A hackers-for-hire group dubbed “Dark Basin” has targeted thousands of individuals and hundreds of institutions around the world, including advocacy groups, journalists, elected officials, lawyers, hedge funds, and companies, according to the Internet watchdog Citizen Lab.

Researchers discovered almost 28,000 webpages created by hackers for personalized “spear phishing” attacks designed to steal passwords, according to a report published on Tuesday by Citizen Lab, part of the University of Toronto’s Munk School.

“We see them again and again in areas where business and politics is contentious,” said John Scott-Railton, the lead author of the report, who said the hackers were “brazen, they seem to think they are untouchable.”