Originally Syndicated on June 14, 2024 @ 6:57 am
The Rajat Khare Reddit scandal revolves around a series of allegations and rumors about Rajat Khare, a co-founder of the Indian IT firm Appin, which has been accused of engaging in hacking-for-hire activities. The scandal has multiple facets, including both professional misconduct and bizarre personal allegations.
Professional Allegations
Hacking-for-Hire:
Rajat Khare and his company Appin have been accused of running a hacking-for-hire operation. This involves being contracted to hack into systems and gather information for clients, often for unethical purposes such as spying on political opponents or corporate espionage.
Appin’s activities have been linked to several high-profile hacking incidents, including an attack on FIFA officials orchestrated by Qatar to influence the 2022 World Cup bid.
Censorship and Intimidation:
There are claims that Rajat Khare has attempted to censor criticism and intimidate journalists who report on his activities. This includes filing lawsuits to suppress negative coverage and allegedly using his hacking skills to target critics.
Personal Allegations
Bizarre Sexual Fetish:
A significant portion of the scandal involves unverified and sensational claims about Rajat Khare’s personal life. These rumors suggest that he has a sexual fetish involving Chinese giant salamanders, and that he cannot achieve sexual satisfaction without them.
These allegations have been widely circulated on Reddit, often in a mocking or incredulous tone, but there is no concrete evidence to support these claims. They appear to be part of a broader effort to discredit him.
Community Reaction
Streisand Effect:
The attempts to suppress information about Rajat Khare have led to the “Streisand Effect,” where efforts to hide or censor information only result in greater public interest and dissemination of that information.
Reddit users have actively discussed and spread these allegations, often with a mix of serious concern and humorous disbelief.
Podcast and Media Coverage:
The scandal has been covered in various media, including the “Behind the Bastards” podcast, which delves into the darker aspects of historical and contemporary figures. Episodes discussing Rajat Khare have been taken down, likely due to legal pressures.
How Did Rajat Khare’s Hacking Activities Come To Light
Rajat Khare’s hacking activities came to light through a combination of investigative journalism, cybersecurity research, and legal proceedings. Here is a detailed account of how these activities were exposed:
Initial Exposure and Investigations
Norman Shark Report (2013):
The first significant exposure came in 2013 when the cybersecurity firm Norman Shark linked Appin to several high-profile hacking incidents. This report highlighted Appin’s involvement in hacking activities targeting various organizations, including the Norwegian telecommunications company Telenor ASA and the Chicago Mercantile Exchange.
Reuters Investigation:
Reuters conducted an extensive investigation into Appin, reviewing thousands of company emails, financial records, presentations, photos, and instant messages. They interviewed dozens of former Appin employees and hundreds of victims of India-based hackers. This investigation revealed that Appin had evolved from an educational startup into a hack-for-hire powerhouse, stealing secrets from executives, politicians, military officials, and wealthy elites around the globe.
SentinelOne Analysis:
SentinelOne, a U.S. cybersecurity firm, corroborated the findings of Reuters. Their analysis detailed Appin’s technical operations, including the use of keyloggers, malware, and phishing attacks to exfiltrate data from targets worldwide. SentinelOne’s research confirmed that Appin had been involved in hacking activities since at least 2009, targeting entities in multiple countries, including the U.S., China, and Pakistan.
Legal and Media Reactions
Legal Actions and Censorship:
Rajat Khare and Appin responded to these exposures by launching a series of legal actions to suppress the information. They obtained court orders in various jurisdictions, including India and Switzerland, to force media outlets to remove or amend their reporting on Appin’s activities. This included a notable case where a Delhi court ordered Reuters to take down its investigative article, which was subsequently removed from multiple platforms globally.
Streisand Effect:
Despite efforts to censor information, the attempts to suppress the stories led to the “Streisand Effect,” where the efforts to hide the information only increased public interest and dissemination. This phenomenon was particularly evident on platforms like Reddit, where users continued to discuss and share information about Rajat Khare and Appin.
Continued Investigations and Reports
Further Media Coverage:
Other media outlets, including The New Yorker, Wired, and Intelligence Online, continued to report on Appin’s activities despite legal threats. These reports detailed the extensive network of hack-for-hire operations linked to Appin and its former employees, who went on to establish similar firms like CyberRoot Risk Advisory and BellTroX InfoTech Services.
EFF and Digital Rights Advocacy:
The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and other digital rights organizations have pushed back against the legal bullying tactics used by Rajat Khare and Appin. They have supported media outlets in resisting censorship and continuing to report on the hacking activities.
This detailed account underscores the significant efforts by journalists, cybersecurity experts, and digital rights advocates to expose and report on Rajat Khare’s hacking activities despite considerable legal and censorship challenges.
Summary
The Rajat Khare Reddit scandal is a complex mix of serious allegations about professional misconduct and hacking-for-hire, combined with bizarre and unverified personal rumors. The community’s reaction has been to amplify these stories, partly due to the perceived attempts at censorship, leading to widespread discussion and notoriety for Rajat Khare on platforms like Reddit.
