{
	"id": "d7ca7a3e-1fad-4b15-8382-2b4d226c825c",
	"created_at": "2026-04-06T00:12:44.719225Z",
	"updated_at": "2026-04-10T03:30:41.209885Z",
	"deleted_at": null,
	"sha1_hash": "230d52b68afa85e33eed1fb74a29b3bc464f9bb3",
	"title": "US offers $10 million bounty for members of Iranian hacking gang",
	"llm_title": "",
	"authors": "",
	"file_creation_date": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z",
	"file_modification_date": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z",
	"file_size": 191709,
	"plain_text": "US offers $10 million bounty for members of Iranian hacking gang\r\nBy Graham CLULEY\r\nArchived: 2026-04-02 11:01:00 UTC\r\nA US $10 million reward is being offered to anyone who has information about four members of an Iranian\r\nhacking group.\r\nThe US government's Rewards for Justice initiative is making the reward available for information about four men\r\nbelieved to be members of Shahid Hemmat, a hacking gang backed by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps\r\nCyber-Electronic Command (IRGC-CEC).\r\nThe Iranian hackers are accused of launching malicious attacks against various vital parts of United States critical\r\ninfrastructure, including water facilities, energy infrastructure, and manufacturing plants.\r\nShahid Hemmat has been linked, for instance, to the hack of a booster station at the Municipal Water Authority in\r\nAliquippa, Pennsylvania, in November 2023, where a pump on a supply-line providing drinking water to nearby\r\ntowns was shut down.\r\nThe water system's Programmable Logic Controller (PLC), made by Israeli firm Unitronics, displayed a dramatic\r\nimage:\r\nhttps://www.bitdefender.com/en-us/blog/hotforsecurity/us-offers-10-million-bounty-for-members-of-iranian-hacking-gang/\r\nPage 1 of 4\n\n\"You have been hacked. Down with Israel. Every equipment 'Made in Israel' is Cyber Av3ngers legal\r\ntarget\"\r\nWithin days, American cyber defence agency CISA had issued a warning to the water sector that Unitronics PLCs\r\nwith exposed ports to the internet were being actively exploited.\r\nThe advisory recommended strongly that default passwords should be changed on vulnerable PLCs to strong,\r\nunique alternatives, and multi-factor authentication enabled, amongst other measures.\r\nhttps://www.bitdefender.com/en-us/blog/hotforsecurity/us-offers-10-million-bounty-for-members-of-iranian-hacking-gang/\r\nPage 2 of 4\n\nAt the same time, it was reported that hackers had attacked a brewery control system, interrupting the production\r\nof beer.\r\nThe Shahid Hemmat hacking group has claimed responsibility for cyberattacks against facilities in Israel since\r\n2020, often using the name \"Cyber Av3ngers,\" and has reportedly been linked to another IRGC-hacking group\r\nknown as Soldiers of Solomon.\r\nThe reward of up to US $10 million is being offered for information leading to the identification or location of\r\nManuchehr Akbari, Amir Hosein Hoseini, Mohammad Hosein Moradi, and Mohammad Reza Rafatinezhad.\r\nhttps://www.bitdefender.com/en-us/blog/hotforsecurity/us-offers-10-million-bounty-for-members-of-iranian-hacking-gang/\r\nPage 3 of 4\n\nIn the past the Rewards for Justice programme has attempted to attract responses by offering \"relocation and\r\nrewards payments by cryptocurrency\" for \"eligible sources\" - recognising that some of those with information\r\nabout persons of interest may desire a higher level of protection, and perhaps even help starting a new life.\r\nTips can also be submitted via encrypted messaging app Signal or via its Tor-based tipline. Rewards for Justice\r\nsays that it reads every tip it receives, and that messages can be sent in multiple languages.\r\nMore information can be found on the official Rewards for Justice website.\r\nSource: https://www.bitdefender.com/en-us/blog/hotforsecurity/us-offers-10-million-bounty-for-members-of-iranian-hacking-gang/\r\nhttps://www.bitdefender.com/en-us/blog/hotforsecurity/us-offers-10-million-bounty-for-members-of-iranian-hacking-gang/\r\nPage 4 of 4",
	"extraction_quality": 1,
	"language": "EN",
	"sources": [
		"Malpedia",
		"MISPGALAXY"
	],
	"references": [
		"https://www.bitdefender.com/en-us/blog/hotforsecurity/us-offers-10-million-bounty-for-members-of-iranian-hacking-gang/"
	],
	"report_names": [
		"us-offers-10-million-bounty-for-members-of-iranian-hacking-gang"
	],
	"threat_actors": [
		{
			"id": "daf2219f-08f1-44ef-9245-9a062ceff7a4",
			"created_at": "2023-11-08T02:00:07.120507Z",
			"updated_at": "2026-04-10T02:00:03.419124Z",
			"deleted_at": null,
			"main_name": "Cyber Av3ngers",
			"aliases": [],
			"source_name": "MISPGALAXY:Cyber Av3ngers",
			"tools": [],
			"source_id": "MISPGALAXY",
			"reports": null
		},
		{
			"id": "e2f791e7-a926-437b-baea-8fd8cc7fca2d",
			"created_at": "2024-11-03T02:00:03.63401Z",
			"updated_at": "2026-04-10T02:00:03.730211Z",
			"deleted_at": null,
			"main_name": "Shahid Hemmat",
			"aliases": [],
			"source_name": "MISPGALAXY:Shahid Hemmat",
			"tools": [],
			"source_id": "MISPGALAXY",
			"reports": null
		}
	],
	"ts_created_at": 1775434364,
	"ts_updated_at": 1775791841,
	"ts_creation_date": 0,
	"ts_modification_date": 0,
	"files": {
		"pdf": "https://archive.orkl.eu/230d52b68afa85e33eed1fb74a29b3bc464f9bb3.pdf",
		"text": "https://archive.orkl.eu/230d52b68afa85e33eed1fb74a29b3bc464f9bb3.txt",
		"img": "https://archive.orkl.eu/230d52b68afa85e33eed1fb74a29b3bc464f9bb3.jpg"
	}
}