Ritika
America News: The US Justice Department said on Wednesday that three Iranian citizens have been charged with carrying out ransomware attacks in the country. He is accused of targeting several non-profit organizations, including power companies, local governments, small businesses and a shelter home for victims of domestic violence. The hacking suspects have been charged with targeting hundreds of organizations in the US and around the world, stealing data and threatening to make the data public if a ransom is not paid, the department said. In some cases, the victims have even paid ransom. The Biden administration has tried to find out on whose behest these hackers work. Iran’s hackers were under investigation last year.
Increased risk of cyber attack
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) halted a cyber attack on a Boston pediatric hospital. It is alleged that hackers sponsored by the Iranian government tried to cyber-attack the hospital. FBI Director Christopher Wray said in a statement on Wednesday, “The threat of cyberattacks in our country is becoming more complex every day. It is clear from today’s announcement that this threat is both local and global. We cannot ignore it nor can we fight it on our own alone.
What did a senior Justice Department official say?
A senior Justice Department official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the hackers named in Wednesday’s trial were believed not to be acting on behalf of the Iranian government, but for their own financial gains. Some of the people they had hunted were in Iran. At the same time, on Wednesday, the Department of Foreign Assets Control of the Finance Department imposed sanctions on two entities and 10 people affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard. The department alleges that these individuals and entities have been involved in various malicious cyber activities including ransomware.
