WASHINGTON D.C.
An indictment was unsealed Wednesday charging three Iranian nationals with allegedly orchestrating a scheme to hack into the computer networks of multiple U.S. victims, officials stated.
As alleged in the indictment, from October 2020 through the present, Mansour Ahmadi, aka Mansur Ahmadi, 34; Ahmad Khatibi Aghda, aka Ahmad Khatibi, 45; and Amir Hossein Nickaein Ravari, aka Amir Hossein Nikaeen, aka Amir Hossein Nickaein, aka Amir Nikayin, 30, engaged in a scheme to gain unauthorized access to the computer systems of hundreds of victims in the United States, the United Kingdom, Israel, Iran, and elsewhere.
This caused damage and losses to the victims.
“The Government of Iran has created a safe haven where cyber criminals acting for personal gain flourish and defendants like these are able to hack and extort victims, including critical infrastructure providers,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “This indictment makes clear that even other Iranians are less safe because their own government fails to follow international norms and stop Iranian cyber criminals.”
The defendants’ hacking campaign exploited known vulnerabilities in commonly used network devices and software applications to gain access and exfiltrate data and information from victims’ computer systems.
Ahmadi, Khatibi, Nickaein and others also conducted encryption attacks against victims’ computer systems, denying victims access to their systems and data unless a ransom payment was made.
The defendants victimized a broad range of organizations, including small businesses, government agencies, nonprofit programs and educational and religious institutions.
Their victims also included multiple critical infrastructure sectors, including health care centers, transportation services and utility providers.
“The FBI remains steadfast in our commitment to work with our U.S. government partners for the purpose of imposing cost on our adversaries,” said Assistant Director Bryan Vorndran of the FBI’s Cyber Division.
According to court documents, in February 2021, the defendants and their conspirators targeted a township in Union County, New Jersey.
They exploited known vulnerabilities to gain control and access to the township’s network and data and used a hacking tool to establish persistent remote access to a particular domain registered to Ahmadi.
In or before February 2022, the defendants and their conspirators targeted an accounting firm based in Morris County, New Jersey.
They used a particular hacking tool to establish a connection to a server that was registered to Nickaein and to steal data.
In March 2022, the defendants launched an encryption attack against the accounting firm.
After denying the firm access to some of its systems, Khatibi demanded payment of $50,000 in cryptocurrency and threatened to sell the data on the black market.
The defendants also compromised, and often encrypted and extorted, hundreds of other victims, including the following businesses:
- An accounting firm based in Illinois
- A regional electric utility company based in Mississippi
- A regional electric utility company based in Indiana
- A public housing corporation in the State of Washington
- A shelter for victims of domestic violence in Pennsylvania
- A County government in Wyoming
- A construction company located in the State of Washington that was engaged in work on critical infrastructure projects
- A state bar association.
Ahmadi, Khatibi, and Nickaein, all residents of Iran, are each charged by indictment with one count of conspiring to commit computer fraud and related activity in connection with computers; one count of intentionally damaging a protected computer; and one count of transmitting a demand about damaging a protected computer. Ahmadi is charged with one additional count of intentionally damaging a protected computer. All defendants remain at large abroad.
The conspiracy charge carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.
The intentional damage to protected computers charge carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.
The transmission of a ransom demand charge carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.
The offenses also carry a potential maximum fine of $250,000 or twice the gross amount of gain or loss resulting from the offense, whichever is greatest.
The defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge James E. Dennehy in Newark, with the investigation leading to the charges.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys David E. Malagold and Matthew Feldman Nikic for the District of New New Jersey and Trial Attorney Andrew D. Beaty of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting the case.