# Tobacco Company Exposed Secret Recipes via Unsecured Network File Share A penetration tester discovered confidential product formulas accessible to all internal employees. - **Source:** [www.theregister.com - Articles (theregister.co.uk)](https://brifing.si/source/e6d4ec13-4d0e-407a-b96d-39609d76c3b1) - **Published:** 2026-11-05 - **Topic:** [technology](https://brifing.si/c/technology) - **Original article:** - **On Brifing:** https://brifing.si/s/5e426345-96b5-41ad-b530-c88257d5cf6e ## Penetration Testing Discovery Professional security researcher Dahvid Schloss conducted a penetration test on a tobacco company network. While probing for vulnerabilities, he utilized tools like Metasploit and Nmap to map the environment. Despite using loud scanning techniques, the company's Trend Micro antivirus software failed to trigger any alerts, indicating a significant lack of internal monitoring. ## Exposed Confidential Shares Schloss identified an open network file share using the Windows SMB protocol on ports 139 and 445. This directory lacked authentication requirements, allowing any employee on the network to access sensitive IT and HR records. Within this share, he discovered a folder explicitly labeled as confidential, containing highly proprietary product documentation. ## Sensitive Recipe Leak The discovered files contained detailed manufacturing specifications for tobacco products, including precise chemical percentages, weights, and volumes. Although the documents were clearly marked with red confidential headers and warnings against sharing, they remained accessible to anyone on the corporate network. Schloss confirmed the data was easily viewable via standard Windows Explorer. ## Data Handling Dilemma Upon finding the sensitive recipes, Schloss downloaded a sample to demonstrate the severity of the security flaw. However, his manager instructed him to delete the file immediately to avoid possessing proprietary trade secrets. This decision later complicated his ability to provide concrete evidence that the sensitive files had actually existed during the audit. ## Corporate Denial Strategy When Schloss reported the vulnerability, the company's security team vehemently denied the existence of the recipe files. They claimed the documents were fake despite the files being located in the correct departmental folder structure with appropriate naming conventions. This defensive stance persisted for a year, hindering the remediation of the security gap. ## Evidence of Remediation Although the company officially denied the findings, Schloss observed that the files disappeared from the network share by the end of his engagement. This suggests the company quietly deleted or moved the sensitive data after being alerted to the exposure. Their refusal to acknowledge the incident prevented a transparent discussion regarding security improvements. ## Security Posture Failures The incident highlights a critical failure in internal access controls and data governance within a large organization. By allowing anonymous access to sensitive file shares, the company left its core intellectual property vulnerable to any internal threat. The lack of effective antivirus monitoring further compounded the risk, leaving the network essentially wide open. ## Lessons in Data Protection This case underscores the necessity of implementing strict access controls and regular audits for internal file shares. Organizations must ensure that sensitive trade secrets are not stored in unauthenticated locations. Furthermore, the company's reaction demonstrates the importance of maintaining evidence during security audits to ensure accountability and drive necessary infrastructure changes. ## Sources covering this story - https://www.theregister.com/security/2026/11/05/tobacco-company-got-smoked-by-leaving-secret-recipes-on-a-file-share/5307704 — --- _Summary written by Brifing from the original reporting. Copyright in the original article belongs to its publisher; read the full piece at the link above._