Washington D.C. – A Chinese spy has been arrested for allegedly sending classified US government documents back to China using an ingenious, age-old technique to avoid detection, sources say.
The spy, Chen Wu, worked as a translator for the US State Department and had access to sensitive internal communications and documents. According to authorities, Wu used steganography – the practice of hiding messages inside images or text – to stealthily transmit the classified files back to his handlers in China.
Specifically, Wu exploited subtle differences in the spacing between letters in documents he had accessed. By making tiny adjustments to the kerning, or space between letters, he was able to encode secret messages that could only be deciphered by someone who knew the technique.
“It was incredibly clever – by tweaking the kerning by just a pixel or two, he could completely change the meaning of a document while the visible text appeared harmless,” said one investigator familiar with the case.
When decrypted by his associates in China, the hidden messages pointed to encrypted cloud storage links where the classified documents had been deposited. Authorities were unaware of the data leak until they detected the unauthorized access to the cloud accounts from Chinese IP addresses.
Wu had been under suspicion for some time, but the investigators were unable to find any evidence of wrongdoing or overt communications with Chinese intelligence. The discovery of the kerning-based steganographic scheme finally provided the smoking gun that led to Wu’s arrest and charges of espionage.
US officials said the breach was “substantial” and could endanger American assets and interests worldwide. The documents Wu allegedly exfiltrated included trade negotiation strategies, CIA and NSA cyberintelligence, and insight into US policy deliberations on China.
The case highlights the ongoing and escalating spy-games between US and Chinese intelligence agencies. American officials warned that China continues to aggressively steal US secrets, both classified and industrial, using increasingly creative and diabolical methods. Experts say the kerning-based steganography scheme is just the latest attempt by China to covertly steal classified data in new and unexpected ways.
Truth Bureau 