The Justice Department said on April 23 that it filed charges in the U.S. against four Iranian citizens, alleging their “involvement in a cyber-enabled campaign” that aimed to compromise Federal agencies including the departments of State and Treasury, along with U.S.-based defense contractors and other firms.
The charges were filed against Hossein Harooni, Reza Kazemifar, Komeil Baradaran Salmani, and Alireza Shafie Nasab. The Justice Department said the four remain at large, meaning that they are likely located outside the U.S.
The alleged hacking campaign was conducted from 2016 through 2021, and targeted the two Federal agencies, and more than a dozen U.S. firms – mostly defense contractors with security clearances.
The hackers allegedly used spearphishing and social engineering techniques to infect victims’ computer with malware, and succeeded in compromising hundreds of thousands of employee accounts.
Each of the four were charged with conspiracy to commit computer fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and wire fraud. Those charges, if convictions were obtained, could carry prison sentences running for decades.
“Criminal activity originating from Iran poses a grave threat to America’s national security and economic stability,” said Attorney General Merrick Garland in announcing the charges.
“This case represents just one part of the U.S. government’s effort to counter the range of threats originating from Iran that endanger the American people,” Garland said.
“The FBI is constantly working to detect and counter cyber campaigns like the one described in today’s indictment,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “From enabling lethal plots and repressing our citizens and residents to targeting our critical infrastructure, we’ve often seen the trail of dangerous cyber-criminal activity lead back to Iran,” he said.
“Today’s announcement demonstrates the FBI’s commitment to using every lawful tool at our disposal, together with our domestic and international partners, to disrupt the threats posed from Iran to American businesses and citizens,” the FBI director said.
