{"id":50830,"date":"2022-09-14T11:04:00","date_gmt":"2022-09-14T18:04:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/?p=50830"},"modified":"2022-09-14T11:05:02","modified_gmt":"2022-09-14T18:05:02","slug":"three-iranians-allegedly-hacked-into-computer-networks-in-u-s-united-kingdom-and-other-countries","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/?p=50830","title":{"rendered":"Three Iranians Allegedly Hacked into Computer Networks in U.S., United Kingdom and other Countries."},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n
\n

WASHINGTON D.C.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"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.<\/span><\/p>\n

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.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"red<\/a>This caused damage and losses to the victims.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe 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,\u201d said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department\u2019s National Security Division. \u201cThis indictment makes clear that even other Iranians are less safe because their own government fails to follow international norms and stop Iranian cyber criminals.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"The defendants\u2019 hacking campaign exploited known vulnerabilities in commonly used network devices and software applications to gain access and exfiltrate data and information from victims\u2019 computer systems. <\/span><\/p>\n

Ahmadi, Khatibi, Nickaein and others also conducted encryption attacks against victims\u2019 computer systems, denying victims access to their systems and data unless a ransom payment was made.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"The defendants victimized a broad range of organizations, including small businesses, government agencies, nonprofit programs and educational and religious institutions. <\/span><\/p>\n

Their victims also included multiple critical infrastructure sectors, including health care centers, transportation services and utility providers.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe FBI remains steadfast in our commitment to work with our U.S. government partners for the purpose of imposing cost on our adversaries,\u201d said Assistant Director Bryan Vorndran of the FBI\u2019s Cyber Division. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"MacBookAccording to court documents, in February 2021, the defendants and their conspirators targeted a township in Union County, New Jersey. <\/span><\/p>\n

They exploited known vulnerabilities to gain control and access to the township\u2019s network and data and used a hacking tool to establish persistent remote access to a particular domain registered to Ahmadi.<\/span><\/p>\n

In or before February 2022, the defendants and their conspirators targeted an accounting firm based in Morris County, New Jersey. <\/span><\/p>\n

They used a particular hacking tool to establish a connection to a server that was registered to Nickaein and to steal data. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"brownIn March 2022, the defendants launched an encryption attack against the accounting firm. <\/span><\/p>\n

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.<\/span><\/p>\n

The defendants also compromised, and often encrypted and extorted, hundreds of other victims, including the following businesses:<\/span><\/p>\n