Group of Bipartisan Lawmakers Ask US Government to Ban Several Hack-for-Hire Firms
Bipartisan US lawmakers urged Commerce Secretary Lutnick to sanction three Indian hack-for-hire firms, including BellTroX, over espionage targeting US citizens.
On September 9, 2026, a bipartisan group of US lawmakers sent a letter urging Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick to add three Indian companies, including BellTroX InfoTech Services, to the economic sanctions list. The firms are accused of targeted espionage against US citizens, businesses, and their lawyers, as well as lawfare to censor investigative reporting by major American media. The request builds on Citizen Lab's 2020 discovery of the Dark Basin hack-for-hire operation, which targeted US nonprofits involved in #ExxonKnew and net neutrality advocacy and was linked to BellTroX and related entities.
- Bipartisan lawmakers asked the Commerce Department to sanction three Indian hack-for-hire firms on September 9
- BellTroX was linked to the Dark Basin operation Citizen Lab exposed in 2020
- Firms accused of espionage against US citizens, businesses, and their lawyers
- Lawmakers cite global lawfare aimed at censoring reporting by major American media outlets
- Vendors
- Citizen Lab
- Threat actors
- BellTroX InfoTech ServicesDark Basin
- Countries
- IndiaUnited States
From the original article
1 min read at citizenlab.ca
U. S. lawmakers call for sanctions on hack-for-hire companies, citing Citizen Lab report.
By Anna Mackay · citizenlab.ca
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