U.S. Sanctions Iran-Linked Hackers for Critical Infrastructure Breaches

New Sanctions Against Iranian Cyber Actors

The U.S. Department of the Treasury announced new sanctions targeting Iranian cyber actors. This action is part of an economic campaign against Iran, described as a "whole-of-government" effort. The sanctions aim to sever financial connections supporting the Iranian regime and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

Targeting Critical Infrastructure Breaches

The sanctions specifically designate a malicious cyber group linked to Iran's Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS). This group is responsible for extensive compromises of U.S. critical infrastructure entities and financially motivated cyber theft. The Treasury stated that the MOIS directs cyber threat actors involved in cyber espionage supporting Iran's political goals.

Indicted Individuals Included

Among those sanctioned are five individuals who were indicted by the U.S. Justice Department last week. These individuals are alleged members of the Tehran-based Mabna Institute. Keyvan Fayyaz Ghareh Blagh, Saber Shahbazi Balujeh, and Mohammad Reza Kadkhoda'i are accused of conducting network compromise activity, successfully breaching and exfiltrating data from U.S. critical infrastructure companies since late 2023. Affected sectors include energy, defense contractors, healthcare institutions, information technology companies, and financial institutions.