On some companies I've worked for, managers have spent quite a lot of money on it-security consultants. Primarily because they're afraid we're gonna get the source code stolen by a rival company.
However, as a programmer, I see it as a minor concern that a rival company would find the actual source code useful. After all, just having access to our application is enough, and that can be done without breaking the law.
In my opinion, the data handled by the business people would much more useful than source code.
My question is; are there any known examples where source code has gotten stolen AND a rival company have used it extensively?
I know some game engine (quake 1 and half life 2 if I remember correctly) source code has gotten stolen, but I can't really see that really hurt their business.
(I know, this question might be more appropriate for other forum at stackexchange)
Best Answer
The Kaspersky leak earlier this year is a good example. Depending on who you read, the version leaked may have been a cycle or two out of date and the perpetrator may have tried to on-sell it to competitors. Regardless of whether it was sold or not, it's eventual disclosure via torrent is obviously pretty nasty stuff and could (did?) have a serious financial impact.
It was Half Life 2 that was leaked just before release in 2004. There's a very good account of what happened here: http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2011-02-21-the-boy-who-stole-half-life-2-article