> Zscaler says they combine information from compromised systems with publicly available data to map reporting lines and identify the employees most likely to influence a company's response.
And commercially-available data: enterprise salespeople, for example, can buy this intel from data brokers (directly, or with layered services catering to sales funnels specifically).
It's another way that surveillance capitalism can be a national security threat against the US. You have countless US companies collectively mapping out people networks and assembling often intimate dossiers on individuals... and saving international organized crime and geopolitical adversaries a ton of work, which they might not have the resources to otherwise do.
They've learned from how real businesses operate. Ever talked to a salesperson? Notice how much the initial conversation is geared to trying to figure out whether you have any real purchasing authority, and who does if it isn't you?
I have never talked to sales. How do they find this out smoothly, without insulting the person being talked to for not having any actual authority?
They ask something along the lines of “What does the process look like on your end” to figure out who makes the technical, legal, executive and financial decisions.
Because often in larger companies you got approval, then you go testing and the users approve as well, and suddenly either legal, finance or your manager pulls back. So they want these people in the loop and signing off as early or quickly as possible, to avoid wasting their time.
That’s also why the sales people usually state how important it is to have clear small and measurable goals. It’s not only for you to figure out if the solution works, but to have you set up small and clear internal criteria to sign off on as quickly as possible.
They pretty much just ask. "If there's an opportunity here, who makes the decision?" And they'll want to know if there's a technical decision maker and a financial one.
So why is this only a threat to US companies and not for businesses in other parts of the world?
US consumers are more valuable which makes their data more valuable and therefore collected. It applies to other first world nations without robust enough data protections.