Appin (company)

Appin was an Indian cyber espionage company, later renamed Sunkissed Organic Farms, that provided hacking services to governments, private investigators, and corporate clients. Founded in 2003 by Rajat Khare and associates as a technology training startup, the company had shifted to mercenary hacking by 2010. It operated a digital platform through which more than 70 clients commissioned hacks against hundreds of targets worldwide.

According to investigative reports by Reuters, Appin was a "hack-for-hire powerhouse that stole secrets from executives, politicians, military officials and wealthy elites around the globe." The company is credited with creating the operational model still used by India's cyber-mercenary industry. Khare, through his U.S. law firm Clare Locke, has denied any involvement in hacking, stating he "has never operated or supported, and certainly did not create, any illegal 'hack for hire' industry" and that under his tenure Appin specialised in training students in cybersecurity, "never in illicit hacking." His lawyers have described media reports tying Khare to hacking as "false" or "fundamentally flawed" and have said he left Appin in part because rogue actors were misusing the company's brand.

Between 2012 and 2016, Appin became the subject of criminal investigations in several countries, though these were eventually closed without charges. Google's threat intelligence team tracked Appin-linked hackers targeting tens of thousands of email accounts. Following increased scrutiny, Appin scaled back its online presence and was subsequently renamed multiple times, ultimately becoming Sunkissed Organic Farms in 2017, while former employees went on to found other hack-for-hire firms that continue to operate.

Co-founder Rajat Khare, who resides in Switzerland, has been the subject of ongoing legal actions and media investigations. According to Reporters Without Borders, Khare and entities associated with Appin have filed lawsuits against at least 15 media outlets in multiple countries, which RSF described as "an offensive on an unprecedented global scale" to suppress reporting on the company's activities.