Iranian national Alireza Shafie Nasab has been charged by the U.S. for his involvement in the targeting of more than 200,000 devices in an attempt to hack U.S. government agencies, defense contractors, and private organizations for nearly five years, reports The Register.
U.S. organizations have been subjected to spear-phishing, software, and social engineering attacks by Nasab and his co-conspirators operating under the Mahak Rayan Afraz business between 2016 and April 2021, according to the Justice Department. While Nasab could face up to 47 years' imprisonment for his charges, his location remains unknown, prompting the State Department to unveil a $10 million bounty for any information regarding his whereabouts. "Today's charges highlight Iran's corrupt cyber ecosystem, in which criminals are given free rein to target computer systems abroad and threaten U.S. sensitive information and critical infrastructure. Our National Security Cyber Section remains focused on disputing these cross-border hacking schemes and holding those responsible to account," said Assistant Attorney General for National Security Matthew Olsen.
