Data Loss Prevention, Insider Risk

Apple Employee Steals Thousands of Self-Driving Car Files

By Veriato Team

No greater tech is at the forefront of cutting-edge technology than the self-driving car. With applications in the delivery, transportation, and consumer spaces, companies today are racing to ensure they have a place in this unfolding market of autonomous driving.

There are plenty of rumors going around about Apple’s plans for their autonomous driving technology –  including over 5000 employees dedicated to the effort. It’s definitely an important venture for Apple; so much so, that they don’t want any of the data involved in the project falling into competitor hands.

But that’s exactly what Apple faced, according to a federal criminal complaint unsealed this week. The FBI arrested Jizhong Chen, a Chinese national working for Apple. His mistake was being seen taking pictures in a “sensitive workspace” – his actions were reported to Apple Global Security.

Chen allowed Apple Global Security to search his personal computer, where they found every companies insider threat nightmare:  Chen had compiled thousands of files containing Apple intellectual property, manuals, schematics, and diagrams, as well as over one hundred photographs taken.

Contractors bring with them a certain degree of risk; they aren’t necessarily loyal to your organization and may have their loyalties place on themselves or another employer. If you’re utilizing contractors, you should be employing additional levels of security that include Employee Monitoring Software to provide your security team visibility into contractor actions.  Applying this to Apple’s case, Chen’s actions of simply copying files would have triggered Apple Global Security the moment it happened. There’s no telling if Chen had already sent the files off to a competitor. But one thing is for sure, the insider with access is always a risk.

Insider Risk – How Prepared Are You?

Not every company is equally prepared to deal with insider risk. This report outlines the four stages of insider risk maturity and explores how to improve your insider risk preparedness.

About the author

Veriato Team
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Quis ipsum suspendisse ultrices gravida.

Productivity & Insider Risk Resources

Work From Home, Quiet Quitting, and How Insider Risk Has Changed

Work From Home, Quiet Quitting, and How Insider Risk Has Changed

March 2023 marks approximately three years since the world shut down at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. Since then, organizations have seen their workforce change considerably. What was originally a short term plan to work from home has become ingrained in our...

Focusing On Productivity Helps Reduce Insider Risk

Focusing On Productivity Helps Reduce Insider Risk

Many companies are concerned by the uptick in insider risk that’s come with the work-from-home boom. By one estimate,  58% of office workers work from home at least one day a week. This trend creates blind spots for companies. Managers see their employees less often,...

Elizabeth Harz RSAC 2023 Interview

Elizabeth Harz RSAC 2023 Interview

Elizabeth Harz, CEO of Veriato, gave an interview to ISMG at this year's RSA Conference in San Francisco. In it, Elizabeth covers the challenges of maintaining data security in the remote or hybrid workforce environment and the rising cost of data breaches. She also...