Why Every Company Needs a Travel Security Program

In today’s heightened geopolitical climate, business travel is no longer a routine operational necessity — it’s a strategic exposure. Whether you’re operating across six continents or sending one specialist to a trade show abroad, travel carries risk. Corporate espionage, digital surveillance, regional conflicts, and border scrutiny are no longer fringe concerns — they’re frontline considerations.

From global enterprises with sprawling footprints to lean small and midsize firms entering new markets, the reality is clear: If your people cross borders, your business is crossing into risk...

No matter the scale of your company, essential components of a travel security program should include:

• Pre-travel risk assessments.

• Digital hygiene and hardware protocols.

• Cultural and geopolitical briefings: Equip travelers with current situational awareness — legal norms, surveillance practices, and sociopolitical sensitivities.
• Traveler support channels: Offer 24/7 access to assistance for emergencies, device issues, or detainment.
• Documentation and transparency: Publish clear travel policies and make them inclusive. more

Resources:

Travel Security Program Consulting: 

Kevin Coffey https://www.kevincoffey.com/

Technical Counterespionage: 

Kevin D. Murray https://counterespionage.com

Bugging Devices Found at Italian Yacht Builder Ferretti

The Italian Ferretti Group was the setting for a spy-vs-spy scenario that reportedly included private detectives shadowing an executive of the Italian builder’s primary Chinese investor and recording devices hidden in several offices, according to Bloomberg. 

The discovery of this board-level surveillance has prompted two criminal cases, now in the hands of Italian prosecutors. In April 2024, Xu Xinyu, an executive director at Ferretti SpA, noticed two men in an SUV outside Ferretti’s headquarters in Milan... 

Xu also observed the pair following him while visiting hotels in the city, Bloomberg reported. He hired a counter-surveillance company, which reportedly found a listening device and signal amplifier hidden in his office. Other devices were found in the offices of Ferretti’s Chinese-Italian translator and board secretary.

...the Ferretti Group filed its own complaint... “Ferretti SpA considers itself an aggrieved party, having been wronged by the unlawful and improper installation of surveillance devices within its offices,” the statement said. more

Corporate Spy v Spy v Spy v Spy, or Spy Cubed

The fight between HR tech startups has heated up another notch this week as Rippling on Thursday filed an 84-page amended complaint in its lawsuit against Deel.

The complaint accuses Deel of targeting, infiltrating, and compromising four other competitors, in addition to Rippling.

The revised complaint doesn’t name all of the four other alleged victims, except cryptocurrency-based tax and payroll compliance company, Toku. Toku is suing its competitor LiquiFi, also alleging corporate espionage and that Deel was involved...

The complaint also says that there are one or more additional victims who are “major competitors of Deel” in the employer of record market. A source familiar with the investigation believes that more witnesses will soon come forward at these other companies to offer details. more

Belgium Bugged Football Stadium Box to Spy on Huawei MEP Lobbying

Belgian security agents bugged a corporate box at the RSC Anderlecht football stadium that was being used by Chinese tech giant Huawei to schmooze members of the European Parliament.

They also listened into other conversations involving one of Huawei’s leading lobbyists, including in his car. 

The surveillance operations, confirmed by three people with close knowledge of the investigation, formed part of a wide-ranging probe into allegations of corruption that was first revealed in March. They contributed to the Belgian prosecutor’s decision, reported by POLITICO on Monday, to request that a group of MEPs have their immunities lifted so they can be investigated. more

Dutch Government: More Forms of Espionage to be a Criminal Offence

More than state secrets...
Legislation already exists which makes traditional espionage, such as sharing state secrets, a criminal offence. The problem is that espionage is changing in terms of its manifestations and use.

Espionage targets more than just state secrets. Indeed, foreign governments are also interested in sensitive information which is not a state secret about a particular economic sector, or which is related to political decision-making. Such information can be used to influence political processes, weaken the Dutch economy, or play allies off against each other. 

Espionage may also involve activities other than sharing information, such as stealing high-tech know-how, sabotaging vital infrastructure, exerting an influence on political decision-making, or endangering Dutch citizens with a migration background. more

A Professional Electronic Surveillance Operation Described

Serious corporate espionage spying, or government surveillance operations; the preparation and execution of surveillance measures are very similar. Hear how a real operation is accomplished in this short podcast...

I WAS NEVER HERE

True spies work in all sorts of far-flung locales - but some assignments are closer to home. For Andrew Kirsch, a Special Operations officer with the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, the suburbs of Toronto hold as much intrigue as Moscow or Baghdad. Vanessa Kirby joins Andrew on a nail-biting infiltration mission to unmask a home-grown terrorist, right in his back yard. Listen here.

P.S. This is why you will never know if your company Boardroom has been bugged by a pro. Learn more here.

Get the lucky T-shirt.

Not Far from Yoyodyne Propulsion Systems in Grover's Mill, NJ

“Sushi John"-  SPYcy Roll'ed by ICE

An alleged sushi-slinging spy is in ICE custody. 

Ming Xi Zhang, known as “Sushi John,” the 61-year-old owner of Ya Ya Noodles in Montgomery Township, NJ, was arrested March 24 by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Newark.

Zhang was convicted in April 2024 of acting as an unregistered agent of the Chinese government and sentenced to three years’ probation. In May 2021, he pleaded guilty to having served as an agent of China in 2016 without notifying the U.S. Attorney General.

ICE says he legally entered the U.S. in 2000 but later “violated the terms of his lawful admission.” more

"Sushi John" + "Ya Ya" = "John Ya Ya" 

One of the 46 Yoyodyne Employees (Red Lectroids)?

We checked. No relation.

Installing Hidden Cameras Around the Office - MrBeast Sues

MrBeast has a new game: work for Beast Industries without stealing company secrets. 

According to Jimmy Donaldson (better known as MrBeast) and his company, a former employee failed the challenge. In a complaint first spotted by Polygon, MrBeast is suing a former contractor for allegedly breaching his contract, stealing trade secrets, and—certainly the most creepy of the accusations—installing hidden cameras throughout the company offices...

In addition to discovering the documents had been downloaded, Beast personnel apparently also spotted cameras installed around the office after Nabors’ departure. According to the complaint, Nabors was “well-known among colleagues to surreptitiously record meetings.” The complaint accuses Nabors of installing and operating the cameras. more

When was the last time you checked your offices for covert cameras and bugs. Find out.

The Affidavit of a Rippling Employee Caught Spying for Deel Reads Like a Movie

On Wednesday, Rippling publicly released the affidavit of the Rippling employee who testified that he was working as a spy for the HR tech company’s arch rival Deel.

And the account, coupled with Rippling’s lawsuit filed against Deel a couple of weeks ago, reads like a corporate espionage movie script, complete with a sting operation and a smashed phone.

It’s the latest escapade between the two. TechCrunch has documented the most Hollywood-esque parts of the testimony below, but be aware that this is only one side of the story — the side Rippling wants everyone to know, as its PR machine has blasted it out, and CEO Parker Conrad tweet-stormed about it.

To recap: Rippling, a workforce management platform, very publicly announced on March 17 that it was suing Deel over this alleged spying, leveling charges ranging from violation of the RICO racketeering act (often used to prosecute members of the Mafia) to misappropriation of trade secrets and unfair competition. more

I Asked AI How to Bug a Room...

I asked AI how to bug this room. It did. 

Then, it tried to take my job! https://lnkd.in/eUCaiCDj

Threat Actors Allegedly Selling SnowDog RAT Malware With Control Panel on Hacker Forums

A new Remote Access Trojan (RAT) dubbed “SnowDog RAT” is malicious software purportedly marketed for $300 per month. It appears to have been specifically developed for corporate espionage and targeted attacks on business environments.

The malware advertisement, discovered on Thursday, April 3, 2025, describes sophisticated capabilities that could threaten organizations worldwide.

According to a ThreatMon post shared on X, the advertisement claims that SnowDog RAT offers an extensive array of intrusion and persistence features that make it particularly dangerous. more

This Week in Corporate Espionage News

• Corporate espionage in Canada: how HR leaders can guard against insider threats

• Deel and Rippling corporate espionage case takes a turn as accused ‘spy’ agrees to cooperate

• US is increasingly vulnerable to espionage threats, analysts warn

• Former Spy: Unstoppable AI-Powered Threats Target All

• Russian espionage group focused on corporate espionage, mainly targeting organizations in the US

• North Korea hackers go after business executives in latest info-stealing scheme

• DOGE Purge Is Boosting China’s Espionage Activities Against U.S.

• '$35 million gone in one call': Deepfake fraud rings are fooling the world's smartest firms: Impersonating CEOs for wire fraud to creating fake hostage videos for extortion

Bank of Ghana - Planted Spy Devices at Home

Retired Colonel Festus Aboagye has accused former Bank of Ghana (BoG) Governor, Dr Ernest Addison, of installing unauthorized electronic surveillance equipment at his residence, allegedly linked to the central bank.

The claim follows a controversial search conducted by National Security operatives at Dr Addison’s residence, which Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin condemned, alleging that personal belongings, including cash and jewellery belonging to Addison’s wife, were seized.

However, Rtd. Col. Aboagye insists that the operation was based on credible intelligence suggesting Dr Addison had set up surveillance devices that enabled remote monitoring of BoG activities.

Speaking on TV3, he stated, “Monitoring is a very diplomatic word. This is spying, this is surveillance,” adding that sources within National Security had confirmed the presence of such “back door electronic devices” at Addison’s home.

He emphasized that no former BoG Governor had the authority to install systems that allowed remote oversight of the bank’s operations. more

"The Wildest Stories of Corporate Espionage We've Ever Heard"

Video Podcast Episode 689: Sam Parr ( https://x.com/theSamParr ) and Shaan Puri ( https://x.com/ShaanVP ) break down the craziest stories of corporate espionage in history. — Show Notes: (0:00) Rippling vs Deel (10:21) The British East India Company (17:11) Oracle vs Microsoft (21:28) Coke vs. Pepsi (24:14) Uber vs. Waymo (26:03) U.S. Intellectual piracy (28:10) Wiz sells for $32B (39:40) A case for Glassdoor (45:54) Marc Lore's new thing (51:52) Money, Status, Power

HR Tech Firm Sues Rival for Corporate Espionage

HR software provider Rippling has sued competitor Deel for allegedly planting a spy in its Dublin office to steal trade secrets, court documents [PDF & VERY interesting] showed on Monday. Rippling claims the employee, identified as D.S., systematically searched internal Slack channels for competitor information, including sales leads and pitch decks.

The company discovered the alleged scheme through a "honeypot" trap -- a specially created Slack channel mentioned in a letter to Deel executives. When served with a court order to surrender his phone, D.S. locked himself in a bathroom before fleeing, according to the lawsuit. "We're all for healthy competition, but we won't tolerate when a competitor breaks the law," said Vanessa Wu, Rippling's general counsel. Both companies operate multibillion-dollar HR platforms, with Rippling valued at $13.5 billion and Deel at over $12 billion. more

“The world has changed.

Corporate Espionage is the new Healthy Competition.

You need Operational Privacy to compete.”

counterespionage.com

UPDATE - HR giant hired plumbers to search toilets for phone after fears alleged corporate spy in Dublin flushed it away. more

Book: In the Shadow of Giants: A true story of corporate espionage... by Liam Monclair

A true story of corporate espionage in the shadow of China’s rise.

At the heart of modern power struggles, In the Shadow of Giants follows the extraordinary journey of Liam Monclair, a security and strategy expert. This gripping narrative, blending memoir and thriller, opens the door to a unique and little-known universe—corporate espionage, geopolitical manipulations, and cultural tensions—spanning from the skyscrapers of Shanghai to the streets of Jakarta and the vast deserts of the Middle East.

From the escalation of a fierce conflict between Altéone Group—a French multinational—and Wang Industries, a Chinese giant led by the enigmatic Mr. Wang, to high-stakes missions in Iraq and the protection of a football star in dangerous zones, the author unveils the inner workings of a demanding world. 

Based on a true story, In the Shadow of Giants is both a tribute to those who work behind the scenes and an exploration of a life lived on the edge. Masterfully blending suspense and thought-provoking insights, it takes readers deep into the hidden reality of an extraordinary existence. more

Hackers are Taking Aim at Board Directors

Well-known CEOs and executives aren’t the only potential victims of hacks and threats from criminals. Board directors also have to be vigilant, according to Jason Lish, the global chief information security officer at Cisco.

“Often times they’re targets, especially for public companies, where their profiles are out there,” he said during a virtual conversation on Thursday hosted by Fortune in partnership with Diligent for The Modern Board series.

Lish added that he’s even seen an increase in the mailing of physical ransom letters to board directors and company executives. “How do they stay protected in their personal lives?” he said. “Because threat actors will try to do reconnaissance.” more

TSCM is the corporate counterespionage measure you need.

Spy History: 1902 Corporate Espionage on the High Seas

Your Editor (not me) chanced upon the following in the library of the National Maritime Museum at Greenwich last winter and it is reprinted here by kind permission of Stephen Rabson, Group Information Manager of P&O.

The document is in the form of a quasi-official report, written by one of P&O's traveling inspectors on two voyages in 1902, one from Southampton to New York, the other from Vancouver to Yokohama.

The writer (whose signature is, alas, indecipherable) was clearly more than a passenger, he was a benevolent spy, assessing conditions aboard the competition...

"I have the honor to report my arrival here yesterday. The following details of the steamers in which I have traveled may interest you..." more

This business spy tactic has been around forever. These days corporate espionage is enhanced with electronics (audio, video, and data). This is why businesses have added Technical Surveillance Countermeasures to their security precautions. If you have not, it is highly recommended you do so. Contact a professional TSCM information security consultant to begin protecting your company.

Better Idea: Prevent the Boardroom Leaks - Conduct TSCM Inspections

HP Studied Spying on Newsrooms: NY Times
Hewlett-Packard conducted feasibility studies on placing spies in news bureaus of two publications as part of an investigation into leaks from its board, The New York Times reported on Wednesday. Hewlett-Packard could not immediately be reached for comment.

The Times cited an individual briefed on the company's review of the operation in its report. It is not clear whether the plan described in the documents, which were read to a reporter, was ever acted upon, The Times said.

The newspaper said the feasibility studies, referred to in a February 2 draft report for a briefing of senior management, were said to have included the possibility of placing investigators acting as clerical employees or cleaning crews in the San Francisco offices of technology news Web site CNET and The Wall Street Journal.

HP is under investigation by U.S. federal prosecutors and the California attorney general over the company's potentially illegal tactics in obtaining phone records in a bid to end boardroom leaks to the media. more 

The much better idea.

Check Before Opening Encrypted Microsoft Word Documents Emailed to You

Threat intelligence analysts have now reported a surge in the activity of the Paper Werewolf cluster, also known as GOFFEE, which uses infected Microsoft Windows Word documents to launch mostly espionage-driven, credential-compromising attacks.

Like so many other attack campaigns, Paper Werewolf uses phishing emails and brand impersonation to distribute its malicious payload. These messages contain an encrypted Microsoft Word document that prompts the recipient to enable macros in order to read it. If they do this, then the content of the document is decrypted, and the malicious program is installed on their device. The threat intelligence analysts said that, in some instances, they observed the use of PowerRAT, a remote access trojan, enabling the attackers to execute commands and carry out reconnaissance. more