Loose Lips in Public Places: Why OPSEC Still Matters While Traveling for Business Leaders
The other day at the airport, I was waiting for a flight. I overheard a gentleman nearby talking openly about a current business venture, complete with specific details about transactions, partnerships, and financial arrangements. In the military, this would be a textbook OPSEC (Operational Security) violation . Service members are drilled on this constantly: never discuss sensitive details in public spaces, especially while traveling. Yet in the corporate world, executives and employees often forget that the same rules apply. Why It’s a Problem Airports, hotels, coffee shops, and lounges are prime environments for corporate espionage . Competitors, hackers, and even foreign intelligence services monitor these environments, sometimes intentionally sitting close to executives to capture information. “If you’re discussing deal terms or company strategy loudly in an airport lounge, you may as well publish it on LinkedIn. That’s how quickly information travels,” said Jereme Dozier, CE...