U.S. Lawmakers Target Indian Hack-for-Hire Firms | Tech News

0:00On September 9th, a group of lawmakers, both Democrats and Republicans, are pushing the U.S. government to ban three Indian companies. They are accusing these firms of running hack for higher operations, basically selling separate tax to clients. The main issue is that these companies have allegedly been targeting Americans, stealing data, and even using foreign courts to try and silence, reporting about their shady dealings. These lawmakers sent a letter this week urging the Commerce Department to put these companies on an economic sanctions list. This would make it super hard for U.S. businesses to work with them, cutting off access to essential tech like software and cloud services. The companies in question are Beltral X, Cyberroot, and Sunkissed Organic Farms, which used to go by appin. For over a decade, these mercenary hacking outfits have reportedly been involved in cyber attacks and espionage. Their goal? To mess with ongoing lawsuits and manipulate legal outcomes. They've allegedly gone after Americans, business owners, and their lawyers, conducting

1:04what's described as an aggressive censorship campaign to keep their activities under wraps. This whole push comes after a lot of investigative reporting has exposed the hack for higher industry. We've seen how these hackers get paid to break into people's devices to gain an edge in legal battles or influence decisions. One of the companies appin even managed to get a court order in India to force writers to take down a report about them, though that order was. Eventually, lifted. The lawmakers also mentioned that these hack for higher firms have allegedly operated on behalf of the Qatar government, with targets including former. U.S. lawmakers, this isn't the first time appin has been linked to Qatar. They've been tied to cyber attacks against FIFA officials before the World Cup. It's a complex web, and the Commerce Department hasn't commented on whether they'll take action. From the industry, powered by AI, this is Tech News Today. I'm Corey with The Story.