Tagged: Information Security

Risky Business: Cybercrime in the New Economy

Cybercrime has increased tremendously in the digital economy. “According to the American Society for Industrial Security, American businesses [are] losing $250 billion a year from intellectual property theft since the mid-1990’s.” There is a clear and growing threat of Chinese industrial espionage targeted at American companies. In a recent case, a Michigan couple was accused of stealing $40 million worth of trade secrets from General Motors and selling them to a Chinese car maker. Aside from hackers, the threat also exists within organizations from insiders. A recent study commissioned by Cisco found that “[i]n the hands of uninformed, careless, or disgruntled employees, every device that accesses the network or stores data is a potential risk to intellectual property or sensitive customer data.”

Current Cybersecurity Issues and Laws Effecting Private Sector Industries Discussed at the Fifth Annual Gibbons E-Discovery Conference

On the heels of National Cybersecurity Awareness Month in October, the second panel discussion at the Fifth Annual Gibbons E-Discovery Conference dealt with pressing issues involving cybersecurity and their effect on private industries. Moderated by Gibbons Director and senior E-Discovery Task Force member Jeffrey L. Nagel, Esq., the panel opened with a presentation by Erez Lieberman, Esq., Deputy Chief of the Economic Crimes Unit and Chief of the Computer Hacking and Intellectual Property Section, Office of the United States Attorney, District of New Jersey. Mr. Lieberman discussed several cases of high profile cybersecurity breaches in recent years and the government’s role in those cases. Mr. Lieberman identified the various types of cybercrimes affecting businesses and provided the audience with a unique understanding of the interaction and coordination between his office, the Secret Service, the Federal Bureau of Investigations, and private companies. Mr. Lieberman also addressed the effect of data breaches on the public sector and the impact of public perception on the business.