US Offers 10 Million US Dollars Prize For Intelligence Information About Iranian Cyber Operators

Illustration of cyber attacks. (Unsplash / Sitilness InMotion)

JAKARTA - The United States is offering a reward of up to $10 million for information about individuals linked to Iran-directed cyber operations and targeting critical US infrastructure, Rewards for Justice announced on Wednesday.

This prize applies to anyone, under the direction or control of a foreign government, participating in cyber activity is dangerous against critical US infrastructure that violates the Law on Fraud and Computer Abuse, reports Al Arabiya (4/12).

US officials say the network at the operations center is Shahid Shushtari, a cyber organization operating under the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Cyber-Electronic Command (IRGC-CEC).

The group has used several aka, including Aria Sepehr Suheshsazan (ASA), Shazan Sepehr Arya (ASSA), Emennet Pasargad, Eeliyanet Gostar and Net Peygard Samavat Company.

According to the statement, Shahid Shushtari has caused major financial losses and operational disruptions to US government businesses and institutions through coordinated cyberattacks and cyber-based information operations.

It said their campaign had targeted key sectors such as news media, shipping, travel, energy, finance, and telecommunications across the United States, Europe, and the Middle East.

The group is overseen by Mohammad Bagher Shirinkar, while Fatemeh Sedighian Kashi is described as an old employee who is closely involved in planning and carrying out operations.

The two maintain "close relations" and cooperate in cyber activity, according to US authorities.

Shahid Shushtari was behind a multi-asspect cyber campaign during the 2020 US Presidential election, which includes cyber-based information operations and fake flag activity.

This follows a series of previous operations that used similar tactics to influence public opinion and disrupt the system.

In November 2021, the US Treasury Department designated the group then known as Emennet along with six employees based on Executive Order 13848 trying to intervene in the 2020 election.

Rewards for Justice simultaneously highlighted cyber actor Seyyed Mohammad Hosein Musa Kazemi and Sajjad Kashian for their role in the foreign intervention effort.