‘Mercenary’ hacker group widespread in Mideast, research finds

Saudi diplomats, Sikh separatists and Indian business executives have been among those targeted by a group of hired hackers, according to research published on Wednesday by software firm BlackBerry Corp.

The report on the group, known publicly as Bahamut, the name assigned to the mythical sea monster of Arab lore, highlights how cybersecurity researchers are increasingly finding evidence of mercenaries online.

Saudi diplomats, Sikh separatists and Indian business executives have been among those targeted by a group of hired hackers, according to research published on Wednesday by software firm BlackBerry Corp.

The report on the group, known publicly as Bahamut, the name assigned to the mythical sea monster of Arab lore, highlights how cybersecurity researchers are increasingly finding evidence of mercenaries online.

Apple declined to comment on the record. Two of the apps flagged by BlackBerry are no longer in the Apple App Store, however. A Google spokesman said all the apps in the Google Play store mentioned in the report had been removed.

Milam declined to comment on who he thought might be behind Bahamut, but he said he hoped the report would help to sharpen the focus on hackers for hire. Taha Karim, the chief executive of Emirati cybersecurity company tephracore – who wasn’t involved in BlackBerry’s research but reviewed the report ahead of publication – said the findings were credible and “they found links that aren’t obvious.”