They wanted to hold Exxon accountable. Then they got hacked.

This story is outside what Retrofit Relay covers. It concerns a legal and cybersecurity case tied to Exxon Mobil, not home energy upgrades, rebates, or efficiency programs, so there is nothing here that touches your house or your energy bills.

In brief: starting in 2016, climate activists working on the #ExxonKnew campaign, which aimed to hold Exxon accountable for what it knew about climate change, were targeted by a wave of phishing emails. Some had their accounts hacked, and stolen material later showed up in press reports and in Exxon's own court filings against state investigations. A hack-for-hire group called Dark Basin, based in India, was eventually identified as the source, and an Israeli private investigator, Aviram Azari, pleaded guilty to running the scheme. Now, newly unsealed court documents in the case of another Israeli investigator, Amit Forlit, allege the hacking was ordered by DCI Group, a lobbying firm that worked for Exxon, on behalf of a client described as an oil company headquartered in Irving, Texas, where Exxon was based at the time. Exxon and DCI Group both deny involvement. Forlit has pleaded not guilty.

None of this affects home energy programs, incentives, or upgrade planning, so there is no action for homeowners to take based on it.