Modern Espionage: The Growing Risk to High Value Individuals
Espionage still carries an aura of glamour and intrigue - secret agents, luxury cars and martinis. Beyond the Hollywood gloss however, you’ll find a reality that is far less visible, and alarmingly relevant to high-net-worth individuals.
Recent warnings from MI5 to British parliamentarians highlight that espionage is no longer confined to government corridors, a growing concern that many in the private wealth space can’t afford to overlook.
The Face of Espionage is Changing
In November, MI5 issued an “espionage alert” to MPs and peers, warning that Chinese intelligence operatives were actively targeting individuals through LinkedIn and recruitment head hunters.
“Whitehall officials have warned of Chinese cyber attacks, intellectual property theft and attempts to recruit British individuals in Parliament and the technology sector.”
Defence Minister Luke Pollard MP urged the public to stay alert to unsolicited online approaches, warning that “the ability for people that wish us harm or wish to gain access to information they shouldn’t” is a greater risk than ever in today’s interconnected world.
Across the Atlantic, U.S. prosecutors have charged Chinese nationals in cases involving theft of trade secrets. In July 2025, a California engineer pleaded guilty to stealing blueprints for infrared sensors designed to detect nuclear missile launches, technology worth hundreds of millions of dollars in strategic value.
What emerges is a picture of espionage that feels accessible and unsettlingly modern.
In the Crosshairs
You may not hold state secrets, but wealth translates into influence, and influence is currency in not just geopolitics, but business too. Your investment portfolio, philanthropic ventures, and advisory networks can offer adversaries a strategic edge.
The tactics are varied, but the principle of exploiting trust and technology is simple.
Consider the case of Christopher Cash and Christopher Berry, two British men accused of passing sensitive information from Westminster to Chinese handlers. While their trial collapsed amid political controversy, the allegations revealed how seemingly peripheral figures (e.g. researchers, consultants) can become conduits for foreign intelligence.
For high value individuals, the risk can lie in proximity. Staff and inner circles may be targeted as “soft entry points.” The more connected and visible you are, the more attractive you become to those looking for leverage. Exposure grows with convenience and can create unseen openings for exploitation.
A Growing Ecosystem of Technology
The global spyware market operates in the shadows and is growing at pace. Hundreds of companies across more than forty jurisdictions develop and sell surveillance tools capable of infiltrating devices, extracting messages, emails, and geolocation data without detection. The ecosystem is complex, layered with shell companies, making accountability elusive. This opacity, combined with weak regulatory frameworks, has allowed spyware to become a strategic instrument in modern espionage, redefining what it means to gather intelligence in the digital age.
Pegasus, the Israeli-made spyware, has repeatedly made headlines for its ability to infiltrate smartphones without a single click. Originally marketed as a tool for law enforcement, Pegasus has been deployed against journalists, activists, and increasingly, corporate leaders. Investigations have revealed infections among executives in finance and real estate, with attackers gaining access to encrypted messages and even activating microphones remotely. In one notorious case, Pegasus was allegedly used to compromise Jeff Bezos’s phone, exposing private communications and sensitive business information.
Another example can be found in the use of Hikvision CCTV cameras, popular for their features and price and found in government and private sites across the UK. Since 2022 the British government has been actively removing them from official sites due to risks linked to foreign surveillance technology. In private homes, dangers include unauthorised remote access, data leaks to unknown parties, and exploitable backdoors.
Your Move
The modern face of espionage is invisible, algorithmic, and targeted. It doesn’t snatch you off the street. It slips into your inbox, your phone, your LinkedIn requests. So what can you do?
Protections can include:
Using encrypted communications, multi-factor authentication, and regularly auditing devices for compromise.
Applying due diligence to new staff, advisors, and third-party vendors. Insider risk is real.
Avoiding public Wi-Fi, use VPNs, and keeping sensitive work off personal devices.
Ensuring your close family and household staff are briefed on the threat landscape and are mindful of unusual behaviour or potential compromise.
Monitoring your presence on the Dark Web via OSINT. Threat intelligence isn’t just for corporations, individuals with influence need it too.
Assessing your wider home cyber security. From CCTV and security gates through to routers and smart devices, a review of your home ecosystem can expose and block any hidden backdoors.
Espionage is no longer a distant concept - it is a present and evolving risk. Proactive vigilance and robust security measures are more critical now than ever.
About the author
Marcelina Horsefield is a Cyber Security Advisor at coc00n, where she helps public figures navigate digital security with confidence. With over a decade of experience in legal operations, Marcelina focuses on a thoughtful, grounded approach to risk, translating today’s complex digital landscape into a clear, manageable path.
About coc00n
coc00n provides personal cyber security for high value individuals at a level previously only available to those under government protection. Contact us to find out more.