Four Iranians were indicted on Tuesday for allegedly participating in a multi-year campaign of “malicious cyber operations” that targeted the U.S. State and Treasury departments, defense contractors and two New York companies.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) unsealed an indictment in Manhattan federal court charging Hossein Haruni, Reza Kazemifal, Komeir Baradaran Salmani, and Alireza Shafie Nassab with computer fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and communications. He was charged with fraud and other crimes.
In conjunction with the release of the indictment against the four co-conspirators, the U.S. Department of State’s Rewards for Justice Program (RFJ) announced it would offer up to $10 million for information leading to the identity or location of the group and the defendants. the ministry said. .
The Treasury Department also announced sanctions against four co-conspirators and other cyber attackers.
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“Criminal activity originating from Iran poses a grave threat to the national security and economic stability of the United States,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “These defendants are alleged to have been involved in a coordinated, multi-year hacking campaign by Iran that targeted more than a dozen U.S. companies and the U.S. Treasury and State Departments. This is just one part of the U.S. government’s efforts to counter the threat emanating from Iran that puts Americans at risk. ”
According to the indictment, from at least 2016 to April 2021, Harouni, Kazemifar, Salmani, Nassab and others are accused of participating in a coordinated, multi-year campaign to infiltrate computers. It is said that he was part of a hacking organization that was
The hackers targeted more than a dozen U.S. companies, as well as the U.S. Treasury Department and the U.S. State Department.
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Reza Kazemifar (left), Komeir Salmani, and Hossein Harouoni conducted a malicious cyber campaign against approximately a dozen contractors for the U.S. State Department, Treasury Department, and Department of Defense, as well as two New York companies. They are three of the four Iranians accused. (Reward for posting Justice X)
Kazemifar, Salmani and Nasab worked for Mahak Rayan Afraz, an Iranian-based cybersecurity services company, but the Justice Department claims the company was merely a front for their activities. are doing.
Private sector targets are removed by defense contractors with security clearance granted by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) to access, receive, and access classified information to conduct activities in support of DoD programs. It is now possible to save.
The hackers also targeted an accounting firm and a hospitality company in New York.
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The U.S. Department of Justice on Tuesday indicted four Iranians for allegedly participating in a multi-year campaign of “malicious cyber operations.” (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
During a hacking campaign, the conspirators tricked email recipients into clicking on a link that turned out to be malicious and infected their computers with malware.
In one campaign, the group targeted a single victim, resulting in over 200,000 employee accounts being compromised.
The hackers conducted a separate campaign targeting about 2,000 employee accounts, according to the Justice Department.
As the group continued its attacks, the hackers were able to gain access to the email accounts of administrators belonging to a defense contractor. This access allowed the co-conspirators to establish fraudulent accounts that were used to send hacking campaigns to employees of different defense contractors and consulting firms.
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Iranian pro-government supporters shout anti-Israel slogans in Tehran’s Palestine Square. (Hossein Beris/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)
The indictment notes that Kazemifar was responsible for testing the tools used in the campaign. He also allegedly worked for the Iranian Electronic Warfare and Cyber Defense Organization (EWCD), which is part of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC).
The United States has designated the Revolutionary Guards as a foreign terrorist organization.
According to the indictment, Haroni procured, controlled and controlled the group’s infrastructure, including computer servers and software used to conduct its hacking activities.
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He is also said to have used a real person’s passport to hide his role in the election campaign.
Like Kazemifar, Salmani has been testing tools used to carry out hacking campaigns, including attacks on hospitality companies.
Nasab is accused of creating the infrastructure used in a social engineering campaign in which the women were used to gain the trust of victims before deploying malware to their computers and devices.
All four co-conspirators were charged with conspiracy to commit computer fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and wire fraud. Conspiracy to commit computer fraud carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison, and wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud each carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
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The Justice Department said Haroni was also charged with intentionally damaging a protected computer, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison if convicted. The Justice Department also charged Haroni, Salmani and Nassab with aggravated identity theft.
