94 Chapter 4 ■ Footprinting and Reconnaissance
Don’t forget that by searching discussion groups and other resources on
Google you may very well find e-mails posted that can also yield useful
information.Competitive Analysis
We’ve covered some great tools so far, but there is another way of gathering useful data
that may not seem as obvious: competitive analysis. The reports created through competi-
tive analysis provide information such as product information, project data, financial sta-
tus, and in some cases intellectual property.
Good places to obtain competitive information are:
■ EDGAR (the Electronic Data-Gathering, Analysis, and Retrieval system) contains
reports publicly traded companies make to the Securities & Exchange Commission
(SEC). Learn more at http://www.sec.gov/edgar.shtml.
■ LexisNexis maintains a database of public record information on companies that
includes detailed information such as legal news and press releases. Learn more at
http://www.lexisnexis.com/en-us/home.page.
■ BusinessWire (www.businesswire.com/portal/site/home/) is another great resource
that provides information about the status of a company as well as financial and other
data.
■ CNBC (www.cnbc.com) offers a wealth of company details as well as future plans and
in-depth analysis.If you want the best advice on how to research a company, the most effec-
tive resources typically are not found in the information security or IT area;
rather, they are in the finance area. If you treat a company with the same
type of scrutiny and interest that an investor in that corporation does, you
can gain a tremendous amount of information. In my experience as an
amateur investor, I have found that many of the techniques that I learned
from my investing carried over to my security career. If you want to
sharpen your skills, consider reading a book or two on stock investing and
how to research your investments.When analyzing these resources, look for specific types of information that can prove
insightful such as the following:
■ When did the company begin? How did it evolve? Such information gives insight into
their business strategy and philosophy as well as corporate culture.
■ Who are the leaders of the company? Further background analysis of these individuals
may be possible.
■ Where are the headquarters and offices located?