How Apple workers leak to the press

Stephen Lam | Reuters

Tim Cook, CEO, holds an iPad Pro after his keynote address to Apple’s annual world wide developer conference (WWDC) in San Jose, California, U.S. June 5, 2017.

A report from the Outline reveals the very extent to which Apple’s Global Security team goes to keep information about future products from leaking to the press, even hiring experts who have worked for the NSA, FBI and the Secret Service.

But plenty of leaks come from its supply chain partners in places like China. This involves parts of new products — the most valuable items a leaker can sell — and information about what Apple is working on. Apple and its manufacturing partners have to screen 2.7 million people per day, The Outline said.

Still, parts are able to make their way out of factories. Apple’s report outlines various ways leaked pieces leave factories, from being stashed inside bras to flushed out into sewer systems.

The report has other juicy tidbits, like how Apple embeds part of its security team into product teams to try to prevent leaks, and how Apple searched for a mole within its campus for 3 years before finding out who was spilling the beans.

CNBC reached out to Apple for comment but a spokesperson was not immediately available.

Read the full report at The Outline.