{"id":10567,"date":"2026-07-15T20:24:59","date_gmt":"2026-07-15T17:24:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsfire.gr\/en\/?p=10567"},"modified":"2026-07-16T15:39:56","modified_gmt":"2026-07-16T12:39:56","slug":"us-trial-may-expose-who-funded-hackers-against-exxon-critics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsfire.gr\/en\/us-trial-may-expose-who-funded-hackers-against-exxon-critics\/","title":{"rendered":"US Trial May Expose Who Funded Hackers Against Exxon Critics"},"content":{"rendered":"

A federal court case in New York may finally reveal who commissioned a sophisticated hacking operation against American climate activists a decade ago, with court documents pointing toward an oil industry lobbying firm that worked for ExxonMobil.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The case centers on Amit Forlit<\/strong>, an Israeli private investigator who was extradited to the United States and now faces hacking and wire fraud charges that could result in up to 45 years in prison. According to Guardian Environment<\/em>, climate activists who were targeted by phishing attacks in 2016 are closely monitoring the proceedings for answers about who ordered the cyberattacks against them.<\/p>\n

Kert Davies<\/strong>, founder of the Climate Investigations Center, which monitors the fossil fuel industry, received more than 80 phishing emails during the 2016 campaign. One fraudulent message impersonated a colleague sharing a Dropbox file labeled “ExxonMobil (confidential).docx”. A Department of Justice investigation later confirmed that hackers successfully breached the accounts of over 100 victims, including multiple critics of Exxon.<\/p>\n

Timeline Links Attacks to Corporate Accountability Push<\/h2>\n

The hacking campaign began shortly after explosive media reports in 2015 revealed that ExxonMobil’s own scientists had determined as early as 1982 that fossil fuel extraction and combustion caused climate change\u2014yet the company allegedly funded climate denial campaigns regardless. These revelations prompted state attorneys general to launch investigations into the oil giant.<\/p>\n

As climate activists mobilized to hold Exxon accountable for what they characterized as climate deception, the wave of sophisticated phishing attacks targeted their email systems, as Guardian Environment<\/em> reports.<\/p>\n

Court Documents Name Lobbying Firm<\/h2>\n

In a filing arguing against Forlit’s extradition from the United Kingdom, his attorney referenced the then-sealed Justice Department indictment and identified the alleged client: DCI Group, a lobbying firm representing ExxonMobil. The lawyer stated the hacking was allegedly commissioned by this firm on behalf of one of the world’s largest fossil fuel companies.<\/p>\n

A newly unsealed indictment from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in New York alleges that a lobbying firm working for an oil company matching Exxon’s description hired Forlit to execute a project involving the hacking of climate activists. Separately, Reuters reported that the FBI investigated DCI Group, which maintained a long-standing relationship with Exxon, regarding the hacking operation.<\/p>\n

Public records published by political finance tracker Open Secrets show Exxon was a major DCI Group client, spending over $3 million on lobbying, including $320,000 in 2015\u2014the year the hacking was allegedly commissioned.<\/p>\n

Denials from Both Companies<\/h2>\n

Both DCI Group and ExxonMobil deny any involvement in the hacking scheme. Neither company has been formally accused of wrongdoing by U.S. authorities. ExxonMobil did not respond to requests for comment, though the company has previously stated it has not been involved in or aware of any hacking activities, condemning such actions in the strongest possible terms. The oil giant has also said it acknowledges climate change is real and operates an entire business dedicated to reducing emissions.<\/p>\n

Craig Stevens<\/strong>, a partner at DCI Group, wrote in an email that the firm directs all employees and consultants to comply with the law. He added that the government has informed DCI that neither the firm nor its personnel are under investigation, and that they have no knowledge or understanding of the alleged hacking activity.<\/p>\n

Forlit has pleaded not guilty to the charges and declined to comment through his attorney.<\/p>\n

Years-Long Justice Department Investigation<\/h2>\n

Forlit’s extradition represents the culmination of a years-long Department of Justice effort. In 2018, after climate activists and others reported phishing attacks, federal investigators began gathering evidence of a coordinated scheme.<\/p>\n

Investigators uncovered correspondence showing unnamed co-conspirators had contacted Aviram Azari<\/strong>, another Israeli private investigator, proposing they could “make some money working together” and inviting him to a business meeting in India. The group then used phishing attacks to successfully hack email accounts of various targets located in the United States.<\/p>\n

Federal agents arrested Azari at John F. Kennedy International Airport in September 2019 while he was traveling to Disneyland with his family. He was charged with managing hacking projects and initially pleaded not guilty.<\/p>\n

After spending years in a New York prison awaiting trial, Azari pleaded guilty to hacking charges in 2022, though he denied knowledge of the client. Sentencing documents revealed he played a critical role in executing a vast hacking campaign targeting thousands of people worldwide, extending far beyond the attacks on Exxon critics.<\/p>\n

The ongoing case against Forlit may provide the first public accounting of who financed the operation targeting American climate activists during a critical period of corporate accountability efforts against the fossil fuel industry.<\/p>\n

With information from Guardian Environment<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The extradition of an Israeli investigator facing hacking charges may expose who hired hackers to target climate activists after reports revealed ExxonMobil knew of climate change in 1982.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":39,"featured_media":10764,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[122],"tags":[9266,9268,9267,9270,9269,2415,209],"nfg_topic":[135],"class_list":["post-10567","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-amit-forlit","tag-climate-activists","tag-exxonmobil","tag-fossil-fuel-industry","tag-hacking-trial","tag-new-york","tag-united-states","nfg_topic-world"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsfire.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10567","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsfire.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsfire.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsfire.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/39"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsfire.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10567"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/newsfire.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10567\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10765,"href":"https:\/\/newsfire.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10567\/revisions\/10765"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsfire.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10764"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsfire.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10567"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsfire.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10567"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsfire.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10567"},{"taxonomy":"nfg_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsfire.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/nfg_topic?post=10567"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}