Huge cybersecurity leak lifts lid on world of China’s hackers for hire

I-Soon’s office in Chengdu. Targets shown in the company’s leaked files included Nato, the EU, the UK Foreign Office, Pakistan’s postal service and Uyghurs in Xinjiang. Photograph: Dake Kang/AP

A big leak of data from a Chinese cybersecurity firm has revealed state security agents paying tens of thousands of pounds to harvest data on targets, including foreign governments, while hackers hoover up huge amounts of information on any person or institution who might be of interest to their prospective clients.

The cache of more than 500 leaked files from the Chinese firm I-Soon was posted on the developer website Github and is thought by cybersecurity experts to be genuine. Some of the targets discussed include Nato and the UK Foreign Office.