Illustration by Megan J. Goff

Inside the i-Soon papers and China’s secret world of hackers-for-hire

Newly leaked files from a private Chinese hackers-for-hire company provide a fresh look into China’s “cyber industrial complex” — and it appears to be bigger and more mature than observers had previously imagined. Dina Temple-Raston, host and managing editor of the Recorded Future News podcast “Click Here,” has the story.

A recent leak of secret contracts, presentations, client lists and chat logs are pulling back the curtain on China’s secret world of hackers for hire.

The target of the leak is a Chinese intelligence company called i-Soon.

The FBI has charged seven Chinese nationals and what it has called a sinister plot. The suspects hacked into online accounts of US and foreign critics of China, as well as businesses and politicians. The leak of documents from China suggests that this kind of hack is likely not the work of just a few people.

As Dina Temple-Raston from the “Click Here” podcast reports, the leak provided concrete evidence of just how closely China’s cybersecurity community is working with the Chinese government to hack adversaries inside and outside of China.

Click above to hear the full story.

An earlier version of this story appeared on the “Click Here” podcast from Recorded Future News. Additional reporting by Sean Powers.

Related: China’s dominant role in producing hacking bugs

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