US offers $10 million for info on Iranian allegedly behind cyberattacks on critical infrastructure
A $10 million reward has been posted by the State Department for information on the whereabouts of senior Iranian official Amir Yaryab.
Yaryab allegedly leads the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ (IRGC) Cyber-Electronic Command (CEC).
U.S. officials accused Yaryab of directing multiple Iranian hacking groups that have targeted “critical infrastructure sectors including defense, news, shipping, travel (hotels and airlines), energy, and financial and telecommunications systems in the United States, Europe, and the Middle East.”
“Yaryab also oversees and controls operations conducted by IRGC-CEC-affiliated groups such as CyberAv3ngers, Dadeh Afzar Arman (DAA), and Mehrsam Andisheh Saz Nik (MASN). These malicious cyber groups have used malware to target civilian infrastructure worldwide,” the State Department said on Thursday.
He also allegedly directs Shahid Hemmat and Shahid Shushtari — two groups conducting cyberattacks on U.S. organizations.
CyberAv3ngers was previously accused of launching cyberattacks on water utilities in 2023 and 2024. Last year, the State Department issued another $10 million reward for the Iranian hackers behind CyberAv3ngers.
U.S. officials have raised alarms since late July that Iran had resumed its attacks on the water industry, breaching more than 100 different entities across at least 12 states.
Since the onset of the war between the U.S. and Iran, Tehran’s hackers have taken credit for cyberattacks on a prominent medical device company and the personal email account of the FBI director.
Last week, the Justice Department accused hackers connected to Iran’s military of breaching employee email accounts connected to the Department of Labor, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and multiple United Nations organizations.
The Treasury Department sanctioned many of the same Iranian nationals for cyberattacks on critical infrastructure.
References in this story
- Amir Yaryab – Rewards For Justice rewardsforjustice.net
- CISA warns of attacks on Unitronics tool used by water utilities, wastewater systems therecord.media An incident in Pennsylvania motivated the federal government to alert companies about ways hackers can break into Unitronics programmable logic controllers (PLCs).
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- FBI confirms theft of director’s personal emails by Iran-linked hacking group therecord.media An FBI spokesperson told Recorded Future News that the information is “historical in nature and involves no government information,” adding that the agency has “taken all necessary steps to mitigate potential risks…
- US charges Iranians for sprawling hacking campaign on government agencies, universities therecord.media The Justice Department accused 17 alleged hackers with ties to the Iranian government of breaching email accounts at U.S. government agencies and stealing intellectual property from dozens of universities.
- US sanctions Iranian cyber actors as UK discloses power plant attack therecord.media The U.S. sanctioned several Iranian nationals for cyberattacks on critical infrastructure just days after reports emerged of a cyber intrusion on a small power plant in the United Kingdom.
- Advanced Cyber Threat Intelligence | Recorded Future www.recordedfuture.com Get real-time, actionable cyber threat intelligence with Recorded Future. Mitigate cyber risks, prioritize threats, and proactively secure your organization.
- Advanced Cyber Threat Intelligence | Recorded Future www.recordedfuture.com Get real-time, actionable cyber threat intelligence with Recorded Future. Mitigate cyber risks, prioritize threats, and proactively secure your organization.
- jon greig (@jgreigj) on X twitter.com @TheRecord_Media cybersecurity reporter. formerly @zdnet @cambodiadaily @haitiantimes_ — send tips to [email protected] or signal: jgreig.51
- jon greig (@jgreig.bsky.social) bsky.app cybersecurity reporter for The Record. formerly: zdnet, techrepublic, blavity, haitian times, cambodia daily — send tips to [email protected] or signal: jgreig.51
