Via CanadaFreePress.com -
London-- MI5 has discovered that British defence contractors travelling to Canada to discuss "sensitive contracts" have been bugged by Chinese secret agents.
The bugs take the form of minute receiver-transmitters hidden in hollowed-out coins, which are slipped to the contractors at airport money-changing kiosks at Canadian airports.
The contractors are often easily spotted because they fly First or Business Class usually on British Airways. Some carry Ministry Of Defence identification that gets them fast-tracked through long airport queues.
While the range of a coin transmitter is small, it is capable of storing microfilm or a coded message. These can be retrieved by pressing a spot on the coin face to open the coin.
The size of a pinhead and devised by Chinese scientists from the latest nanotechnology, the coins are described by a spokeswoman for the Canadian Security Intelligence Service as "pure James Bond. We have just learned about this and we are working closely with MI5 and the Pentagon to track the transmitters and to alert contractors working in ultra-sensitive military areas to check their coins".
MI5 believes that Chinese undercover agents working at British airports target likely MOD contractors flying to Canada to buy and sell military technology.
When they arrive at Canadian airports and exchange their Pound Sterling for Canadian dollars, coins with the radio transmitters embedded inside are slipped in with genuine coins.
Last December a London defence contractor with MOD affiliation discovered one of the doctored coins. At the time he was in Ottawa meeting with Canadian high-level military officials.
In a warning to firms working in the arms and military technology industries, MI5 say: "Military fairs and arms technology conventions are prime targets for Chinese and Russian spies".
And the Pentagon confirmed 971 "suspicious contacts" were reported by US defence contractors last year at such fairs.
MI5 scientists have identified the Canadian $2 "Toonie" as the most likely coin to be used by the Chinese agents. More than one-inch across, it is thick enough to hide a tiny transmitter in a hollowed-out space.
Brian McAdam, one of Canada's ranking authorities in Chinese espionage in the country, said: "China is now a leading espionage operator in North America".
Seems related to the news:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.theregister.com/2007/01/11/canada_coins_spying_on_yanks/
from last week.
Yep, it is possible. I made that connection instantly as well, I would like to find the original UK media report of this case. The US attempted to downplay the spy coin case shortly after it hit the blogosphere, so perhaps we will never know.
ReplyDeleteHowever, we must remember that this stuff is happening all the time, we just get a little look into the looking glass once in a while ;)