US offers $10 million reward for identifying three perpetrators of cyberattacks in Iran
Senior officials from the US Department of Justice and the FBI on Wednesday, September 13, accused three Iranian citizens of using "ransomware" and "cyberattacks" against "critical" US infrastructure.
The US Department of Justice has also offered a reward of up to $10 million for information about "these three cyber actors."
In a statement, the US Department of Justice charged Ahmad Khatibi, 45, Amir Hossein Nikayin, 30, and Mansour Ahmadi, 34, with cyberattacks aimed at "hacking" and harming US institutions and citizens.
According to this report, these three people probably live in Iran.
The US Department of Justice's indictment does not mention any connection between these individuals and the Islamic Republic government, but it does say that these individuals are connected to the Revolutionary Guard Corps.
US justice officials say these cyberattacks were carried out solely for financial gain and with the illusion of being immune to any legal prosecution.
The indictment against the three men states that they targeted hundreds of individuals, state entities, transportation systems, aerospace, power companies, and even a small nonprofit shelter for victims of domestic violence.
"Ransomware-related cyberattacks – like what happened here – are a specific form of malicious cybercrime," said New Jersey Attorney General Philip Salinger.
The New Jersey State Attorney General has emphasized: "No form of cyberattack is acceptable, but ransomware attacks targeting critical infrastructure services such as healthcare facilities and government organizations pose a threat to our national security."
The indictment states that these individuals, by identifying software vulnerabilities, carried out ransomware activities, as well as intruding into computers and stealing information, targeting individuals and institutions not only in the United States but also in other countries, and threatened victims that they would release their information if they did not pay the huge sum demanded.
The US Treasury Department on the same day sanctioned 10 individuals, including these three, and two Iranian entities for their involvement in cyberattacks, including the use of ransomware.
The department stated in a statement that the sanctioned individuals and entities are all associated with the Revolutionary Guard Corps and that the purpose of their sanctions is to protect American citizens from cyberattacks such as ransomware.
The statement said some of the activities of the sanctioned individuals may overlap to some extent with groups such as “Melos Kittens,” “Phosphor,” and “APT35.” Cybersecurity firms have linked these groups to the Revolutionary Guards.
Source: Radio Farda
