Picture: Midjourney
The Treasury Division’s Workplace of Overseas Property Management (OFAC) has sanctioned 4 Iranian nationals for his or her involvement in cyberattacks in opposition to the U.S. authorities, protection contractors, and personal firms.
OFAC additionally introduced sanctions in opposition to two entrance firms—Mehrsam Andisheh Saz Nik (MASN), previously Mahak Rayan Afzar, and Dadeh Afzar Arman (DAA)—for the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Cyber Digital Command (IRGC-CEC), an Iranian Armed Forces service that coordinates the nation’s cyber warfare campaigns.
Two of the sanctioned cybercriminals, Alireza Shafie Nasab and Reza Kazemifar Rahman focused U.S. organizations whereas employed by MASN. Kazemifar additionally attacked the Division of the Treasury in spear phishing campaigns.
A 3rd sanctioned Iranian, Hosein Mohammad Harooni, focused the Treasury Division and different U.S. entities utilizing spear phishing and varied social engineering operations.
Komeil Baradaran Salmani, the fourth Iranian sanctioned on Tuesday, was linked to assaults in opposition to U.S. orgs coordinated by MASN, DAA, and different IRGC-CEC entrance firms and IRGC companies just like the Iranian Group for Digital Warfare and Cyber Protection (EWCD).
Though the Iranian risk actors are nonetheless at giant, at this time’s sanctions have frozen all U.S.-based property and pursuits tied to designated people and entities.
Entities at the very least 50% owned by blocked individuals are additionally topic to freeze, and transactions involving their property are prohibited with out OFAC authorization, whereas monetary establishments and different organizations coping with sanctioned people and firms additionally danger publicity to sanctions or enforcement actions.
The State Division can also be providing rewards of as much as $10 million for data on Kazemifar, Salmani, and Harooni, in addition to the MASN and DAA IRGC-CEC entrance firms.
​Right now, the Justice Division additionally unsealed indictments charging Kazemifar, Salmani, and Harooni for his or her involvement in a cyber marketing campaign concentrating on U.S. authorities businesses, together with the U.S. Departments of State and Treasury, and personal entities, primarily cleared protection contractors, between 2016 and 2021.
Alireza Shafie Nasab was additionally indicted in February for attacking U.S. protection contractors and different firms as a part of the identical multi-year cyber marketing campaign.
“During their campaigns against one victim, the group compromised more than 200,000 employee accounts. In another campaign, the conspirators targeted 2,000 employee accounts,” the Justice Division stated.
“These defendants are alleged to have engaged in a coordinated, multi-year hacking campaign from Iran targeting more than a dozen American companies and the U.S. Treasury and State Departments,” added Lawyer Basic Merrick B. Garland.
The Treasury Division additionally sanctioned the top of IRGC-CEC, Hamid Reza Lashgarian, and IRGC-CEC senior officers Mahdi Lashgarian, Hamid Homayunfal, Milad Mansuri, Mohammad Bagher Shirinkar, and Reza Mohammad Amin Saberian in early February for their involvement in current cyberattacks in opposition to U.S. essential infrastructure.
