US Offers $10 Million Reward for IRGC Cyber Chief Linked to PLC Attacks

The U.S. State Department's Rewards for Justice program offered up to $10 million for information identifying or locating Amir Yaryab, whom U.S. officials describe as a senior official leading the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Cyber-Electronic Command's Cyber Operations Command. The U.S. alleges that Yaryab directs cyber units targeting critical infrastructure across the United States, Europe, and the Middle East, including the defense, news, shipping, water, and wastewater sectors.

The announcement links Yaryab and the IRGC-CEC to CyberAv3ngers and Dadeh Afzar Arman. CyberAv3ngers reportedly compromised at least 75 internet-exposed Unitronics Vision Series PLCs between November 2023 and January 2024, including 34 in U.S. water and wastewater organizations, by abusing default or missing passwords. The intrusions reportedly altered PLC ladder logic, credentials, and configurations and defaced HMIs, risking disruption to industrial processes; operators should eliminate direct internet exposure of OT devices, enforce strong authentication, patch affected systems, and secure remote access through VPNs and firewalls.