In all major industries, conversations in board rooms and meeting rooms contain the most valuable and critical information. It is the starting point of the global value chain that represents all value to the corporation. A company that is serious about it’s data and trade secrets will have electronic sweeps performed on a regular basis in these and other significant areas. Periodic, pro-active, TSCM* inspections address a number of important security considerations-

  • professional* TSCM sweeps provide the due diligence that is needed to establish that confidential topics of discussion may be considered trade secrets.
  • sweeps protect information in real-time, as it is being discussed and decisions are being made. Sweeps and signal analysis are absolutely critical prior to and during all corporate strategy and board meetings.
  • regular sweeps will spot vulnerabilities before they turn into major security leaks or threats.
  • regular inspections, even though kept discrete, will let executives and others know that the company is serious about protecting information.
  • periodic sweeps will narrow the window of opportunity for bugs or eavesdropping devices to be planted.
  • most importantly, if an eavesdropping threat is present, a professional TSCM sweep can find and stop that threat before it becomes a major corporate catastrophe.

Reported in The Investor, LG Display recently had sweeps performed but perhaps they were too late. Confidential information had already been leaked.

[THE INVESTOR] LG Display recently conducted an investigation to spot corporate spying at its headquarters in Seoul amid increasing worries over leakage of critical information on cutting-edge technologies, including OLED, according to news reports on Sept. 28.

During the probe, security officials reportedly carried out a search for eavesdropping devices in meeting rooms and offices after business hours. They, however, found no evidence.

The latest move came as in recent weeks confidential information was leaked in almost real time from its head office.

LG Display

“LGD seems to be really concerned about security after what was discussed at meetings between C-level executives was leaked many times recently,” an insider was quoted as saying by local news outlet The Bell.

“It may suspect that there were some eavesdropping devices implanted in the meeting rooms or offices,” the insider added.

There have been rising concerns in the local display industry over leakage of corporate information, especially to Chinese companies which are eyeing to catch up with Korean display manufacturers in the OLED segment.

Chinese display makers are competitively hiring former executives and employees of LGD and its crosstown rival Samsung Display to speed up their projects for OLEDs.

“One of the biggest concerns for LGD is the ongoing outflow of executives and engineers with crucial knowhow and knowledge in display technologies to Chinese firms like BOE,” an industry official said.

http://www.theinvestor.co.kr/view.php?ud=20180928000480

Protecting trade secrets is one of the most important reasons for scheduling regular sweeps.

An article from Holland and Knight LLP, on Lexology.com, highlighted a number of recent cases of trade secret theft.

  • A former scientist with GlaxoSmithKline recently pled guilty to stealing proprietary company information
  • A former engineer of General Electric (GE) was arrested this summer by the FBI and charged with stealing information
  • In July, a federal jury found an electrical engineer guilty of stealing trade secrets
  • Also in July, a manufacturer of wind turbines was sentenced for its role in the theft of proprietary wind turbine technology
  • Earlier this year, a Chinese national was sentenced to five years in prison following an undercover operation by the FBI that exposed his theft of proprietary software and source code

The author points out that theft of trade secrets can be prosecuted criminally under the Economic Espionage Act, 18 U.S.C. § 1831 et seq. (the “Act”).  The Act makes it a crime to steal trade secrets or obtain trade secrets knowing them to have been stolen. 18 U.S.C. § 1831(a). … provided that the owner takes “reasonable measures to keep such information secret”…

Conducting regular, professional TSCM sweeps is one “reasonable measure” that can help establish that your confidential discussions are truly trade secrets. This will aid in prosecution if that information gets leaked.

If you need to keep your meetings and conversations secure, please contact us, we can help. We are always happy to discuss any concerns you may have and consider solutions that would be appropriate and fit within your budget.

* TSCM: Technical Surveillance Countermeasures, providing countermeasures inspections for technical surveillance threats.

* Professional TSCM refers to companies such as us, Exec Security, who provide TSCM services as their full time, primary business. Professional TSCM is not something that can be done part time, or in addition to numerous other security offerings. It requires a full time commitment, regular training, and constant upkeep on the latest equipment and knowledge of the latest technical threats.