{"id":37184,"date":"2020-09-17T23:41:21","date_gmt":"2020-09-17T23:41:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/2125069f-fba6-410d-8e1d-8a835739f5ee"},"modified":"2020-09-17T23:41:21","modified_gmt":"2020-09-17T23:41:21","slug":"us-sanctions-iranian-government-front-company-hiding-major-hacking-operations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.threatshub.org\/blog\/us-sanctions-iranian-government-front-company-hiding-major-hacking-operations\/","title":{"rendered":"US sanctions Iranian government front company hiding major hacking operations"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"iranian-hackers-have-been-hacking-vpn-se-5e4e92c9db1d010001ac4677-1-feb-21-2020-21-08-22-poster.jpg\"<\/span>
<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The US government has imposed sanctions today on a front company that hid a massive hacking operation perpetrated by the Iranian government against its own citizens, foreign companies, and governments abroad.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sanctions were imposed on the “Rana Intelligence Computing Company<\/strong>,” also known as the Rana Institute, or Rana, as well as 45 current and former employees<\/a>, such as managers, programmers, or hacking experts.<\/p>\n

US officials said Rana operated as a front for the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS). Rana’s main duties were to mount national and international hacking campaigns.<\/p>\n

Through its local operations, Rana helped the government monitor Iranian citizens, dissidents, journalists, former government employees, environmentalists, refugees, students, professors, and anyone considered a threat for the local regime.<\/p>\n

Externally, Rana also hacked the government networks of neighboring countries, but also foreign companies in the travel, academic, and telecommunications sectors. Officials said Rana used the access to the hacked foreign companies to track individuals whom the MOIS considered a threat.<\/p>\n

\"rana-graph.png\"<\/span>