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Lawmakers urge Commerce Department to sanction three Indian cyber firms

A bipartisan group asked the agency to penalize foreign hack-for-hire outfits, TechCrunch reports.

The short version

  • A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers sent a letter asking the Commerce Department to add BellTroX, CyberRoot, and Sunkissed Organic Farms to its entity list.[TechCrunch]
  • The lawmakers accuse the three Indian firms of running cyberattacks against Americans and working at the behest of Qatar to manipulate ongoing litigation.[TechCrunch]
  • The Commerce Department has not commented on whether it will place the companies on the economic sanctions list.[TechCrunch]

Key facts

  • Lawmakers sent a letter urging the U.S. government to add BellTroX, CyberRoot, and Sunkissed Organic Farms to the Commerce Department entity list.[TechCrunch]
  • The letter accuses the firms of conducting cyberattacks against Americans and their lawyers to manipulate ongoing legal disputes.[TechCrunch]
  • Lawmakers alleged the targeted hack-for-hire companies operated at the direction of the Qatari government.[TechCrunch]

What remains uncertain

  • Whether the Commerce Department will add the three companies to its entity list remains unknown, as an agency spokesperson did not respond to requests for comment.[TechCrunch]

Sources

Outlet counts describe coverage, not independent confirmation. Reports may share a wire service or original source.