Security News > 2022 > September > Uncle Sam sanctions Iran's intel agency over Albanian cyberattack

The US Treasury Department has issued sactions against Iran's intelligence agency in response to that country's cyberattack against Albania and other "Cyber-enabled activities against the United States and its allies."

Earlier this week, NATO ally Albania cut its diplomatic relations with Iran after blaming a July cyberattack that hit its government infrastructure on Iranian state-sponsored attackers.

At the time, the White House National Security Council pledged to "Take further action to hold Iran accountable for actions that threaten the security of a US ally and set a troubling precedent for cyberspace."

"Iran's cyberattack against Albania disregards norms of responsible peacetime State behavior in cyberspace, which includes a norm on refraining from damaging critical infrastructure that provides services to the public," said Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian Nelson in a statement.

In September 2020 the US Treasury sanctioned another Iran state-sponsored cyberespionage gang, APT39, for "Being owned or controlled by MOIS.".

Mandiant, a year prior, linked APT39 to MOIS. Last month, the threat intel firm stated "With moderate confidence" that "One or multiple threat actors who have operated in support of Iranian goals" were involved in the Albanian attack.

News URL

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2022/09/10/us_sanctions_iran_mois/