The Directorate General of Homeland Security (DGSI) urges companies to be wary of external audits. They usually do this in the context of commercial growth when they enter a new market or implement a merger or sale. For the Internal Intelligence Service, these audits “may contribute to the collection of data by the company and its customers“, but also subcontractors and business partners.
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Behind these external audits, DGSI groups commercial audits, acquisition audits, regulatory compliance audits and export audits as part of the product’s integration into a new market. To implement them, companies turn to consulting firms, assessment centers specializing in compliance, investment funds or third-party companies. But some actors can come off as dishonest.
The DGSI details an example of a foreign investment fund suspected of being an intermediary for transferring data to competitors. In its latest post in November, the organization notes that after “signed a non-disclosure agreement and before writing a letter of intent, the foundation conducted a detailed audit, giving it access specifically to unlicensed research papers developed by the company.“. After this surveillance operation, the French company had no news from the investment fund and now fears that it has become the victim of a capture of sensitive data.
In another example, the tricolor industrial group, which operated partially in a foreign country, had to, under new local regulations, accept:especially intrusive audits“. The authorities could demandaccess to accurate information about the French company, such as the exact composition of the product, the origin of the raw material or the identity of the suppliers;“. So much information that can help “facilitate the production of counterfeits“The internal security services indicate.
In order to protect against this type of fraud, DGSI advises to be especially vigilant when choosing the service provider responsible for the audit by examining its reputation. He also gives advicereveal sensitive company data that is not accessible to the auditing firm“. Once the auditors are in place, the company should define their scope of work and “educate staff so that any suspicious behavior is reported“. After all, the company does not hesitate “strengthen the contractual provisions with the audit service provider“. However, if data collection is already suspected, DGSI recommends that you contact it and discuss legal action.
Source: Le Figaro
I’m Liza Grey, an experienced news writer and author at the Buna Times. I specialize in writing about economic issues, with a focus on uncovering stories that have a positive impact on society. With over seven years of experience in the news industry, I am highly knowledgeable about current events and the ways in which they affect our daily lives.