During a nanotechnology conference in Durham on Thursday, FBI agents held a special session to make businesses aware of industrial espionage threats, from employees stealing secrets to international hacking.
“If you are making something that is going to make your company money, someone else is going to try and steal it,” said Timothy Stranahan, FBI supervising special agent at the Nanotech Commercialization Conference.
Agents said the concern is especially relevant for companies that specialize in the technology of very small particles. Companies need to develop their own security plans, based on their individual needs, they said, and should contact law enforcement if they notice something suspicious.
Miles Wright, chief executive of Xanofi, a Raleigh firm that produces nanofibers for various applications, said it’s easy to emphasize security in a business that’s just starting up.
“We set our corporate culture and we set our practices early,” Wright said. “If we put up practices and think about it now, it becomes pretty easy to follow it.”
