The IRE Resource Center is a major research library containing more than 23,250 investigative stories — both print and broadcast. These stories are searchable online or by contacting the Resource Center directly (573-882-3364 or rescntr@ire.org) where a researcher can help you pinpoint what you need. Browse or search the tipsheet section of our library below. Stories are not available for download but can be easily ordered by contacting the Resource Center:
Search results for "espionage" ...
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Cyber Espionage: The Chinese Threat
It’s the biggest threat facing American business today but the least talked about by corporate executives. Experts at the highest levels of government agree, cyber espionage is threatening to steal American wealth, American jobs and ultimately America’s economic security and the biggest aggressor is China. Due to the nature of the crime, the cost to American businesses is nearly impossible to pinpoint. Experts say Chinese hackers are constantly probing corporate networks, sifting through endless amounts of data to decipher what is valuable intellectual property, chemical formulas or proprietary technology. One conservative estimate from the National Counter Intelligence Executive puts the cost of economic espionage at up to $400B annually, but the report states such estimates vary “so widely as to be meaningless,” reflecting the scarcity of data available. CNBC’s David Faber and the Investigations Inc. team spoke with many corporate executives about China’s aggressive effort to target American businesses and their most valuable assets, but many refused to comment on camera for our report, citing becoming more vulnerable to attack by speaking publicly about the issue. However, not one executive denied their company is at risk of cyber-attack on a daily basis or the possibility of losing valuable intellectual property to cyber spies. Government and industry experts we spoke with on-camera have witnessed such costly cyber-attacks during their careers and attest to the fact there are only two companies left in America today: Those who know they’ve been hacked and those who don’t. From a whistleblower claiming telecommunications giant Nortel was one of the first casualties of this all-out cyber war, to high profile and public attacks on Google and RSA, its clear defending against cyber espionage is the new normal for American business.
Tags: Chinese hackers; American businesses; cyber attacks; cyber espionage
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The New War
The information age has created new vulnerabilities to US national security. This investigation reveals the holes in the nation’s defense against cyber spies and pushing policymakers to do something about it. Some examples are the “breaching of the US electric grid, an expensive fighter-jet project and the US drones in the war in Iraq.” Further, this investigation also reveals innovative technologies to stop these cyber spies.
Tags: information age; US national security; spies; cyberspies; cyber espionage; technology; cyberspace; US electric grid; Iraq
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The DAS Espionage
SEMANA Magazine explores illegal tracking of opposition party leaders, journalists and Supreme Court magistrates conducted by members of the Colombian president, Cosa de Narino's, team.
Tags: Cosa de Narino; Colombia; Presidency; espionage; recording; tracking; opposition party; journalists; supreme court; democracy
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China's Cyber Militia: Congress in the Cyber-Crosshairs
"This series focused on the threat of 'cyber' espionage against the U.S. government and U.S. corporations, as well as electronic interference with U.S. infrastructure, all by Chinese authorities or groups believed to be working under their auspices."
Tags: hack; cybercrime; hacking; China; online security; cyber-security;
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Cyber Snooping
Months of reporting led to this story about the growing fear of cyber espionage in the United States. For the first time the US Government admitted that an average person's communication devices are susceptible to hacking without there knowledge.
Tags: Hackers; technology; blackberry; cell phone; web security;
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3-part Corporate Espionage Series
Between Aptil and August 2008, Mother Jones published an exclusive three-part investigation into corporate espionage on its Web site, MotherJones.com. The groundbreaking series exposed a private security company that spied on activist groups, and it also blew the cover on a mole for the gun lobby who spent more than a decade infiltrating the highest ranks of the gun-control movement.
Tags: gun control; lobbyists; Beckett Brown International; gun control; Mary Lou Sapone
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Cyber-War
The series contains three articles detailing the extent of computer breaches, technology blunders and data theft that puts the U.S. defense industry, military and space agency in a vulnerable position.
Tags: NASA; Booz Allen Hamilton; computer; satellite; national security; espionage; microchip; networks;
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"Greekgate" and "Italygate"
Two pieces aired on Al Jezeera's "People and Power" program, "Greekgate" and "Italygate" investigate two big cover-ups and possible murders in the European countries. In "Greekgate," the author looked at "the biggest espionage scandal in Greek history, involving the wiretapping of leading members of the government including the prime minister," leading to the mysterious death of the head of the network's technical operations. "Italygate" reported on the death of Adamo Bove, the head of security at Telecom Italia, who died under mysterious circumstances.
Tags: scandal; cover-up; wiretapping; Greek; espionage; death; murder; policeman; Adamo Bove; Military Secrete Services
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Corporate Espionage
Former CIA and MI5 spies were closely related to the Washington law firm Barbour Griffith and Rogers. Wal-Mart's Ken Senser was a CIA and FBI agent and was found to be involved in the company's 2007 wiretapping incident.
Tags: Spies, Lies and KPMG; I Spy; KGB; Koshkin; MI5; CIA; FBI; Wal*Mart
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Your Cell Phone Records Are For Sale
Spurred by a report "buried in the Chicago Fraternal Order of Police newsletter," the Sun-Times looks into the fact that anyone - including criminals - could purchase police officers' cell phone records on the Internet. Reporter Frank Main tested this by purchasing his own cell records for $110 from an online broker. "The records detailed the time and date of each call, and the telephone number called." The broker who sold these records turned out to be a convicted felon. Experts note that the easy access to such records "puts women at risk from stalkers; undercover officers at risk of having confidential informants exposed by criminal targets; and business people at risk of being spied on by corporate rivals."
Tags: Cell phones; wireless phones; cell phone records; stalking; undercover officers; corporate espionage