Security News > 2020 > September > U.S. Treasury Sanctions Hacking Group Backed by Iranian Intelligence

The U.S. government on Thursday imposed sweeping sanctions against an Iranian threat actor backed by the country's Ministry of Intelligence and Security for carrying out malware campaigns targeting Iranian dissidents, journalists, and international companies in the telecom and travel sectors.

According to the U.S. Treasury and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the sanctions target Rana Intelligence Computing Company, which the agencies said operated as a front for the threat group APT39, Iranian cyber espionage hacking collective active since 2014 known for its attacks on companies in the U.S. and the Middle East with an aim to pilfer personal information and advance Iran's national security objectives.

"Masked behind its front company, Rana Intelligence Computing Company, the Government of Iran's Ministry of Intelligence and Security has employed a years-long malware campaign that targeted and monitored Iranian citizens, dissidents, and journalists, the government networks of Iran's neighboring countries, and foreign organizations in the travel, academic, and telecommunications sectors," the FBI said.

The sanctions against APT39 is the latest in a string of actions undertaken by the U.S. government over the last few days against Iran, which also encompasses charges against three hackers for engaging in a coordinated campaign of identity theft and hacking on behalf of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to steal critical information related to U.S. aerospace and satellite technology companies.

"Whether directing such hacking activities, or by offering a safe haven for Iranian criminal hackers, Iran is complicit in the targeting of innocent victims worldwide and is deepening its status as a rogue state."

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