The spy who shagged me?
Mail-order spies: Tech companies employ some of the most robust network security to protect against IP theft. However, no amount of network security protects against theft from within. While corporate espionage is largely digital these days, good old-fashioned infiltration is still in use. China and Russia increasingly use sexual honeypots to compromise employees and gain access to sensitive technology.
According to sources speaking with UK newspaper The Times, foreign operatives from China and Russia are increasingly using “sex warfare” to target American tech professionals. The tactic involves sending attractive women to seduce employees, gain access to trade secrets, and sometimes even marry and have children with their targets. […]
It’s nice this is being recognized, this has been happening since ww2 with American engineers being entertained in Japan. The hostesses would be educated in airplane technological jargon and eavesdrop on their engineering conversations when they were drunk etc.
Here’s something similar, Chinese hostesses in Japan spying etc: https://www.tokyoreporter.com/japan/kyoto/chinese-hostess-club-kyoto-industrial-espionage-customers-leak-information/
Honeypot stuff is real
It’s a lot older than that.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mata_Hari , for example.
But she is even a relatively modern example of the femme fatale
Ya, the ol’ honeypot is probably pre-history. :) I just didn’t want anyone to think it was uniquely new to engineering.