Four Iranian nationals were indicted Tuesday for allegedly being part of a multi-year “malicious cyber ops” campaign targeting the U.S. State and Treasury departments, defense contractors and two companies in New York.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) unsealed the indictment in a Manhattan federal court, charging Hossein Harooni, Reza Kazemifar, Komeil Baradaran Salmani, and Alireza Shafie Nasab with computer fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud and other charges.
Along with the unsealing of the indictment against the four conspirators, the U.S. Department of State’s Rewards for Justice program (RFJ) announced it was offering up to $10 million for information leading to the identification or location of the group and the defendants, the DOJ said.
The Treasury Department also announced sanctions against the four conspirators and other cyber actors.
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“Criminal activity originating from Iran poses a grave threat to America’s national security and economic stability,” Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said. “These defendants are alleged to have engaged in a coordinated, multi-year hacking campaign from Iran targeting more than a dozen American companies and the U.S. Treasury and State Departments. This case represents just one part of the U.S. government’s effort