Three Engineers Charged with Theft of Google Trade Secrets

Three engineers from Silicon Valley have been arrested and charged with stealing trade secrets from Google and other technology companies, as announced by federal prosecutors. The individuals, identified as Samaneh Ghandali, 41, Soroor Ghandali, 32, and Mohammadjavad Khosravi, 40, were taken into custody on Thursday in San Jose, California, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

The three individuals have been indicted by a federal grand jury on multiple charges, including conspiracy to commit trade secret theft, theft and attempted theft of trade secrets, as well as obstruction of justice.

In a statement to FOX Business, Google spokesperson José Castañeda commented, "We have enhanced safeguards to protect our confidential information and immediately alerted law enforcement after discovering this incident. Today’s indictments are an important step towards accountability, and we'll continue working to ensure our trade secrets remain secure."

According to the indictment, the Ghandali sisters were previously employed at Google before transitioning to another unnamed technology firm based in Santa Clara, California. Mohammadjavad Khosravi, who is married to Samaneh Ghandali, worked at a separate company based in San Diego. The indictment alleges that the engineers exploited their positions to access confidential information with the aim of extracting trade secrets.

Federal prosecutors contend that the defendants exfiltrated sensitive documents, which included trade secrets involving processor security and cryptography, not only from Google but also from other technology firms. It is alleged that they transferred this information to unauthorised third-party and personal locations, which included devices linked to their employers and locations in Iran.

United States Attorney Craig H. Missakian stated, "As alleged, the defendants exploited their positions to steal confidential trade secrets from their employers. Our office will continue to lead the way in protecting American innovation, and we will vigorously prosecute individuals who steal sensitive advanced technologies for improper gain or to benefit countries that wish us ill."

The indictment outlines specific actions taken by Samaneh Ghandali while at Google, indicating she transferred hundreds of files to third-party communications platforms. Likewise, Soroor Ghandali is accused of similar actions during her tenure at the same company. To obscure their activities, the defendants allegedly submitted false affidavits to affected companies, destroyed exfiltrated files, and concealed the methods employed for data extraction.

A Google representative revealed that the alleged theft was uncovered during routine security monitoring, prompting the firm to alert law enforcement following an internal investigation. Google reinforced its commitment to safeguarding information by implementing rigorous security measures. These include limiting employee access to sensitive data, requiring device authentication for network access, and instituting two-factor authentication for work accounts.

The indictment notes that physical security measures have also been enhanced, restricting access to company facilities and computer systems. Notably, Samaneh Ghandali is described as an Iranian national who gained U.S. citizenship around 2018, while Khosravi is identified as an Iranian national who became a permanent resident in the U.S. around 2019. Soroor Ghandali's residency status is noted as being on a nonimmigrant student visa.

Google continues to maintain robust security protocols to protect its intellectual property, including systematic logging of employee activities related to file transfers to external platforms. Additionally, the company has restricted uploads to certain platforms, such as Telegram, from corporate devices since the previous year.

The case highlights ongoing concerns regarding the safeguarding of sensitive technology information and trade secrets within the competitive landscape of the tech industry. As advancements in technology accelerate, the protection of intellectual property remains a critical focus for major firms like Google as well as for law enforcement agencies monitoring such allegations.