jsr on Nostr: NEW: the US is seeking extradition of an Israeli private spy over sprawling hack & ...
NEW: the US is seeking extradition of an Israeli private spy over sprawling hack & leak operations against 🇺🇸American nonprofits.
Let me tell you a story...
Amit Forlit's alleged customer: a US lobbying firm named DCI Group...representing oil & gas giant ExxonMobil.
IT BEGINS
The criminal case was triggered back in 2018, when US-based nonprofits targeted by hackers whom we'd been working with requested that we notify the authorities.
We'd found an absolute raft of targeting and attributed the fingers-on-keyboards to an Indian hack-for-hire operation.
THE TARGETS
Targets ranged from environmental orgs to net neutrality advocates , everyone that asked questions about massive financial fraud by payment processor WireCard & so many more.
Our friends at EFF also spotted the phishing against net neutrality orgs & reported on it, we later attributed it to the Indian group.
TIME TO NAME & SHAME
We published alongside Reuters, naming the Indian group (BellTrox) back in 2020.
TWO ISRAELI PRIVATE SPIES...
Fast forward to today's efforts to extradite Amit Forlit, who was arrested at Heathrow last year.
He's actually the *second Israeli private investigator* charged in this massive hacking scheme.
The first, Aviram Azari, was arrested in 2019 on his way to Disney World, convicted & is serving out his sentence.
The US accuses Forlit of serving as a go-between for Indian hack-for-hire groups.. and a global client list.
The US doesn't name the lobbying firm or the big oil and gas company in their filing.....but Forlit's own lawyer helpfully filled in the details, as reported by Reuters.
THE SCHEME
The operation targeting environmental groups is pretty wild, and when we timelined phishing attempts against their advocacy strategies. The targeting was smart & super-aware of relationships between the targets.
When hacking is corporate, they make memos.
And email about them.
"Why the *** was he sending e mails what a dumb arse"
Epic line: The kind of message that prosecutors of...
TAKEAWAY
Today, many legal fights, including attacks on nonprofits & civil liberties groups, have a secret undercurrent of hacking-for-hire.
The powerful interests that commission the hacking & benefit from the often-manipulated 'leaks' escape consequences.
But if you are around these issues, you may get targeted too.
This case goes further up the chain than any before. We'll see just how high, but it is great to see some consequence brought to this shady ecosystem.
I'll keep folks here updated.
Reading list:
Our Citizen lab investigation:https://citizenlab.ca/2020/06/dark-basin-uncovering-a-massive-hack-for-hire-operation/
EFF report on targeting of net neutrality orgs: https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/09/phish-future
Report on Forlit hearing: https://www.reuters.com/world/israeli-private-eye-wanted-us-over-alleged-hacking-exxon-lobbyist-lawyer-says-2025-01-22/
Aviram conviction story: https://www.reuters.com/technology/cybersecurity/israeli-private-detective-sentenced-us-6-23-years-hacker-for-hire-scheme-2023-11-16/
Today, many legal fights, including attacks on nonprofits, have a secret undercurrent of hacking.
Let me tell you a story...
Amit Forlit's alleged customer: a US lobbying firm named DCI Group...representing oil & gas giant ExxonMobil.
IT BEGINS
The criminal case was triggered back in 2018, when US-based nonprofits targeted by hackers whom we'd been working with requested that we notify the authorities.
We'd found an absolute raft of targeting and attributed the fingers-on-keyboards to an Indian hack-for-hire operation.
THE TARGETS
Targets ranged from environmental orgs to net neutrality advocates , everyone that asked questions about massive financial fraud by payment processor WireCard & so many more.
Our friends at EFF also spotted the phishing against net neutrality orgs & reported on it, we later attributed it to the Indian group. TIME TO NAME & SHAME
We published alongside Reuters, naming the Indian group (BellTrox) back in 2020.
TWO ISRAELI PRIVATE SPIES...
Fast forward to today's efforts to extradite Amit Forlit, who was arrested at Heathrow last year.
He's actually the *second Israeli private investigator* charged in this massive hacking scheme.
The first, Aviram Azari, was arrested in 2019 on his way to Disney World, convicted & is serving out his sentence.
The US accuses Forlit of serving as a go-between for Indian hack-for-hire groups.. and a global client list.
The US doesn't name the lobbying firm or the big oil and gas company in their filing.....but Forlit's own lawyer helpfully filled in the details, as reported by Reuters.
THE SCHEME
The operation targeting environmental groups is pretty wild, and when we timelined phishing attempts against their advocacy strategies. The targeting was smart & super-aware of relationships between the targets.
When hacking is corporate, they make memos.
And email about them.
"Why the *** was he sending e mails what a dumb arse"
Epic line: The kind of message that prosecutors of...
TAKEAWAY
Today, many legal fights, including attacks on nonprofits & civil liberties groups, have a secret undercurrent of hacking-for-hire.
The powerful interests that commission the hacking & benefit from the often-manipulated 'leaks' escape consequences.
But if you are around these issues, you may get targeted too.
This case goes further up the chain than any before. We'll see just how high, but it is great to see some consequence brought to this shady ecosystem.
I'll keep folks here updated.
Reading list:
Our Citizen lab investigation:https://citizenlab.ca/2020/06/dark-basin-uncovering-a-massive-hack-for-hire-operation/
EFF report on targeting of net neutrality orgs: https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/09/phish-future
Report on Forlit hearing: https://www.reuters.com/world/israeli-private-eye-wanted-us-over-alleged-hacking-exxon-lobbyist-lawyer-says-2025-01-22/
Aviram conviction story: https://www.reuters.com/technology/cybersecurity/israeli-private-detective-sentenced-us-6-23-years-hacker-for-hire-scheme-2023-11-16/
Today, many legal fights, including attacks on nonprofits, have a secret undercurrent of hacking.