Nvidia was a lesson. "Honey trap" warning from German intelligence to company executives

Allegations of espionage by Jensen Huang, CEO of US chip manufacturer Nvidia, regarding the Chinese citizen woman with whom he had an extramarital affair, spurred intelligence agencies into action.

Germany's domestic intelligence agency, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV), warned against the "honey trap" method used by foreign intelligence services following allegations that Huang had a romantic relationship with Alice Huang, who was allegedly collecting intelligence on behalf of China.

BfV: RELEVANT TARGETS FOR SUCH OPERATIONS ARE SYSTEMATICALLY SELECTED

According to the news in the German media; BfV pointed out that in this method, in which especially leading figures of the political and business world can be targeted, the aim is to put people in a difficult situation through romantic relationships and to take advantage of this situation to obtain intelligence. Pointing out that the relevant targets are systematically selected and examined for such operations, BfV emphasized that with this method, the target person is forced to cooperate consciously or unconsciously.

"THE POSSIBILITY THAT CHINESE INTELLIGENCE IS DELIBERATELY TRYING TO ESTABLISH CONTACT CANNOT BE IGNORED

Marc Henrichmann, Chairman of the German Bundestag Intelligence Institutions Supervision Commission (PKGr), whose opinion was consulted by the German media, stated that he believes that espionage attempts are also possible for German companies. Henrichmann said, “The possibility that Chinese intelligence services are deliberately trying to establish contacts up to the management levels of German companies cannot be ruled out. "Chinese espionage is no longer an abstract threat, but a real, daily challenge in Germany as well," he said.

“NVIDIA CASE SHOWS THAT SUCH PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS CAN HAVE SIGNIFICANT CONSEQUENCES”

Stephan Kramer, head of the Thuringia State Constitutional Protection Agency, also said that it is highly likely that Chinese intelligence services will target senior German executives. "The Nvidia case shows how important such personal relationships can have consequences in terms of security," Kramer said.