# Alleged Chinese/Russian “Honeypots” aimed at American tech **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 25, 2025, 11:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alleged-chinese-russian-honeypots-aimed-at-american-tech/1024272 "2025-10-25T11:47:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2025, 11:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alleged-chinese-russian-honeypots-aimed-at-american-tech/1024272/1 "2025-10-25T11:47:41Z")
If this is really happening and these sources are legit, it sounds both slightly hilarious and disquieting. I’m not surprised that the US isn’t as advanced in this type of “sexy”espionage (sending in someone to seduce the opposition) -not from any ability, but just different approaches to spying and economic sneakiness. I’m sure we’ve used similar tactics. > **[Female spies are waging ‘sex warfare’ to steal Silicon Valley secrets](https://www.thetimes.com/us/american-politics/article/silicon-valley-spy-china-russia-2v03676kl)** > > China and Russia are sending attractive women to seduce tech workers — even marrying and having children with their targets. ‘It’s the Wild West out there,’ says insider ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2025, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alleged-chinese-russian-honeypots-aimed-at-american-tech/1024272/2 "2025-10-25T12:01:28Z")
> [@Love\_Rhombus](#): > > I’m not surprised that the US isn’t as advanced in this type of “sexy”espionage (sending in someone to seduce the opposition) -not from any ability, but just different approaches to spying and economic sneakiness. In other words, we’re not as tolerant of sex slavery. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2025, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alleged-chinese-russian-honeypots-aimed-at-american-tech/1024272/3 "2025-10-25T12:47:28Z")
This isn’t sex slavery. It’s agents using a technique that we certainly do as well but for cultural reasons it’s more effective on our tech nerds. ---
**Author:** ![Quondam\_Mechanic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quondam_mechanic/32/3404_2.png) [@Quondam\_Mechanic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quondam_Mechanic)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2025, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alleged-chinese-russian-honeypots-aimed-at-american-tech/1024272/4 "2025-10-25T12:52:24Z")
Once again, the fictional series _Slow Horses_ is ahead of the curve. ---
**Author:** ![Al128](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/al128/32/16541_2.png) [@Al128](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Al128)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2025, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alleged-chinese-russian-honeypots-aimed-at-american-tech/1024272/5 "2025-10-25T13:01:29Z")
isn’t that the plot for what feels like 80% of all 007 movies? I mean: where is the news in that … ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2025, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alleged-chinese-russian-honeypots-aimed-at-american-tech/1024272/6 "2025-10-25T13:02:47Z")
I was a manufacturing engineer and spent a lot of time in Asia in the 90s, particularly Malaysia, Taiwan and Korea. I never worked in government contracting but I did work with cutting edge commercial tech and my companies had factories there. A lot of the male engineers were socially awkward ubernerds who barely dated in college. Particularly in Malaysia and Korea they were considered hot and desirable for the first time and it got to their heads. I could see how they’d give up secrets inadvertently while in the depths of infatuation. ---
**Author:** ![chappachula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2025, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alleged-chinese-russian-honeypots-aimed-at-american-tech/1024272/7 "2025-10-25T13:19:42Z")
This is a standard technique, well known by spy agencies all over the world. Forty years ago, the US Embassy in Moscow was disasterously infiltrated (renember the cold war ?) when one Marine guard started having sex with a female employee who was actually a KGB agent. I remember reading that when on duty at night, she convinced him to turn off the electronic alarms for the whole building every time they had sex . > **[Caught in a Honeypot – Marine Clayton Lonetree Betrays His Country –...](https://adst.org/2014/05/caught-in-a-honeypot-marine-clayton-lonetree-betrays-his-country/)** ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2025, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alleged-chinese-russian-honeypots-aimed-at-american-tech/1024272/8 "2025-10-25T13:47:58Z")
The only surprising thing to me is they managed to convince some silicon valley software engineers to actually get married 😉 They must very skilled agents, based on my social group in the bay area getting them to change their Facebook relationship status to “in a relationship” is too much commitment. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2025, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alleged-chinese-russian-honeypots-aimed-at-american-tech/1024272/9 "2025-10-25T13:50:32Z")
> [@Al128](#): > > isn’t that the plot for what feels like 80% of all 007 movies? I mean: where is the news in that … Indeed it isn’t new. When I was a newly minted engineer in the 80s I would jokingly say “send your Russian sexpots my way. Send your best. I’ll never crack!” And I wouldn’t have. (I was raised to be paranoid.) Alas, the Russians were too savvy. No soviet-era nookie for me. ---
**Author:** ![Ellecram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellecram/32/18948_2.png) [@Ellecram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellecram)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2025, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alleged-chinese-russian-honeypots-aimed-at-american-tech/1024272/10 "2025-10-25T14:06:06Z")
> [@Al128](#): > > isn’t that the plot for what feels like 80% of all 007 movies? I mean: where is the news in that … I’ve been reading/watching spy stories both fictional and non fictional and this is bread and butter espionage. Not sure why this is any kind of healing. Even Battlestar Galactica (2004) had a running theme of seduction espionage. ---
**Author:** ![Llama\_Llogophile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@Llama\_Llogophile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Llama_Llogophile)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2025, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alleged-chinese-russian-honeypots-aimed-at-american-tech/1024272/11 "2025-10-25T14:26:04Z")
I seem to recall reading that the idea of a “honeypot trap” came from John LeCarre’s novels. Or perhaps he just coined the phrase? Is this a case of life imitating art? Or did the tactic exist prior to LeCarre calling it that? ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2025, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alleged-chinese-russian-honeypots-aimed-at-american-tech/1024272/12 "2025-10-25T14:38:27Z")
You can’t possibly think that using sex for coercion is new. It’s as old as humanity. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2025, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alleged-chinese-russian-honeypots-aimed-at-american-tech/1024272/13 "2025-10-25T14:39:21Z")
In the early seventies I was working for British Telecom and they entered a team in the European Telecoms team chess championship. The event was held in Hungary (who were in the Soviet Union at the time.) Now there was far less travel abroad in those days, so the chess team (largely consisting of nerds 😉) were given a briefing: - act as ambassadors - be prepared for local cuisine - keep your documentation handy Then a security expert took over: - be aware the Soviets are behind us in computer technology - so watch out for bribery … and sexual seduction 😎 - Sadly nothing happened. 😢 ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2025, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alleged-chinese-russian-honeypots-aimed-at-american-tech/1024272/14 "2025-10-25T14:40:43Z")
Here’s a very famous example from WWI > **[Mata Hari](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mata_Hari)** > > Margaretha Geertruida MacLeod (née Zelle, .mw-parser-output .IPA-label-small{font-size:85%}.mw-parser-output .references .IPA-label-small,.mw-parser-output .infobox .IPA-label-small,.mw-parser-output .navbox .IPA-label-small{font-size:100%}Dutch: \[mɑrɣaːˈreːtaː ɣeːrˈtrœydaː ˈzɛlə\]; 7 August 1876 – 15 October 1917), better known by the stage name Mata Hari (/ˈmɑːtə ˈhɑːri/ MAH-tə HAR-ee, Dutch: \[ˈmaːtaː ˈɦaːri\]; Indonesian for 'sun', lit. 'eye of the day'), was a Dutch exotic dancer and courtesa... ---
**Author:** ![bobsmom101](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobsmom101/32/2867_2.png) [@bobsmom101](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobsmom101)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2025, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alleged-chinese-russian-honeypots-aimed-at-american-tech/1024272/15 "2025-10-25T14:48:38Z")
It’s even a well-known Bible story. From the AI summary: **Judith is the central figure in the [Book of Judith](https://www.google.com/search?q=Book+of+Judith&oq=JUDITH+IN+BIBLE&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUqCggAEAAY4wIYgAQyCggAEAAY4wIYgAQyBwgBEC4YgAQyBwgCEAAYgAQyBwgDEAAYgAQyBwgEEAAYgAQyCAgFEAAYFhgeMggIBhAAGBYYHjIICAcQABgWGB4yCAgIEAAYFhgeMggICRAAGBYYHtIBCTg4MTZqMGoxNagCCLACAfEF4OYXeIxc4CjxBeDmF3iMXOAo&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&ved=2ahUKEwipzpXWy7-QAxX9g4kEHW6VB7AQgK4QegYIAQgAEAY), a heroic, pious, and wealthy widow who saves her people from the Assyrian army by beheading their general, [Holofernes](https://www.google.com/search?q=Holofernes&oq=JUDITH+IN+BIBLE&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUqCggAEAAY4wIYgAQyCggAEAAY4wIYgAQyBwgBEC4YgAQyBwgCEAAYgAQyBwgDEAAYgAQyBwgEEAAYgAQyCAgFEAAYFhgeMggIBhAAGBYYHjIICAcQABgWGB4yCAgIEAAYFhgeMggICRAAGBYYHtIBCTg4MTZqMGoxNagCCLACAfEF4OYXeIxc4CjxBeDmF3iMXOAo&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&ved=2ahUKEwipzpXWy7-QAxX9g4kEHW6VB7AQgK4QegYIAQgAEAc)** . Her story is celebrated in the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Anglican traditions, although it is excluded from Protestant Bibles and viewed as an allegory or a book of edification by some. Judith’s character is defined by her faith, cunning, and courage, and she is seen as a symbol of God’s power working through a woman to overcome overwhelming odds. - **The character** : Judith is portrayed as a beautiful, virtuous, and wealthy widow who devoutly fears God. She lives a life of fasting and prayer after her husband’s death. Her name is translated as “Jewess” or “Jewish woman”. - **The story** : When the Assyrian army, led by Holofernes, threatens to conquer Israel, the leaders of her town, Bethulia, are on the verge of surrendering. Judith confronts them, inspiring them to hold out for a few more days, and devises a plan to save them. She uses her beauty and cunning to gain access to Holofernes, who becomes intoxicated at a banquet. At the height of his drunkenness, she beheads him with his own sword and escapes with his head. - **The aftermath** : The discovery of Holofernes’s severed head throws the Assyrian army into disarray, and they are routed by the Israelites. Judith’s actions are seen as a victory of faith, courage, and divine intervention over military might. ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2025, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alleged-chinese-russian-honeypots-aimed-at-american-tech/1024272/16 "2025-10-25T15:17:16Z")
> [@Llama\_Llogophile](#): > > perhaps he just coined the phrase? Yeah along with a bunch of other terms that you’d think are actual intelligence terms, he invented it for his books, and it’s now actually used by intelligence agencies. The concept has existed for as long as his human beings have been trying to find out information about the next city over. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2025, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alleged-chinese-russian-honeypots-aimed-at-american-tech/1024272/17 "2025-10-25T15:21:02Z")
While we’re at it the term he used in his novels was “honey trap”. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2025, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alleged-chinese-russian-honeypots-aimed-at-american-tech/1024272/18 "2025-10-25T15:26:56Z")
Q: How can you tell if you’re speaking with an extroverted engineer? A: They’re looking at your shoes instead of their own. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2025, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alleged-chinese-russian-honeypots-aimed-at-american-tech/1024272/19 "2025-10-25T15:29:43Z")
The “[Yellow Rose of Texas](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emily_D._West)” was reputedly a mixed race woman whose dalliance with Gen. Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna was the distraction that allowed the Texan Army to surprise the Mexican army at San Jacinto and win a very lopsided victory. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2025, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alleged-chinese-russian-honeypots-aimed-at-american-tech/1024272/20 "2025-10-25T16:04:28Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > This isn’t sex slavery. You think that all of these honeypot agents freely chose this line of work as adults without duress? > [@Llama\_Llogophile](#): > > Is this a case of life imitating art? Or did the tactic exist prior to LeCarre calling it that? I think that Delilah and Sampson might slightly predate LeCarre. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alleged-chinese-russian-honeypots-aimed-at-american-tech/1024272.md?page=2)