US Places $10 Million Bounty on Iran Cyber Ops Chief

…Five Iranian Hackers Wanted for Cyberattacks on Critical Infrastructure

The United States government has announced a $10 million reward for information leading to the identification of five Iranian hackers accused of orchestrating cyberattacks against American and allied nations.

CDA News Nigeria reports that the U.S. State Department’s Rewards for Justice program issued the bounty on August 18, 2026, targeting individuals allegedly linked to Iran’s Information Security Department and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) . The hackers are accused of hacking into critical infrastructure systems in the United States and stealing sensitive data from government and academic institutions .

CDA News Nigeria gathered that the wanted individuals include Behzad Mesri, Keyvan Fayaz, Mojtaba Ghalehku, Arman Kazadian, and Saeed Shabazi. According to U.S. authorities, the hackers acted on behalf of the Iranian government to conduct cyber operations targeting American and allied nations’ critical infrastructure, intelligence gathering, and data theft .

The reward offer includes not only financial compensation but also relocation support for informants who provide actionable intelligence. This is part of a broader U.S. strategy to pressure Iran’s cyber capabilities following recent breaches, including Iranian hackers’ alleged access to FBI Director Kash Patel’s personal email account earlier in the year .

The U.S. Department of Justice previously charged 17 members of Iran’s Mabna Institute for cyberattacks against hundreds of entities, including HBO and over 144 U.S. universities . The group allegedly stole 31.5 terabytes of academic data and intellectual property .

The IRGC has been designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization by the U.S. since 2019, with sanctions targeting its global financial networks and leadership . The latest bounty underscores the escalating cyber conflict between the two nations.

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