Insider Spying - It's a Big Deal for Industry, Not Just Government

In May 2005, the Defense Personnel Security Research Center (PERSEREC) released its Technical Report 05-10 entitled Technological, Social, and Economic Trends That Are Increasing U.S. Vulnerability to Insider Espionage.

According to the study's abstract, "The study explores ten technological, social, and economic trends in the United States and globally that are serving to increase opportunity and motivation for espionage."

Though the study obviously is focused on "espionage" by US government insiders with access to classified, sensitive but unclassified, and proprietary information, the data can reasonably be extrapolated to cover insiders working in industries completely uninvolved with US government projects and contracts. Human behavior is human behavior regardless of who employs the human.

This is a report that should be read and understood by all executives and supervisors in businesses that have competitors. It should form the basis for entry level and advanced employee training to acquaint employees with the ways and means their company's life can be stolen or manipulated by competitors. It should also be read by human resource directors to better formulate questions and methods for pre-employment screening.