US lawmakers seek entity-list action against three Indian hack-for-hire firms
Bipartisan lawmakers accuse BellTroX, CyberRoot and Sunkissed Organic Farms, formerly Appin, of cyberattacks, espionage and attempts to influence litigation.
Bipartisan US lawmakers have asked the Commerce Department to add three Indian hack-for-hire firms to its economic sanctions entity list, accusing them of targeting Americans and using stolen information to influence legal disputes.
Democratic senators Ron Wyden and Sheldon Whitehouse and Republican Congressman Pat Harrigan sent the request to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick on Wednesday, according to TechCrunch. The companies named are BellTroX, CyberRoot and Sunkissed Organic Farms, which previously operated as Appin.
The lawmakers’ letter alleges that the firms have conducted cyberattacks and espionage against Americans, business owners and their lawyers for more than a decade. It also accuses them of stealing data from thousands of people and pursuing an effort to suppress reporting about their activities.
An entity-list designation can restrict US businesses from transacting with named entities and limit access to technology, software licences and cloud infrastructure. The Commerce Department has not said whether it will act on the request.
The request follows reporting and investigations that linked the firms to alleged hack-for-hire activity targeting executives, officials and others. Appin previously obtained an Indian court order requiring Reuters to remove reporting about the company; the order was later lifted and the report republished.
The lawmakers’ letter also alleges that the firms operated at the behest of the Qatari government. That claim has not been confirmed by Qatar’s government, and the companies and Qatari representatives did not respond to TechCrunch before publication.
