Israeli companies infect one another with spyware

Industrial espionage has taken on a whole new meaning - at least, according to a report at Viruslist: Trojan tripped in Operation Horse Race:

Tel Aviv police arrested a number of executives from some of the leading companies in Israel. Eight senior executives and eleven private investigators are being held; it’s alleged that they planted a Trojan in competitors’ computers with the aim of gaining access to confidential information.

It is believed that the private investigators sent a promotional CD containing the Trojan to the victims. They also sent emails with attachments which contained the virus.

The executives come from companies in a range of sectors, including telecoms, mineral water and the automobile industry. Victim companies lost tenders and customers due to competitors being able to access confidential information.

Although it seems to be middle-management currently caught, police suggest that such schemes are sanctioned directly from company executives.

So, how confident are you about the security of your own business computer?