Crossroads Blog | Institute National Security and Counterterrorism

China, Cyber Espionage, Cybersecurity, Iran

Cyber Round Up: FBI, DHS Run Nationwide Cyber Campaign, Iranians Indicted on Cyber Crimes, Chinese Cyber Spying Decreased Since Agreement with U.S.

  • FBI, DHS Run Nationwide Cyber Campaign (Washington Free Beacon): The FBI and DHS began a nationwide campaign warning companies running electrical infrastructure in the country of the dangers posed by cyber threats, according to the Washington Free Beacon. The program began on March 31, and include webinars in eight U.S. states of an “unclassified briefing” called “Ukraine Cyber Attack: Implications for U.S. Stakeholders,” the article explained. Specifically, according to the article, those who watch the webinar briefings will learn details of past cyber attacks, including the techniques and strategies used by hackers who target infrastructure. The full article can be found here.
  • Iranians Indicted on Cyber Crimes: The U.S. Department of Justice has indicted seven Iranians for cyber crimes under 18 U.S.C. 1USvFathi030. The seven defendants are: Ahmad Fathi, Hamid Firoozi, Amin Shokohi, Sadegh Ahmadzadegan (“Nitr0jen26”), Omid Ghaffarinia (“PLuS”), Sina Keissar, and Nader Saedi (“Turk Server”). According to the court document, Fathi, Firoozi, and Shokohi were, at times relevant to the indictment, were employees of ITSec Team. The remaining defendants, Nitr0jen26, PLuS, Keissar, and Turk Server were employees of Mersad Co. (“Mersad”). ITSec Team and Mersad were private computer security companies based in Iran and actually performed work on behalf of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (“IRGC”), according to the indictment. The defendants are alleged to have violated 18 U.S.C. 1030(a)(5)(A) — the “Computer Damage statute” — as well as 18 U.S.C. 1030(a)(2) — the “Anti-hacking statute.” The unsealed indictment can be found here.
  • Chinese Cyber Spying Decreased Since Agreement with U.S. (Financial Times): According to the Financial Times, government and private sector experts are claiming that Chinese cyber espionage activities have decreased since September 2015 when China agreed with the U.S. to refrain from conducting such activities to boost domestic businesses. The Director of the National Security Agency, Admiral Michael Rogers, appeared earlier this month in front of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and testified that Chinese hacking continues, however, at a lower level, the article continued. The question remains, though, of whether the hacking currently being perpetrated is for government use or for commercial purposes, Admiral Rogers reportedly testified to the committee. The full article can be found here.

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