Anyone with legitimate access to the office can copy or steal the information. Legitimate access can come in various forms from the under-paid security guard or building cleaner, to the maintenance person. In these trying economic times, there are many under-employed people who are computer literate. While drilling superintendents, members of the legal profession, and others are acutely aware of the high cost of information loss, they occasionally lose sight of the over-riding need to place a higher priority on security than speed. The result of haste is often loss of bargaining position, increased costs, or the loss of a land sale purchase when sensitive information falls into the hands of a competitor.
Any wireless medium is essentially a radio station broadcasting the conversation.
The range can be a few blocks in the case of a cordless phone, to dozens of kilometers in the case of cellular 400 and 800 phones. Scanners capable of monitoring wireless conversations are readily available from electronic stores such as Radio Shack. While these scanners are unable to determine the originating number, there are generally enough clues in the context of the conversation to identify at least one of the participants. More sophisticated cellular monitoring equipment is available that will literally allow an eavesdropper to enter a cellular telephone number in a software program, and capture only those calls into or out of that specific cell phone. Fax machines are a further prime source of information leaks.