TRADE SECRET THEFT INVESTIGATIONS
Trade Secret Theft Investigations
Cyber Centaurs provides digital forensic investigations for suspected trade secret theft, proprietary-data misappropriation, and related litigation. We preserve, examine, correlate, document, and explain digital evidence so counsel and corporate teams can evaluate what the available record supports.
Confidential Consultation
WHEN TO INVESTIGATE
When Trade Secret Theft
May Require Forensic Review.
Trade secret theft concerns often arise after a resignation, termination, contractor dispute, failed business relationship, competitor move, or unusual access to sensitive repositories. Cyber Centaurs helps counsel and organizations preserve evidence early, reconstruct relevant activity, and separate supported findings from assumptions. Matters centered on general employee file theft may be better addressed through Employee Data Theft Investigations.
Departing Employees or Contractors
Suspicious Repository or File Access
Bulk Downloads or Synchronization
Transfers to Personal Email or Cloud Storage
USB, External Drive, or Archive Activity
Deletion, Cleanup, or Evidence Gaps
PROPRIETARY INFORMATION
Information Commonly Involved
in Trade Secret Matters.
Cyber Centaurs does not determine whether information legally qualifies as a trade secret. That determination belongs to counsel and, when disputed, the court. Our role is to examine the digital record surrounding access, copying, transfer, retention, deletion, and use of proprietary business information.
Source Code, Designs and Technical Data
Investigations involving repositories, source-code archives, engineering folders, build artifacts, product designs, diagrams, research data, formulas, processes, and technical documentation.
Pricing, Financial and Strategic Plans
Analysis of access, download, export, email, cloud, or removable-media activity involving pricing models, financial data, forecasts, proposals, business plans, market strategy, and transaction records.
Customer, Supplier and Partner Information
Review of customer lists, prospect data, CRM exports, supplier records, contract files, partner materials, account notes, and relationship information where the evidence can be preserved and examined.
Research, Operations and Confidential Documents
Forensic examination of research files, laboratory records, operational procedures, confidential presentations, internal documents, shared folders, and restricted business records.
SUSPECTED METHODS
How Proprietary Information
May Have Been Moved.
Trade secret misappropriation investigations often require cross-source analysis. Cyber Centaurs correlates endpoint artifacts, computer forensics, cloud logs, email records, file-share activity, identity data, and security telemetry to evaluate what happened and what cannot be reliably determined.
Access, Copying and Downloads
File and folder access
Download records
Recent-file artifacts
Copy and move evidence
Archive creation
Deletion and cleanup traces
Repositories and Shared Workspaces
Git and source repositories
SharePoint libraries
OneDrive folders
Google Drive activity
Dropbox business events
Version history and metadata
Cloud Uploads and Synchronization
Microsoft 365 audit logs
SharePoint and OneDrive events
Google Workspace logs
Dropbox uploads
Personal cloud sync traces
External sharing records
Email and Messaging Transfers
Mailbox activity
Message headers
Attachments
Forwarding rules
Personal email transfers
Communication metadata
USB and Removable Media
Connected devices
USB history
External drives
Removable-media activity
Device serials and identifiers
File interaction evidence
Identity, VPN and Security Logs
Authentication records
Account activity
VPN access
EDR / XDR telemetry
Security alerts
Privilege or policy changes
FORENSIC QUESTIONS
What Can the Digital Record
Support?
Trade secret theft investigations should be careful, evidence-driven, and scoped to the legal and business questions at issue. Cyber Centaurs helps identify the relevant users, accounts, devices, systems, repositories, data categories, timelines, transfer destinations, and evidentiary limitations.
What Proprietary Information Was Accessed?
Identify files, folders, repositories, source code, customer lists, pricing material, financial records, designs, processes, research, or confidential documents implicated by the available evidence.
Was Information Copied, Downloaded or Archived?
Evaluate copying, downloads, export activity, archive creation, compression, synchronization, external storage, and deletion artifacts.
Was Data Sent Outside Authorized Systems?
Assess evidence of transfers to personal email, personal cloud accounts, Dropbox, unmanaged devices, external drives, remote systems, or other non-company destinations.
When Did Relevant Activity Occur?
Reconstruct timelines around notice periods, departures, contractor access, business-partner disputes, competitor communications, preservation notices, and litigation events.
Which Users, Accounts and Devices Are Implicated?
Correlate endpoint evidence, cloud audit logs, repository records, identity events, VPN activity, file metadata, and communications to relevant users, systems, and accounts.
What Are the Evidentiary Limits?
Document what the available record supports, what remains unknown, and which gaps may result from retention limits, missing logs, device reuse, overwritten artifacts, or unavailable sources.
INVESTIGATION PROCESS
Preserve Evidence.
Reconstruct Activity.
Cyber Centaurs structures trade secret theft investigations around defensible preservation, scoped forensic collection, technical analysis, cross-source correlation, and reporting for counsel, executives, corporate investigation teams, and litigation stakeholders.
01
Define Scope and Legal Context
Identify relevant trade secret claims, systems, repositories, custodians, devices, accounts, time periods, legal constraints, and preservation priorities with counsel.
02
Preserve and Collect Evidence
Collect authorized endpoint evidence, cloud audit logs, email data, repository records, file-share activity, identity logs, VPN records, and security telemetry.
03
Analyze Access and Transfer Activity
Examine file access, copying, downloads, uploads, synchronization, external storage, deletion, archive creation, compression, communications, and account activity.
04
Correlate Timelines Across Sources
Compare endpoint artifacts, cloud audit records, repository logs, file metadata, identity events, VPN records, security alerts, and communications.
05
Report Supported Findings
Document findings, limitations, exhibits, timelines, and technical explanations in a format suitable for counsel, business decisions, disputes, and litigation.
LITIGATION SUPPORT
Expert Support and
Defensible Deliverables.
Trade secret litigation often requires clear technical explanation of complex systems and digital artifacts. Cyber Centaurs can support counsel with forensic consultation, affidavits or declarations where appropriate, exhibits, deposition preparation, and Digital Forensics Expert Witness support.
Preservation and Collection Summary
Documentation of preserved systems, accounts, custodians, devices, repositories, collection dates, handling steps, and known unavailable sources.
Access and Transfer Findings
Analysis of access, downloads, copying, synchronization, personal email transfers, cloud uploads, removable media, deletion, and archive creation.
Timeline Reconstruction
Chronologies of custodian, account, device, repository, cloud, file, VPN, security-log, and communication events relevant to the alleged misappropriation.
User, Device and Account Attribution
Correlation of activity to relevant users, accounts, devices, sessions, IP addresses, device identifiers, and authenticated access where supported.
Exhibits, Affidavits and Declarations
Technical exhibits, supporting explanations, affidavits, declarations, and deposition support may be prepared when appropriate to the engagement and evidence.
Evidentiary Limitations
Clear explanation of retention gaps, missing logs, overwritten artifacts, alternate explanations, and conclusions that cannot be reliably reached.
WHY CYBER CENTAURS
Evidence-Driven.
Litigation-Aware.
Trade secret allegations require technical care and disciplined language.
Cyber Centaurs combines digital forensics, cybersecurity investigation, and litigation-aware reporting to help counsel and organizations evaluate suspected proprietary-information theft. Our findings focus on the available digital record and avoid legal conclusions reserved for counsel and the court. Related trusted-user concerns may also involve Insider Threat Investigations.
Counsel and Litigation Focus
Findings are written for general counsel, in-house counsel, outside litigation counsel, IP counsel, employment counsel, executives, and authorized investigation teams.
Cross-Platform Forensic Analysis
Investigations can span endpoints, cloud platforms, source repositories, email, file shares, identity systems, VPN records, and security logs.
Nationwide U.S. Support
Cyber Centaurs supports trade secret theft investigations for organizations and counsel across the United States.
Distinct from Employee Data Theft
This page focuses on trade secret theft, proprietary information, misappropriation disputes, and litigation support. For investigations centered on employee file theft, departing employees, or unauthorized data transfers outside a trade-secret dispute, see Employee Data Theft Investigations.
TRADE SECRET THEFT FAQ
Practical Questions
Before Engagement.
Trade secret theft investigations often begin with incomplete facts and urgent preservation concerns. These questions address common issues involving proprietary information, departing employees, contractors, business partners, competitors, evidence collection, and litigation support.
Can Cyber Centaurs determine whether information is legally a trade secret?
No. Legal determinations belong to counsel and, when disputed, the court. Cyber Centaurs preserves, examines, correlates, documents, and explains the digital evidence relevant to the matter.
When should counsel begin a trade secret theft investigation?
An investigation may be appropriate when proprietary information may have been accessed, copied, downloaded, emailed, uploaded, archived, retained, deleted, or used outside authorized business purposes. Early preservation helps protect evidence before retention limits, account cleanup, or device reuse changes the record.
Can you investigate source code, designs, formulas or research files?
Yes, within the authorized scope. Relevant evidence may include repository logs, endpoint artifacts, archive files, cloud audit records, file metadata, email attachments, downloads, removable-media evidence, and synchronization activity.
Can you identify whether files were transferred to personal email or cloud storage?
Often, relevant systems may contain mailbox records, message headers, attachments, browser artifacts, cloud audit logs, synchronization events, endpoint artifacts, identity records, or security telemetry. The strength of the finding depends on what was retained and preserved.
What evidence should be preserved in a suspected trade secret matter?
Preservation may include relevant computers, mobile devices when authorized, company accounts, email, Microsoft 365, SharePoint, OneDrive, Google Workspace, Dropbox, source repositories, file shares, VPN logs, identity logs, EDR records, and security alerts.
Can digital forensics prove trade secret misappropriation?
Digital evidence may support findings about access, copying, transfers, deletion, accounts, devices, and timelines. It cannot always prove intent or every suspected action, and findings should be stated according to the available evidence.
Do you support affidavits, declarations, depositions, and expert testimony?
Yes, where appropriate to the engagement. Cyber Centaurs can provide technical consultation, reports, exhibits, affidavits or declarations, deposition support, and expert-witness services for trade secret disputes.
Can a trade secret theft investigation begin remotely?
Many matters can begin remotely through secure collection of endpoint evidence, cloud exports, email data, repository logs, file-share data, and security records. Some matters may require device shipment or on-site collection depending on scope and evidence.
CONFIDENTIAL CONSULTATION
Discuss a
Trade Secret Theft Matter
Tell us briefly what happened, what proprietary information, users, systems, accounts, repositories, or devices may be involved, and whether counsel is engaged. A Cyber Centaurs investigator will review the confidential inquiry and follow up directly.
Confidential inquiry. Please do not submit passwords, credentials, or forensic evidence through this form.