In a shadowy world where patriotism and profit blur, leaked chats from top Chinese firm I-Soon pull back the curtain on the hacker-for-hire underground.
I-Soon’s ambitious founder Wu cut his teeth in Green Army, China’s pioneering hacktivist group. Seeing an opportunity, he founded I-Soon to boost China’s cyber prowess, though riches also drove him.
Wu wooed contacts over lavish dinners, currying favor to win lucrative intelligence contracts. But subordinates chafed at low pay and shoddy projects, exposing tensions.
Rivals were allies and enemies in a cutthroat game of backstabbing and talent-poaching. HR director Chen particularly loathed competitor Qi Anxin, spitefully dubbing their recruiter a “green tea bitch.”
Though I-Soon aided police hacking and state bodies, Wu privately dismissed empty patriotism. “If you don’t make money, being famous is useless,” he bluntly stated.
Revelations of cozy ministry ties, shadowy hacking competitions, and targeting foreign critical infrastructure raise serious concerns. As cyber powers jockey and tensions rise, have profiteers like I-Soon become more dangerous than any patriot could imagine?
