Targeting of U.S. Departments of Treasury and State, defense contractors, and two New York–based companies
Date of report
  • April 2024
Affiliations
  • Believed to be the work of Iran's government.
Four Iranian nationals (Hossein Harooni, Reza Kazemifar, Komeil Baradaran Salmani, and Alireza Shafie Nasab) were members of a hacking organization from 2016 to 2021 that targeted U.S. companies and the Departments of Treasury and State. The group’s private-sector victims were mainly defense contractors with security clearance. Their primary techniques were spear phishing and social engineering.
Suspected victims
  • U.S. Departments of Treasury and State, defense contractors, and two New York–based companies
Suspected state sponsor
  • Iran (Islamic Republic of)
Type of incident
  • Espionage
Target category
  • Private sector
  • Government
  • Military
Victim government reaction
  • Yes
Policy response
Suspected state sponsor response