Hacker ‘mercenaries’ spy on Japan, South Korea

A small, sophisticated international hacking group was responsible for a widely publicised 2011 spying attack on members of Japan’s parliament as well as dozens of previously undisclosed breaches at government agencies and strategic companies in Japan and South Korea, security researchers said.

Researchers at Kaspersky Lab believe they have found a squad of hackers for hire, who contract out to governments and possibly businesses, in contrast to recent reports on hacks said to be carried out by full-time government employees.