Foreign Malign Influence Targeting U.S. and Allied Corporations

Byman’s analysis fills an important gap in the influence operations literature by focusing on the corporate rather than the electoral or political target. Russia and China deploy disinformation against U.S. and allied corporations for overlapping but distinct purposes: Russia prioritises destabilisation and reputational damage to Western brand equity; China focuses more on commercial advantage — protecting its own companies and undermining competitors. The result is campaigns that damage corporate reputations, create physical security risks for employees, and cost real business opportunities, with most affected companies lacking both awareness and effective countermeasures.

The policy implication is underexplored in most national security frameworks. Governments have invested heavily in protecting elections and critical infrastructure from foreign interference, but corporate targets occupy a grey zone where private sector vulnerability and public interest intersect. Byman’s identification of the government support gap — companies largely fighting these threats alone — points to a significant area for policy development. For practitioners advising corporate clients on geopolitical risk, this is essential reading on a threat that is chronically underestimated.