Want $10 Million? US Hunts Iranian Regime's Cyber Operations Chief

WASHINGTON, Sep 3: Rewards for Justice is offering a reward of up to $10 million for information leading to the identification or location of any person who, while acting at the direction or under the control of a foreign government, participates in malicious cyber activities against U.S. critical infrastructure in violation of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA).

Under this reward offer, RFJ is seeking information on Amir Yaryab, a senior official in Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Cyber-Electronic Command (IRGC-CEC). Yaryab leads the IRGC-CEC’s Cyber Operations Command.

He also directs multiple components of Iran’s IRGC-CEC, including Shahid Hemmat and Shahid Shushtari. These malicious cyber groups have conducted cyber and cyber-enabled information operations targeting critical infrastructure sectors including defense, news, shipping, travel (hotels and airlines), energy, and financial and telecommunications systems in the United States, Europe, and the Middle East.

Yaryab also oversees and controls operations conducted by IRGC-CEC-affiliated groups such as CyberAv3ngers, Dadeh Afzar Arman (DAA), and Mehrsam Andisheh Saz Nik (MASN). These malicious cyber groups have used malware to target civilian infrastructure worldwide.