The U.S. State Department’s “Rewards for Justice” program has offered a reward of up to 10 million dollars for information leading to the identification and location of two Iranians who, acting under the direction of a foreign government and in violation of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, carried out cyberattacks against U.S. infrastructure.
The U.S. State Department released information and photos of Fatemeh Sedighian Kashi and Mohammad Bagher Shirinkar, stating that they are operatives of the Shahid Shushtari group, which is affiliated with the Intelligence Organization of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and has been involved in cyberattack campaigns targeting critical U.S. infrastructure.
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According to the statement, Sedighian and Shirinkar have a close relationship, and Sedighian cooperates with Shirinkar in planning and executing cyber operations.
According to the U.S. State Department:
“Shahid Shushtari is a malicious cyber organization with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Cyber-Electronic Command (IRGC-CEC) that has previously been identified as Aria Sepehr Ayandehsazan (ASA), Ayandeh Sazan Sepehr Arya (ASSA), Emennet Pasargad (Emennet), Eeleyanet Gostar, and Net Peygard Samavat Company.”
According to the Rewards for Justice program, members of this group have carried out coordinated cyber and intelligence operations that caused extensive financial damage and disrupted the activities of U.S. companies and government institutions. These campaigns have targeted critical infrastructure in the news, maritime transportation, tourism, energy, financial, and telecommunications sectors in the United States, Europe, and the Middle East.
The U.S. report states that since August 2020, operatives of the “Shahid Shushtari” network launched a multi-faceted campaign aimed at targeting the U.S. presidential election.
Prior to that, the group had used fake identities to conduct intelligence and cyber-operation planning.
The U.S. State Department recalled that on November 18, 2021, the U.S. Treasury sanctioned “Shahid Shushtari,” which was operating at the time under the name Emennet Pasargad (Emennet), along with six of its employees, for attempting to influence the 2020 U.S. election.
At the same time, the Rewards for Justice program highlighted the roles of Seyyed Mohammad Hosein Musa Kazemi and Sajjad Kashian in efforts to carry out foreign interference in the U.S. election.
The program called on anyone with information about Sedighian and Shirinkar, the “Shahid Shushtari” group, or individuals and entities involved in malicious cyber activities targeting critical U.S. infrastructure or foreign interference in U.S. elections to contact the Rewards for Justice program.
