How Elon Stopped Corporate Espionage

This trick helped saved Tesla stop an internal data breach

Author

The Risk Radar Team
June 05, 2024

Corporate espionage is a rising topic in the world of security, compliance, and crime.

In fact, 35% of data breaches are due to internal actors. Innovative companies, such as tech and automotive companies, are some of the most targeted industries for corporate espionage.

Tesla checks both those boxes. Unsurprisingly, a company of that magnitude has had issues with keeping secrets internally.

An X user named @NASAEarthMars asked Elon:

"Elon in 2008 how did you catch that employee who leaked the confidential data of Tesla and sold it to the news outlet?"

Elon Musk shared that they identified the accused by sending emails that were identical to all its employees but with different spaces.

Elon Musk's Twitter

This tactic used to catch the criminal is sometimes called a canary trap.

đź’ˇ A canary trap is a security method that draws hackers and criminals in using false information and then captures them

You may be asking what happened to the spy 🕵️‍♀️:

Elon Musk's twitter

As reported by CNBC. Tesla sent an email to its employees, warning them to stop leaking confidential information.

Highlighting that Tesla employees had signed confidentiality agreements and action will be taken against those who “improperly leak proprietary business information or violate the non-disclosure obligations to which we all agreed”.