April 24, 2024 at 09:45AM
The U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned two firms and four individuals for cyber activities on behalf of the Iranian IRGC-CEC. The DoJ unsealed an indictment against the individuals for cyber attacks targeting the U.S. government and private entities. A reward of up to $10 million was announced for information leading to their identification. The development comes amid escalating geopolitical tensions in the Middle East.
Key takeaways from the meeting notes:
1. The U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned two firms and four individuals for their involvement in cyber activities on behalf of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Cyber Electronic Command (IRGC-CEC) from 2016 to April 2021.
2. The sanctioned companies are Mehrsam Andisheh Saz Nik (MASN) and Dadeh Afzar Arman (DAA), and the individuals include Alireza Shafie Nasab, Reza Kazemifar Rahman, Hossein Mohammad Harooni, and Komeil Baradaran Salmani.
3. The individuals targeted over a dozen U.S. companies and government entities through cyber operations, including spear-phishing and malware attacks.
4. The U.S. Department of Justice unsealed an indictment against the four individuals for orchestrating cyber attacks targeting the U.S. government and private entities.
5. A reward of up to $10 million has been announced for information leading to the identification or location of the group and the defendants.
6. The defendants are at large.
7. The defendants primarily targeted private sector defense contractors and other government entities, compromising over 200,000 employee accounts.
8. If convicted, they face prison terms ranging from five years to 20 years for various charges.
9. The development comes amid geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, including incidents between Israel and Iran.
Overall, the meeting notes highlight the significant cyber attacks orchestrated by Iranian entities against American companies and government entities, resulting in sanctions and criminal charges against the individuals involved.