Alireza Shafie Nasab, a 39-year-old Iranian national, was charged with participating in a cyber-espionage plot that targeted American government and defense entities, according to the U. S. Department of Justice ( DoJ).
Over a dozen American organizations, including the Departments of State and the Treasury, various defense contractors, and New York-based accounting and hospitality firms, were the targets of the campaign, which ran from at least until April 2021.
While working as an IT specialist for Iranian company Mahak Rayan Afraz, the defendant and his co-conspirators allegedly launched phishing attacks against American organizations using specialized tools to compromise at least 200, 000 computers.
According to the U.S. DoJ announcement, Nasab’s employment with Mahak Rayan Afraz was merely a front for the hacker’s heinous activities.
According to Matthew G. Olsen, Do J’s Assistant Attorney General,” Mr. Nasab allegedly participated in a persistent campaign to compromise the U.S. private sector and government computer systems” while allegedly working as a cybersecurity specialist for Iranian-based clients.
According to U.S. Attorney Damian Williams,” Alireza Shafie Nasab]allegedly participated in a cyber campaign using spear phishing and other hacking techniques to infect more than 200 000 victim devices, many of which contained sensitive or classified defense information.”
Iranian hackers also used social engineering techniques, primarily by impersonating women to trick customers into installing malware on their devices.
Authorities in the United States claim that Nasab was actively involved in these schemes, purchasing infrastructure, and setting up servers and email accounts to be used in a cyber-espionage operation using stolen identities.
The Iranian hacker is currently facing charges of conspiracy to commit computer and wire fraud, wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft, which are punishable by a mandatory two-year prison sentence for identity theft.
Up to$ 10 million is currently available through the U.S. Department of State’s Rewards for Justice Program for information that identifies or locates Nasab.
Anyone with information on Nasab’s whereabouts is asked to contact the following Tor address: he5dybnt7sr6cm32xt77pazmtm65flqy6irivtflruqfc5ep7eiodiad. onion.