Hackers-for-hire target institutions involved in ‘contentious issues’

New report reveals extent of efforts to steal passwords

The growth of the ‘hacking-for-hire’ industry is revealed in a report from Citizen Lab, and discussed in the Financial Times. Researchers discovered 28,000 web pages dedicated to ‘spear phishing’ for passwords. Targets included advocacy groups, journalists, law firms and elected officials, especially those involved in environmental or financial campaigns. The report says the hacking group ‘Dark Basin’ used an Indian company – BellTroXInfoTec – to conduct the attacks, but adds that the layers of contract, payment and information allowed clients ‘a degree of deniability and distance’. A large cluster of attacks were centred on the German company Wirecard, which had been under financial investigation. Read more (£).