“Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned two companies and four individuals involved in malicious cyber activity on behalf of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Cyber Electronic Command (IRGC-CEC),” read a statement from the Department.
“These actors targeted more than a dozen U.S. companies and government entities through cyber operations, including spear phishing and malware attacks. In conjunction with today’s action, the U.S. Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation is unsealing an indictment against the four individuals for their roles in cyber activity targeting U.S. entities,” it added.
Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian E. Nelson was cited in the statement as saying that “Iranian malicious cyber actors continue to target U.S. companies and government entities in a coordinated, multi-pronged campaign intended to destabilize our critical infrastructure and cause harm to our citizens.”
The US Treasury has targeted a large number of Iranian companies and individuals for their involvement in attacks against US troops in the Middle East.
The United States Department of Treasury announced in February that in coordination with the United Kingdom, it had designated sanctions on a high-ranking commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps - Quds Force (IRGC-QF).
The sanctions follow months of rocket and drone strikes from IRGC-backed militia groups against US interests in Iraq and Syria which stopped weeks ago. The groups claim their attacks are carried out in response to Washington’s support for Israel in its war against the Gaza Strip.