The Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC) has sanctioned ten people and two entities linked to “conducting malicious cyber acts, including ransomware activity,” it announced today.
The sanctioned parties are reportedly affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a branch of the Iranian armed forces. The organization is on the terrorist blacklist of the US government.
OFAC said, “Today, OFAC, as part of the government’s full response, took action against a group of Iran-based malicious cyber actors who have been compromising networks based in the United States and other countries since at least 2020.” are doing,” OFAC said.
Cyber security attacks are on the rise around the world.
The number of malicious cyber security attacks has increased recently, forcing government agencies to step up their efforts. The group has since 2020 targeted a number of diplomatic and government personnel, US and Middle Eastern defence, and private industries including energy, business services, media and telecommunications.
OFAC has shared that it blacklisted several bitcoin wallet addresses belonging to the IRGC group, which also carried out several ransomware attacks. The purses are tied to members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Ahmed Khatibi Aghada and Amir Hussein Nikeen Ravari.
At the time of the block, there was no bitcoin in the wallet. On-chain data shows the digital asset was withdrawn in May. A total of 2.49 bitcoins were held in one of the accounts linked to both members of the IRGC.
Not the First Treasury’s Bitcoin Rodeo
The move is not the first time the Treasury has blacklisted or taken other actions against crypto digital wallets and other products linked to illegal activities.
In May, the agency blocked Blender, a cryptocurrency mixing service it believes was linked to North Korean hackers who laundered nearly $20.5 million in the Axi Infinity hack in March.
OFAC’s recent decision to blacklist Tornado Cash, an Ethereum-based crypto mixer, has received a lot of attention and criticism. The department cleared the platform in August alleging it has links to “national security issues” and money laundering, and is already being sued (and crucified by the crypto community) for the move.
The agency published guidelines to allow Tornado Cash users to withdraw their digital assets, as they were automatically banned from using the service after being put on an approved list by OFAC.
be for[In]Latest Bitcoin (BTC) Analysis of Crypto, click here,