Iranian nationals charged with hacking U.S. companies, Treasury and State departments | CyberScoop<\/title> <meta name=\"description\" content=\"$10 million rewards offered for information regarding the accused, who are allegedly connected to a pair of IRGC front companies.\"> <link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/iranian-nationals-charged-with-hacking-u-s-companies-treasury-and-state-departments\/\"> <meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\"> <meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\"> <meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Iranian nationals charged with hacking U.S. companies, Treasury and State departments\"> <meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"$10 million rewards offered for information regarding the accused, who are allegedly connected to a pair of IRGC front companies.\"> <meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/iranian-nationals-charged-with-hacking-u-s-companies-treasury-and-state-departments\/\"> <meta 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<span>Geopolitics<\/span> <\/a> <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p> $10 million rewards offered for information regarding the accused, who are allegedly connected to a pair of IRGC front companies. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"single-article__cover-wrap\">\n<figure class=\"single-article__cover\"> <img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" fetchpriority=\"high\" width=\"640\" height=\"408\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/iranian-nationals-charged-with-hacking-u-s-companies-treasury-and-state-departments.jpg?resize=640%2C408&ssl=1\" class=\"single-article__cover-image wp-post-image\" alt decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/iranian-nationals-charged-with-hacking-u-s-companies-treasury-and-state-departments-2.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/iranian-nationals-charged-with-hacking-u-s-companies-treasury-and-state-departments-2.jpg?resize=300,191 300w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/iranian-nationals-charged-with-hacking-u-s-companies-treasury-and-state-departments-2.jpg?resize=768,489 768w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/iranian-nationals-charged-with-hacking-u-s-companies-treasury-and-state-departments-2.jpg?resize=1024,652 1024w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/iranian-nationals-charged-with-hacking-u-s-companies-treasury-and-state-departments-2.jpg?resize=1536,978 1536w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/iranian-nationals-charged-with-hacking-u-s-companies-treasury-and-state-departments-2.jpg?resize=600,382 600w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/iranian-nationals-charged-with-hacking-u-s-companies-treasury-and-state-departments-2.jpg?resize=264,168 264w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/iranian-nationals-charged-with-hacking-u-s-companies-treasury-and-state-departments-2.jpg?resize=529,337 529w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/iranian-nationals-charged-with-hacking-u-s-companies-treasury-and-state-departments-2.jpg?resize=1060,675 1060w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/iranian-nationals-charged-with-hacking-u-s-companies-treasury-and-state-departments-2.jpg?resize=1323,843 1323w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1060px) 100vw, 1060px\"><figcaption> An Iranian flag waves in a wind outside the Vienna International Centre hosting the United Nations (UN) headquarters and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) as the socalled EU 5+1 talks with Iran take place in Vienna, on July 3, 2014. (Photo by JOE KLAMAR\/AFP via Getty Images) <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"single-article__content\">\n<div class=\"single-article__content-inner has-drop-cap\"> <html readability=\"28.95652173913\"><body readability=\"59.425149700599\"><\/p>\n<p>The U.S. government on Tuesday took sweeping action against four Iranian nationals, accusing them of participating in hacking operations that targeted the U.S. Treasury and State departments, defense contractors and two New York-based companies on behalf of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).<\/p>\n<p>All four were <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/opa\/media\/1349141\/dl?inline\">indicted and charged<\/a> with conspiracy to commit computer fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and wire fraud. They each face up to five years in prison for the computer fraud conspiracy charge and up to 20 years in prison for each count of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/opa\/pr\/justice-department-charges-four-iranian-nationals-multi-year-cyber-campaign-targeting-us\">U.S. Department of Justice said in a statement<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The four were also sanctioned by the Treasury Department, and the State Department is <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/RFJ_USA\/status\/1782824365127500272\">offering a reward of up to $10 million<\/a> and possible relocation for any information on three of the men or the companies with whom they\u2019re associated. <\/p>\n<p>The accused defendants are Hossein Harooni, Reza Kazemifar, Komeil Baradaran Salmani and Alireza Shafie Nasab. The men have various connections to a pair of IRGC front companies, which were used to carry out various aspects of the attacks, <a href=\"https:\/\/home.treasury.gov\/news\/press-releases\/jy2292\">according to the Treasury Department<\/a>: Mehrsam Andisheh Saz Nik (MASN), previously known as Mahak Rayan Afzar, and Dadeh Afzar Arman (DAA).<\/p>\n<div class=\"ad ad--inline_1 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Harooni was additionally charged with knowingly damaging a protected computer, which could add an additional 10-year prison penalty. Harooni, Salamani and Nasab were also charged with aggravated identity theft, which carries a mandatory consecutive term of two years in prison, the Department of Justice said.<\/p>\n<p>An indictment against Nasab was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/opa\/pr\/iranian-national-charged-multi-year-hacking-campaign-targeting-us-defense-contractors-and\">previously unsealed in February<\/a> for the same charges, and the State Department had already offered <a href=\"https:\/\/rewardsforjustice.net\/rewards\/alireza-shafie-nasab\/\">a $10 million reward<\/a> for information leading to his location.<\/p>\n<p>The men are accused of participating in \u201ca coordinated multi-year campaign to conduct and attempt to conduct computer intrusions\u201d between 2016 through at least April 2021, the Department of Justice said in a statement. The group primarily targeted cleared defense contractors, which are companies authorized to access, receive and store classified information in support of the U.S. Department of Defense.<\/p>\n<p>The group also targeted an unnamed New York-based accounting firm and a New York-based hospitality company, according to the indictment. In total, the group stands accused of targeting more than a dozen U.S. companies, alongside the Treasury and State Departments, according to the State Department\u2019s reward offer.<\/p>\n<p>The Permanent Mission of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations in New York did not immediately respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n<p><\/body> <\/p>\n<footer class=\"single-article__footer\" readability=\"1.0073800738007\">\n<div class=\"author-card\" readability=\"8\">\n<div class=\"author-card__avatar\">\n<figure class=\"author-card__image-wrap\"> <img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"author-card__image\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/iranian-nationals-charged-with-hacking-u-s-companies-treasury-and-state-departments-1.jpg?w=640&ssl=1\" alt=\"AJ Vicens\"> <\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><h4 class=\"author-card__name\">Written by AJ Vicens<\/h4>\n<p> AJ covers nation-state threats and cybercrime. He was previously a reporter at Mother Jones. Get in touch via Signal\/WhatsApp: (810-206-9411). <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"single-article__tags-container\">\n<h4 class=\"single-article__tags-title\">In This Story<\/h4>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/footer>\n<p> <\/html><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"single-article__ads js-single-article-sidebar\">\n<div class=\"ad ad--sidebar js-single-article-sidebar-5 ad--rightrail_1 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ad ad--sidebar js-single-article-sidebar-4 ad--rightrail_2 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ad ad--sidebar js-single-article-sidebar-3 ad--rightrail_3 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/article>\n<div class=\"popular-stories popular-stories--single-post\">\n<div class=\"popular-stories__container\">\n<h2 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{"id":3229,"date":"2024-04-23T15:19:15","date_gmt":"2024-04-23T20:19:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/?p=80236"},"modified":"2024-04-23T15:19:15","modified_gmt":"2024-04-23T20:19:15","slug":"iranian-nationals-charged-with-hacking-u-s-companies-treasury-and-state-departments","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/2024\/04\/23\/iranian-nationals-charged-with-hacking-u-s-companies-treasury-and-state-departments\/","title":{"rendered":"Iranian nationals charged with hacking U.S. companies, Treasury and State departments"},"content":{"rendered":"