US Offers $10 Million Reward for Information on Three Cyber Attack Perpetrators in Iran
Senior officials from the U.S. Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the FBI, on Wednesday, September 14, accused three Iranian citizens of using “ransomware” and conducting “cyber attacks” against “critical” infrastructure in the United States.
The U.S. Department of Justice has also set a reward of up to $10 million for information about “these three cyber attackers.”
In a statement, the U.S. Department of Justice identified Ahmad Khatibi, 45, Amirhossein Nik-Ayin, 30, and Mansour Ahmadi, 34, as perpetrators of cyber attacks aimed at “hacking” and damaging U.S. institutions and citizens.
According to the report, these three individuals likely reside in Iran.
In the indictment by the U.S. Department of Justice, there is no reference to these individuals’ connection to the Islamic Republic government. However, it has been stated that these individuals are connected to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
U.S. justice officials say these cyber attacks were carried out purely for financial gain and with the assumption of being free from any legal prosecution.
The indictment against these three individuals states that they targeted hundreds of individuals, state institutions, transportation systems, aerospace, power companies, and even a small non-profit organization providing shelter for victims of domestic violence.
Philip Sellinger, the U.S. Attorney for New Jersey, stated: “Cyber attacks related to extortion – like what happened here – are a particularly destructive form of cybercrime.”
The New Jersey State Attorney emphasized: “No form of cyber attack is acceptable, but ransomware attacks that target critical infrastructure services such as healthcare facilities and government organizations are a threat to our national security.”
The indictment specifies that these individuals, by identifying software vulnerabilities, engaged in ransomware activities and also infiltrated computers and stole information, targeting individuals and institutions not only in America but also in other countries, and threatened victims that if they failed to pay the demanded substantial sum, their information would be released.
On the same day, the U.S. Department of Treasury sanctioned 10 individuals, including these three, and two Iranian entities for involvement in cyber attacks, including the use of ransomware.
In a statement, the department noted that all sanctioned individuals and entities are connected to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and the purpose of the sanctions is to protect American citizens against cyber attacks such as ransomware.
The statement noted that some of the activities of the sanctioned individuals may partially overlap with groups such as “Cuddly Kittens,” “Phosphorus,” and “APT35.” Cybersecurity firms associate these groups with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Source: Radio Farda
