"Privateers" and "mercenaries" have a long history, and more recently "Private Security Contractors" and "Private Military Companies" are widely used. There ar

"Privateers" and "mercenaries" have a long history, and more recently "Private Security Contractors" and "Private Military Companies" are widely used. There are also entities which can provide electronic attacks against networks and servers, as well as various entities that provide defenses against these attacks. And there are those entities which provide for information and propaganda distribution for both private and governmental interests, as well those that can provide astro-turfing, sock-puppeting, trolling and other services, and of course entities that provide the analysis to detect and potentially thwart these information-related efforts and to reduce the effects of these attacks.