lost information.
Assessing the strategic damage to the company if stolen information is illegally used.
Identifying risk-prone areas of the company and analyzing them within the framework of goods and interest balancing.
Creating a security net for all business operations, considering human, technical, structural, organizational, and legal aspects, with an optimal cost/benefit ratio.
Aligning security measures with company goals and activities, work processes.
Appointing a Security Manager responsible for organizing, coordinating, monitoring, and maintaining security measures.
Drafting easily understandable security regulations.
Implementing security measures in departments, creating acceptance, understanding, and trust among employees to promote identification with the measures.
Integrating measures into quality assurance and quality management.
Planning and implementing proportionate security measures.
Setting security objectives.
Monitoring security measures (Security Audit, Penetration Tests).

At Brillstein Security, we are not only available for developing and executing a comprehensive information protection concept but also for partial or individual measures, such as:
Reviewing, monitoring, and surveilling espionage-suspicious activities within the company or externally.
Searching for bugs and eavesdropping technology in meeting or conference rooms.
IT security.
Video surveillance.
Tips for conduct on business trips to protect information.
Background checks of applicants.
Integrity tests of employees.
Our expertise extends beyond comprehensive strategies to address specific needs, offering tailored solutions for every aspect of corporate security and espionage prevention. Contact us with your questions any time!

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BRILLSTEIN SECURITY GROUP

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• The Brillstein Security Group is an international network specializing in professional security and investigative services. We take pride in over 35 years of experience at the highest professional level, boasting optimally trained security personnel and investigators in all relevant fields, with insights into modern needs and methods to efficiently, safely, and quickly resolve all security issues and investigations.

  Whether it's 'simple' investigations and surveillance, detective or corporate detective services, personal protection, escort security, missing person and debtor searches, evidence securing, corporate security, counterespionage, international security services, private military services, or bodyguard services - we offer the services you need!

  Our key personnel have spent years in official security services and special forces around the world, acquiring invaluable experience. Furthermore, BSG globally trains security personnel and detectives to the highest standards. This ensures our staff remains up-to-date, continuously expanding our contacts and further developing our network.

At Brillstein Security Group, we understand that every business is unique. That's why we offer customized solutions tailored to your specific needs. Contact us today to learn how we can protect and support your company. Contact us directly today