Industrial Espionage: The Cyberspace War

Abstract

As you may know, the World Wide Web has become an essential part of our everyday lives. Electronic communications, storage systems and computer networks in general have given us the freedom to do things we never thought possible. However, with these new forms of communication and technology come newer and more elaborate ways of property theft and sabotage. In this paper we will look at the long history of Industrial Espionage, its current world leading offenders, and common hacking tools, techniques and attack sequences used by infiltrators. We will also cover appropriate defensive techniques or countermeasures, and go over domestic and international laws and penalties that apply to those that are caught. In the end, understanding the history of Industrial Espionage, knowing the tools, techniques and attack sequences, and learning what countermeasures to use against attackers will give us the necessary knowledge we need to protect our networks against cyber espionage threats. Key terms ― Cyber Espionage, Cyber Warfare, Industrial Espionage, Malicious Software.