Canadian Security Intelligence Agency (CSIS) says the listening devices found on the former Nortel campus are actually a relatively common occurrence in Canada.

“Economic espionage: defined as illegal, clandestine, or coercive activity by foreign governments in order to gain unauthorized access to economic intelligence, such as proprietary information or technology for economic advantage—costs the economy billions of dollars each year.

Because Canada is a world leader in many technology-intensive fields (including aerospace, biotechnology, chemicals, communications, information technology, mining and metallurgy, in addition to nuclear, oil and gas, and environmental technologies), Canadian companies have been targeted by foreign governments to obtain economic or commercial advantages. The damage to Canadian interests results in lost contracts, jobs and markets, and a diminished competitive advantage.”

CSIS       https://www.csis-scrs.gc.ca/prrts/spng/index-eng.asp

Today, it is unrealistic to expect your IT department or Security Officer to effectively manage the threat of Corporate Espionage.

There are just a few corporations that can afford a dedicate Technical Security team. There are tens of thousands of dollars of equipment to source and purchase; extensive training and industry knowledge for at least a couple individuals. Many of the remaining corporations are encouraged (by even the FBI) to contract out for this expertise. The FBI has currently entered into to an advertising campaign to stress this need to protect corporate America, and this expertise must be contracted out to a trusted impartial Technical Surveillance Counter Measures team. Due Diligence must be exercised for all the obvious reasons.

Corporations Under Attack

"Companies around the world are finding information theft and corporate espionage
rapidly elevating to critical levels of importance in protecting their competitive position. The title CSO (Chief Security Officer) once held a subordinate role in corporate structure but has taken a much higher seat at the leadership table in recent years, and it appears many businesses see this trend continuing. Unfortunately, with today's technology it is easier and more lucrative to steal corporate intellectual assets rather than physical assets which can be traceable."

REI [Research Electronics International]
Newsletter Q2 2011