US Offers $10 Million Reward to Identify and Arrest Cyberattack Perpetrators Linked to IRGC

The United States has set a reward of up to $10 million for information leading to the identification or location of six senior individuals involved in cyberattacks linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The 'Rewards for Justice' program, affiliated with the Diplomatic Security Service of the US State Department, has published the names and photos of these individuals. The reward is for Mehdi Lashkarian, Hamidreza Lashkarian, Hamid Homayounfal, Milad Mansouri, Mohammad Baqer Shirin Kar, and Reza Mohammad Amin Saberian, who are reported to be connected with the 'malicious cyber activities' of IRGC-affiliated hacker groups. Hamidreza Lashkarian is identified as the 'Head of Cyber-Electronic Command of the IRGC.' The US believes that the hacker group 'CyberAv3ngers,' associated with the IRGC and Mehdi Lashkarian, has attacked Israeli-manufactured control systems in the infrastructure of several US states since November 2023. According to US and Israeli officials, hackers linked to the Islamic Republic have targeted at least four other entities and an aquarium in several US states, in addition to sabotaging industrial equipment at a water authority in western Pennsylvania. Last December, the FBI, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency reported to the Associated Press that cyberattacks in the Alequippa area of western Pennsylvania had also affected industries and facilities in several other states. This is not the first time the US has offered a cash reward for IRGC cyberattack perpetrators. Last February, the US announced a reward of up to $10 million for information on Alireza Shafiee Nasab, an Iranian hacker linked to the IRGC. According to the statement published on the 'Rewards for Justice' program's website, Mr. Shafiee Nasab was employed by the 'Mahak Rayanafar' company from 2016 to 2021 and conducted 'malicious cyber activities' against US entities on behalf of the IRGC, which is listed as a terrorist organization by the US. In February 2022, the US State Department set a $10 million reward for information about two Iranian citizens suspected of hacking activities aimed at influencing the last US presidential election. At that time, it was reported that 24-year-old Mohammad Hossein Mousa Kazemi and 27-year-old Sajjad Kashian were both residents of Iran. Additionally, in May of this year, the US Treasury Department sanctioned several Iranian individuals and entities for malicious cyber activities, and the US Department of Justice announced legal action against four Iranian hackers. The US Treasury stated that four individuals and two companies were sanctioned for their involvement in 'malicious cyber activities.' According to the US Treasury, these sanctioned individuals and companies 'were acting on behalf of the Cybersecurity Command of the IRGC.' Brian Nelson, the US Treasury's Deputy Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, stated, 'These malicious cyber actors of the Islamic Republic continue to attack US companies and government entities with a coordinated and multifaceted campaign to destabilize critical US infrastructure and harm citizens.' The companies Mehrsam Andisheh Saz, Data Software Saman (affiliated with the Cybersecurity Command of the IRGC), Alireza Shafiee Nasab, Reza Kazemifar, Hossein Mohammad Harouni, and Kamal Baradaran Salmani are included in this Treasury Department's sanctions list.