Texas Oil - Target of Business Espionage

TX - “...look at the Eagle Ford Shale and the billions of dollars that's bringing into the Texas economy, the bad guys see that,” said FBI San Antonio Special Agent in Charge Christopher Combs...

Christopher Combs nailed it in this interview.

...they are also looking to snatch company secrets. "It's corporate espionage, there’s no question about it," said Combs. “Foreign governments or foreign companies are looking for any competitive advantage. Whether it's the widget that you use to drill, or it's a process that you use to track inventory better. They're really looking at the company as a whole to find out every little thing that you do that makes you a better company on the world market."...

“We also worry about foreign governments placing people in companies where they really want to find out the secrets," said Combs. ... "They'll take an individual and maybe spend years to work that individual into a particular position in the company, so that they can gather those secrets and bring them overseas," Combs said. Combs also warned about disgruntled U.S. employees who want to take revenge on their companies. "It's not just the threats coming in from the outside, but what information is going from the inside out," he said. 

It's a warning to companies, no matter the industry, to keep an eye out. “It has to be a holistic perspective where you are looking at the people who work in your corporation, your internet and security, and how you conduct business, whether it's here in the country or overseas,” said Combs. (more)