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Mansour Ahmadi, 34, Ahmad Khatibi Aghda, 45, and Amir Hossein Nickaein Ravari, 30, "engaged in a pattern of hacking, cyber-theft, and extortion largely for personal gain," FBI Director Christopher Wray said. The agency indicted the men earlier this week, though they remain in Iran and have escaped capture.
The FBI is offering a $10 million reward for information leading to their capture.
The FBI says since October 2020, the men have hacked scores of computer networks by exploiting vulnerabilities to steal or destroy data and install ransomware. Generally, ransomware attacks force users to pay hackers large sums of money to regain access to their computer systems, or they will delete or destroy the data stored inside.
The trio targeted "a broad range of organizations, including small businesses, government agencies, nonprofit programs, and educational and religious institutions," the FBI said. "Their victims also included multiple critical infrastructure sectors, including health care centers, transportation services, and utility providers."
The FBI blamed Iran for not doing more to stop hackers from launching attacks from inside their borders.
"The Government of Iran has created a safe haven where cyber criminals acting for personal gain flourish and defendants like these are able to hack and extort victims, including critical infrastructure providers,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen. “This indictment makes clear that even other Iranians are less safe because their own government fails to follow international norms and stop Iranian cyber criminals.”
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