Industrial espionage is the theft of trade secrets, proprietary data, or internal plans for competitive or economic advantage. The target is usually information that gives a business value, such as product designs, research, source code, pricing strategy, customer lists, manufacturing methods, or merger plans.
In cyber security, industrial espionage matters because attackers often want access without obvious disruption. They may use phishing, vishing, stolen credentials, malware, or insider recruitment to reach sensitive documents and systems. In a voice-based attack, a caller might pose as an executive, vendor, or help desk agent to pressure staff into sharing files, resetting access, or confirming confidential details. Defenses include least-privilege access, strong logging, phishing-resistant MFA, out-of-band verification for sensitive requests, and clear approval rules for data exports and account changes.