The United States government has announced criminal charges against four Iranian nationals and sanctions against two companies for their alleged involvement in a multi-year cyber campaign targeting American organizations.
According to the Treasury and State Departments, the individuals charged are Hossein Harooni, Reza Kazemifar, Alireza Nasab, and Komeil Salmani, all believed to be in their mid- to late-30s. They have been accused of wire fraud, wire fraud conspiracy, and conspiracy to commit computer intrusions. Harooni faces additional charges of damaging a protected computer, aggravated identity theft, and aggravated identity theft.
The two companies implicated in the scheme are Mehrsam Andisheh Saz Nik and Dadeh Afzar Arman, identified as front companies for Iran’s Revolutionary Guard cyber command. These entities are alleged to have employed the individual defendants.
The indictment alleges that the defendants targeted primarily defense contractors with access to classified information, as well as an accounting firm and a hospitality company based in New York. Prosecutors state that the defendants employed spearfishing tactics, involving deceptive emails with malicious links, to infect computers with malware. Over 200,000 employee accounts at the accounting firm and more than 2,000 accounts at the hospitality company were compromised.
U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland emphasized the severe threat posed by Iran-based criminal activities to America’s national security and economic stability. The investigation and prosecution of this case underscore the government’s commitment to safeguarding the nation’s critical infrastructure and sensitive information from foreign threats.
