"U.S. Charges Iranian For Hacks on Defense Orgs, Offers $10M For Info"

The U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) recently unveiled an indictment against Alireza Shafie Nasab, a 39-year-old Iranian national, for his role in a cyber-espionage campaign targeting U.S. government and defense entities.  The DoJ noted that the campaign was active from at least 2016 until April 2021 and targeted over a dozen American organizations, including the Departments of the Treasury and State, various defense contractors, and New York-based accounting and hospitality companies.  The defendant and his co-conspirators reportedly used specialized tools to launch phishing attacks against American organizations while working as an IT specialist for Iranian firm Mahak Rayan Afraz, compromising at least 200,000 computers.  The Iranian hacker now faces charges relating to conspiracy to commit computer and wire fraud, wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft, which incur between 5 and 20 years in prison, plus a mandatory two-year sentence for identity theft.  The U.S. Department of State's Rewards for Justice Program now offers up to $10 million for information leading to Nasab's identification or location.

BleepingComputer reports: "U.S. Charges Iranian For Hacks on Defense Orgs, Offers $10M For Info"