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1.   Executive Summary     a. Insider threats (security risks originating from within an organization) have emerged as one of the most damaging yet under-addressed challenges for defense contractors and high-value intellectual property (IP) firms. Whether driven by malicious intent or careless behavior, insiders can exfiltrate classified military designs, steal trade secrets
Introduction: China’s Ministry of State Security (MSS), Beijing’s chief intelligence agency, has been mounting a covert recruitment drive on LinkedIn, effectively turning the professional networking platform into a hunting ground for spies. In these campaigns, Chinese intelligence operatives masquerade as recruiters, consultants, or headhunters, reaching out to business
Introduction In a high-profile corporate espionage case, Appian Corporation, a maker of low-code process automation software, sued rival Pegasystems Inc. for an alleged multi-year campaign of trade secret theft. In 2022, a Virginia jury found Pegasystems had willfully and maliciously misappropriated Appian’s trade secrets and even violated computer crime
1.     Introduction    a. In today’s threat landscape, the theft of intellectual property (IP) and sensitive operational data is not just a national security issue, it’s a direct financial and governance concern for corporations. High-profile breaches and espionage cases have shown that a single insider or state-sponsored actor can
Executive Summary Elevated Threats to Deals: In the current climate, foreign adversaries and sophisticated competitors target U.S. mergers, acquisitions, and joint ventures (M&A/JVs) as channels to obtain sensitive technology and data. The National Counterintelligence and Security Center (NCSC) recently warned that foreign intelligence agencies use investment
1.   Introduction     a. The rise of AI-generated disinformation poses a complex challenge for U.S. counterintelligence (CI). Adversarial states are increasingly leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) tools (from deepfake video and audio to algorithmically generated social media posts) to conduct covert influence campaigns at scale. The U.S. National Counterintelligence and
Abstract  Over the next 2–5 years, the United States faces an intensifying counterintelligence (CI) threat landscape driven by China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea. These state actors are expected to adapt and escalate their espionage, influence, and cyber tactics to target U.S. government agencies, the defense industrial base
The New Assignment It was my first night at Arcadia Tech, and the city outside was drowning in a cold, misty rain. I stood by the floor-to-ceiling window of the 20th-story corner office they’d given me, looking down at neon reflections on slick pavement. I’m a corporate counterintelligence
Background and Objectives of the Thousand Talents Program The Thousand Talents Program (TTP), launched in 2008, is one of China’s most prominent talent-recruitment initiatives, aimed at attracting top scientific and technological expertise from around the world.  It was designed to reverse China’s “brain drain” by luring high-level experts
1.   Abstract As geopolitical competition intensifies and digital technology permeates every aspect of business, the private sector faces increasingly complex and adaptive threats from foreign intelligence services, aggressive competitors, and malicious insiders. This paper explores the evolving role of counterintelligence (CI) tradecraft, specifically offensive counterintelligence operations (OFCO), in corporate security
The High-Stakes Threat to Intellectual Property In today’s hyper-competitive environment, intellectual property (IP) is the lifeblood of industries like biotechnology, aerospace, advanced manufacturing, software, and semiconductors. Yet the very innovations that drive competitive advantage also make these firms prime targets for espionage and insider exploitation. Recent research confirms an