Yacht against yacht or spy versus spy?

By EUGENE BINGHAM

What other sports event needs a rule banning satellites and submarines? Love it or loathe it, the America's Cup is as much about knowing a rival's competitive advantage as it is about yacht-racing. Its rules, first formulated in the 1880s, even have a section on how syndicates can legally pry on each other.

Barred are the use of laser range-finders, listening devices - as well as satellites or submarines - and anything gathered from another team's rubbish.

Permitted is the use of gossip and snapping photographs from public places, in certain circumstances.

Syndicates take counter-espionage seriously. Most, regularly sweep for bugs and use heavy-duty computer security.

And yet the spying goes on. One challenger owns an apartment overlooking the Team New Zealand compound. It may be coincidence, but every time a crucial boat part is delivered at night - to avoid snoops - the lights are on.

Another syndicate has photographs of competitors' deck layouts in such detail that settings of on-board equipment can be read.

The Weekend Herald has also learned that several syndicates may be using scrambling devices to prevent interception of communications and computer traffic.

People parking outside some bases have noticed they are unable to use their car remotes. An expert at Auckland University, Colin Coghill, said that could indicate the scrambling of radio signals.

"It could be the sheer volume of radio traffic," said Mr Coghill, from the electrical and electronic engineering department. "But yes, it does seem a bit strange."

And then there was Prada's revelation last week that their lawyer's laptop had been stolen. Team Dennis Conner also said a hacker had tried to break into one of their computers.

Both teams have accused OneWorld of using other syndicates' design secrets.

Prada spokeswoman Alessandra Ghezzi said the laptop had been malfunctioning, possibly caused by a virus.

The implication was that someone was trying to steal information from Prada and Conner's team but Ms Ghezzi said yesterday that Prada were making no assumptions. Team Dennis Conner would not comment.

Team NZ take computer security seriously. "We work closely with Telecom and we are as confident as we can be that we have taken appropriate measures to guard our intellectual property," said spokesman Murray Taylor.

On the water, the defenders have noticed surveillance boats from other syndicates.

"If the guys have something sensitive to test, it's a matter of getting away from the madding crowd," said Mr Taylor.

Mr Coghill warned that protecting information was difficult.

Certain information should obviously be protected - blueprints and design plans - but other things were forgotten, he said.

"People sending email home, complaining about having to work late because widget A broke, could also be interesting to competitors."

Wireless computer networks and cellphones were no good for sensitive information "unless you want a kid in the carpark to sell your conversations to the highest bidder".

One way to shield data is to store it on a computer not connected to others or the internet. A rival would have to break in to get the secrets.

Which leads us to people.

"It doesn't matter how tight your computer security is, how many concrete walls you build around your base - people will be the weak link," Mr Coghill said.

The design secrets wrangle revolves around whether deserting crew members took secrets with them. And it only exploded when Sean Reeves, formerly of Team NZ, was accused of trying to sell OneWorld's design information.

* eugene_bingham@nzherald.co.nz

nzherald.co.nz/americascup

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