One hacking “cartel” that’s caused international concern is Toxic House. Its existence was discovered by a Russian amateur investigator.
He found evidence of an unknown group as he looked through discarded data. This is non-sensitive sets found on random systems.
The paper trail led to erratic “Hubs” of amateur hackers, who nonetheless knew how to set up networks and use them to their own advantage.
A few ex-military figures and plenty of octogenarians are among its cohort, as well as many thousands of other non-descript activists.
Their “Initiatives”, as they’re called, are not famous. However, further work led to a hard drive containing details of at least four previous attempts.
It appears they track victims everywhere. Their efforts are extremely nefarious, because they spread blame onto the wrong actors.
It’s a tactic not frequently used in hacking circles because concealing a location is more important. However, their specially constructed “Hubs” don’t need to bother too much.
Also, their pilfering is inherently suspicious and it’s more important to be able to deny it than be safe.
They are often unsuccessful, but they are known to be unrelenting, like many amateurs in subterranean hacking networks. It’s a hallmark of mainstream involvement.
