When Documentation Becomes a Threat: Why Technical Writers Must Take Security Seriously

When documentation must be secret, our workflow must treat it as a risk asset—not just as a content deliverable

Documentation is rarely a secret. In most organizations, the content we write and manage is intended to be shared — within teams, across departments, across channels. But when documentation is secret, it becomes a very different beast.

If it escapes, it doesn’t just risk embarrassment or confusion — it can be weaponized.

A real-world example

A recent case illustrates the stakes. According to the Prosecutor General’s Office of Ukraine, a foreign national who entered Ukraine in 2022 attempted to obtain and transfer classified technical documentation for a Ukrainian aircraft, offering about US$1 million to a state enterprise engineer.