Latest Espionage News
US imposes sanctions on a spyware firm behind a tool used to spy on dissidents and journalists
WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States announced new sanctions Monday against a commercial spyware company headed by a former Israeli military officer whose program allowed easy access to almost any information stored on a smartphone. U.S. officials and private researchers say...
Russia expels 6 British diplomats it accuses of spying. The UK calls it 'completely baseless'
Russia on Friday accused six British diplomats of spying and said it decided to expel them. The U.K. said the “completely baseless” move came weeks ago and was linked to its action in May to revoke the credentials of an attaché at the Russian Embassy and limit Moscow’s diplomatic activities...
Russia-UK expulsions have targeted scores over past decades
Moscow's announcement Friday of expelling six British diplomats for alleged espionage has drawn a strong rebuke from the United Kingdom while also intensifying animosity between Russia and the West over the war in Ukraine. However, the six are but a small number in the history of...
Ex-CIA officer who spied for China gets 10 years in prison — and a lifetime of polygraph tests
HONOLULU (AP) — A former CIA officer and contract linguist for the FBI who received cash, golf clubs and other expensive gifts in exchange for spying for China was sentenced Wednesday to 10 years in prison. Alexander Yuk Ching Ma, 71, made a deal in May with federal prosecutors,...
Declassified memo from US codebreaker sheds light on Ethel Rosenberg's Cold War spy case
WASHINGTON (AP) — A top U.S. government codebreaker who decrypted secret Soviet communications during the Cold War concluded that Ethel Rosenberg knew about her husband's activities but “did not engage in the work herself,” according to a recently declassified memo that her sons say proves...
Why is Beijing interested in a mid-level government aide in New York State?
BANGKOK (AP) — The decision by New York prosecutors to charge a former aide to the New York governor this week with acting as an illegal agent for the Chinese government has raised concerns about China's efforts to influence U.S. politics. Linda Sun held numerous roles in New York...
Indonesia deports an ex-Philippine town mayor accused in Manila of cybercrimes
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesia on Thursday deported a dismissed Philippine town mayor accused in Manila of helping establish an illegal online gaming and scam center and evading an investigation by the Philippine Senate. Alice Guo, 34, will continue her legal process in...
The arrest of a former aide to NY governors highlights efforts to root out Chinese agents in the US
NEW YORK (AP) — A secret Chinese police station hiding in plain sight in New York City. Clandestine efforts by Communist Party operatives to spy on and bully Chinese expatriates. And now, charges that a former aide to two New York governors was secretly acting as an agent of the Chinese...
New Dutch leader bans phones in Cabinet meetings to dial back espionage threat
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The new Dutch prime minister has banned cell phones and other mobile devices from the weekly meetings of his Cabinet in a move aimed at dialing back the risk of digital eavesdropping by spies. “The threat of espionage is timeless. Electronic devices,...
Poland indicts man with spying for Russia after freeing him in swap and investigates others
WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Polish prosecutors said Wednesday that they formally indicted a Russian-Spanish man on espionage charges, after Poland freed him from prison earlier this month so that he could be included in a prisoner swap between Russia and the West. Pavel Rubtsov, better...
