The U.S. Offers Up to $10 Million for Information on Three Sanctioned Iranian Hackers

The U.S. State Department's 'Rewards for Justice' program announced on Tuesday that it will reward anyone who provides credible information about three Iranian citizens accused of conducting cyber operations against U.S. entities. According to the announcement, up to $10 million will be offered for information leading to the identification or location of Reza Kazemi Far Rahman, Hossein Mohammad Harouni, and Kamal Baradaran Salmani, who are alleged to engage in cyber activities directed by foreign governments against critical U.S. infrastructure. These individuals are wanted for their involvement in a multi-year organized campaign to cyber infiltrate 12 American companies and for attempts to breach the computer systems of the U.S. Departments of State and Treasury. The three Iranian operatives are among those the U.S. Treasury Department previously sanctioned on Tuesday in connection with targeted phishing campaigns and malware attacks directed by the Cyber-Electronic Command of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) against several U.S. entities, including the Treasury itself. Reza Kazemi Far, a citizen of Iran, served in the Electronic Warfare and Cyber Defense Unit (Janganal) of the IRGC from 2014 to 2020. Hossein Harouni worked for various Iranian companies on behalf of the IRGC from May 2018 to June 2021. Kamal Baradaran Salmani was employed by the Iranian company 'Mohak Rayan Afraz' from 2014 to 2018, which also operated on behalf of the IRGC. The IRGC has been designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S. government and is listed among known international terrorist groups and is under sanctions. The U.S. has also sanctioned two companies and four individuals in connection with the IRGC's cyber operations. U.S. security agencies have indicated that Russia, China, and the Islamic Republic have begun operations to influence the upcoming November elections. In light of the IRGC's cyber attacks, the Biden administration has urged state governors to enhance the security of critical water facilities. The U.S. intelligence community has categorized the Islamic Republic as a 'regional threat' and a 'source of widespread malicious activities.'