Bipartisan Lawmakers Urge US Government to Ban Hack-for-Hire Firms Targeting Americans
A bipartisan group of US lawmakers has formally requested that the US government ban several hack-for-hire firms, accusing them of conducting cyberattacks against Americans and using foreign courts to suppress reporting on their activities. Democratic Senators Ron Wyden and Sheldon Whitehouse, along with Republican Congressman Pat Harrigan, sent a letter to US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick. They urged the Commerce Department to add three Indian companies—BellTroX, CyberRoot, and Sunkissed Organic Farms (formerly Appin)—to its economic sanctions "entity list." Inclusion on this list would effectively prohibit US businesses from transacting with these firms, thereby restricting their access to crucial technology like software licenses and cloud infrastructure. The lawmakers allege that these companies have engaged in cyberattacks and targeted espionage against thousands of Americans, including business owners and their lawyers, for over a decade, often to manipulate ongoing litigation. They also accus...
