U.S. Treasury Department announces sanctions on 10 Iranian individuals, 2 entities

　　China News Agency, Washington, September 14 (Reporter Sha Hanting) The US Treasury Department imposed sanctions on 10 Iranian individuals and 2 entities on the grounds of participating in malicious cyber activities on the 14th local time.

　　The U.S. Treasury Department said in a statement on the same day that the sanctioned targets were all involved in malicious cyber activities, including ransomware attacks.

The 10 individuals and entities are all affiliated with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

　　According to the U.S. Treasury Department, the assets of sanctioned objects in the United States will be frozen, and U.S. citizens will not be allowed to trade with them.

　　U.S. Deputy Treasury Secretary Brian E. Nelson said on the same day that ransomware attacks and other malicious cyber activities pose a direct threat to U.S. and other national security and economic activity.

The United States will work with partners to combat malicious cyber activity such as the use of ransomware.

　　According to the U.S. Treasury Department, in 2021, the United States will pay a total of $590 million due to ransomware; in 2020, it will pay a total of $416 million.

Ransomware attacks can disrupt critical services, including schools, hospitals, government offices, and more.

　　On the same day, the U.S. Department of Justice indicted three Iranian nationals for participating in a ransomware attack.

According to US media reports, the three individuals have repeatedly carried out cyberattacks on US companies since October 2020.

　　It is reported that being attacked by ransomware will lead to network paralysis, user information theft, etc., and the attacked object needs to pay a ransom to restore normal or redeem the stolen data.

In May 2021, the Colonial pipeline transportation company in the United States was attacked by ransomware, which once caused a shortage of oil supply in the eastern United States.

　　On the 9th of this month, the U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions on Iran’s Intelligence Ministry and Intelligence Minister Ismail Khatib for Iran’s attack on the Albanian government network.

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