A recent paper from the US Senate suggests advanced actors now regularly plant individuals in large organizations, with a view to stealing data and research that can be used for economic, scientific or military gain.
China, for example, is said to operate more than 200 different recruitment programs, the most elaborate of which is the Thousand Talents Plan, which is estimated to have recruited 7,000 operatives or more. And China is by no means the only country to engage in these behaviors...
In rare instances, when recruiters fail to gain access to an employee, they have been known to train up an individual specifically for the task. Known as “embeds”, these imposters are much closer to traditional spies and have a full understanding of the ambitions of their handlers.
“Sometimes, these embeds are quiet for a long time, even years. Then all of a sudden they gain access to the information they were recruited to hunt down, before disappearing into thin air. There is another level of tradecraft on display here.” more
Note: Embeds are in the best position to plant eavesdropping devices (disguised voice recorders, Wi-Fi data leaches, USB spy cables, GPS trackers, GSM cellular bugs, etc.) Periodic searches for these devices thwarts their efforts. Sometimes just by them knowing the organization conducts searches. And, of course, by discovering the devices before they can do long-term harm.
