Info:
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Electronic Warfare and Cyber Defense Organization (IRGC EWCD Organization) was designated pursuant to E.O. 13606 for being owned or controlled by, or acting for or on behalf of, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which was listed in the Annex to E.O. 13606;
Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Cyber-Electronic Command (IRGC-CEC), an Iranian government organization responsible for a series of malicious cyber activities against critical infrastructure in the United States and other countries.
“The deliberate targeting of critical infrastructure by Iranian cyber actors is an unconscionable and dangerous act,” said Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian E. Nelson. “The United States will not tolerate such actions and will use the full range of our tools and authorities to hold the perpetrators to account.”
The United States is taking action against these individuals in response to IRGC-affiliated cyber actors’ recent cyber operations in which they hacked and posted images on the screens of programmable logic controllers manufactured by Unitronics, an Israeli company. Industrial control devices, such as programmable logic controllers, used in water and other critical infrastructure systems, are sensitive targets. Although this particular operation did not disrupt any critical services, unauthorized access to critical infrastructure systems can enable actions that harm the public and cause devastating humanitarian consequences.
Iranian cyber actors previously committed and attempted malicious cyber activities against U.S. critical infrastructure, including ransomware attacks and an attempted operation against Boston Children’s Hospital in 2021. They are also responsible for similar malicious cyber activity targeting European countries and Israel.
The IRGC has been designated under multiple sanctions authorities, including E.O. 13553 in connection with Iran’s human rights abuses. Most recently, on October 13, 2017, the IRGC was designated pursuant to the global terrorism authority E.O. 13224 for activities in support of the IRGC-Qods Force. The IRGC EWCD Organization, which organizes and conducts training courses on behalf of the IRGC, has attempted to censor Iranians’ access to Western media;
Mohammad Bagher Shirinkar aka Mojtaba Tehrani, manager at Net Peygard Samavat Company, has provided technical support to the IRGC-Electronic Warfare and Cyber Defense Organization (IRGC-EWCD), and directed Net Peygard Samavat Company employees to provide project status reports to senior IRGC-EWCD officials;
DESIGNATION OF IRGC-CEC SENIOR OFFICIALS
Hamid Reza Lashgarian is the head of the IRGC-CEC, and is also a commander in the IRGC-Qods Force. Hamid Reza Lashgarian has been involved in various IRGC cyber and intelligence operations.
Mahdi Lashgarian, Hamid Homayunfal, Milad Mansuri, Mohammad Bagher Shirinkar, and Reza Mohammad Amin Saberian are senior officials of the IRGC-CEC.
Hamid Reza Lashgarian, Mahdi Lashgarian, Hamid Homayunfal, Milad Mansuri, Mohammad Bagher Shirinkar, and Reza Mohammad Amin Saberian are designated pursuant to E.O. 13224, as amended, for being leaders or officials of the IRGC-CEC.
Also Known As:
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Electronic Warfare and Cyber Defense Organization
IRGC Jangal Organization
IRGC-CEC
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Cyber-Electronic Command
Country:
Iran
Reason for the color:
» The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Electronic Warfare and Cyber Defense Organization (IRGC EWCD Organization) was designated pursuant to E.O. 13606 for being owned or controlled by, or acting for or on behalf of, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which was listed in the Annex to E.O. 13606;
» Added to the Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) list maintained by the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) pursuant to Executive Order 13606 on January 12, 2018, for being owned or controlled by, or acting for or on behalf of, the IRGC, which itself was designated pursuant to E.O. 13224 on October 13, 2017;