Ten Million Dollar Reward for Information on Cyber Agent of the Islamic Republic

The website of the 'Rewards for Justice' program announced a ten million dollar reward for anyone who provides information about 'Mostafa Sarmadi', a member of the board of the cyber company 'Imen Net Pasargad'. The official Persian account of the 'Rewards for Justice' program, which is part of the U.S. Department of State, noted on Thursday, March 8, that Mr. Sarmadi and his company led an internet campaign in the summer and fall of 2020 in collaboration with cyber agents of the Islamic Republic, aimed at influencing American voters and undermining their trust in relation to the 2020 U.S. presidential election. According to reports, cyber agents of the Islamic Republic attempted to obtain information about American voters by infiltrating state election databases, and in some cases succeeded in sending threatening emails to intimidate citizens and disseminate false and fabricated information about the elections and their security. The official Persian account of 'Rewards for Justice' stated that this cyber group, led by 'Mostafa Sarmadi' and the company 'Imen Net Pasargad', was able to illegally access the content management accounts of several American online media entities, allowing them to produce and edit fake information, which was ultimately thwarted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The 'Rewards for Justice' program website introduced Mostafa Sarmadi as born on July 31, 1987, with Iranian nationality, linking him to the Electronic Warfare and Cyber Defense Organization of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the companies Imen Net Pasargad and Net Paygard Samavat. The Rewards for Justice program, a subsidiary of the U.S. Department of State, offers cash rewards for information leading to the identification or location of any foreign person or entity that knowingly engages in harmful interference in U.S. affairs. The U.S. Department of Justice also officially charged an Iranian citizen named Alireza Shafiee Nasab on March 2 with organizing cyber attacks against U.S. government entities, defense contractors, and two companies based in New York. Alireza Shafiee Nasab is accused of participating in an organized campaign from 2016 to April 2021 to cyber infiltrate 12 American companies and also attempted to infiltrate the systems of the Department of State and the Treasury Department. Previously, the U.S. Department of State had also set a reward of up to '10 million dollars' under the 'Rewards for Justice' program for individuals who have information about the cyber destructive actions of Alireza Shafiee Nasab. The U.S. Attorney's Office has issued an indictment against the '10 million dollar' Iranian hacker. The U.S. has set a reward of up to '10 million dollars' for information about Alireza Shafiee Nasab. The U.S. has set a reward of up to '15 million dollars' for information about Hossein Hatefi Ardakani. The U.S. has set a reward for information about the hacking group 'Imen Net Pasargad'. The U.S. will pay up to 15 million dollars for information about the financial network of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.