US Treasury sanctions companies, individuals for cyber attacks linked to IRGC

On Tuesday, the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) imposed sanctions on two companies and four individuals implicated in cyber activity for the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Cyber Electronic Command (IRGC-CEC). 

Accordingly, these actors hit dozens of US companies and government entities via cyber operations, including spear phishing and malware attacks. 

In coordination with the current action, the US Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation are "unsealing an indictment against the four individuals for their roles in cyber activity targeting US entities," said a Department of the Treasury's press release.

It added: "Iranian cyber actors continue to target the United States using a wide range of malicious cyber activity, from conducting ransomware attacks against critical infrastructure to conducting spear phishing and other social engineering campaigns against individuals, companies, and government entities."

According to the press release, the US Department of the Treasury designated the following entities:

Mehrsam Andisheh Saz Nik, Dadeh Afzar Arman, Alireza Shafie Nasab, Komeil Baradaran Salmani, and Reza Kazemifar Rahman pursuant to E.O. 13224, for "having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, the IRGC-CEC."

Additionally, Hosein Mohammad Haruni is being selected pursuant to E.O. 13224 "for having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, Dadeh Afzar Arman."