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| From the left: Hamidreza Lashkarian (Lashgarian), Mohammad-Hossein Shirinkar, Mohammad Bagher Shirinkar, Mehdi Hashemi Tughraljardi |
Iranian media have published photos of four people who are allegedly responsible for the cyber attack on Albania.
According to Iran International, a media outlet based in London, they are the authors of several global cyber attacks, who are linked to various government intelligence agencies in Tehran. This news has been published by almost all Albanian news portals.
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| Picture of Hamidreza Lashkarian (Lashgarian) |
The most recent case of a devastating cyber attack attributed to Iranian intelligence operatives was a hacker intrusion into the Albanian government's computer systems that began in 2021 and ended with a massive outage in July, according to Microsoft's security investigation. Information was stolen and public services disrupted by Iranian hackers because Albania hosts an opposition group, Iranian media wrote.
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| Mohammad-Hossein Shirinkar |
Last week, Albania severed diplomatic relations with Iran and expelled its diplomats.
According to information obtained by cyber security firm Backdoor, the head of Iran's Revolutionary Guards Cyber War (IRGCW) is a person identified as Hamidreza Lashkarian (Lashgarian), 61, a resident of Tehran, and a university lecturer. He has a history of involvement in various IRGCW intelligence operations against commercial shipping and other clandestine activities.
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| Mohammad-Hossein Shirinkar |
Last year, a group called the Sayyad Project targeted the airport in Albania's capital, Tirana. An anti-Iran cyber group called Lab Dookhtegan or Read My Lips revealed the identity of the person leading the cyber attack as Mohammad-Bagher Shirinkar.
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| Mehdi Hashemi Tughraljardi |
His alias is Mojtaba Tehrani, sanctioned by the United States for his connection with the IRGCW.
His brother Mohammad-Hossein Shirinkar is also one of the leading actors in the Sayyad group. He is said to be the head of the IRGCW's Intelligence Inspectorate, according to Lab Dookhtegan.
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| Fatima Zahra Farrokh |
Another operator is Mehdi Hashemi Tughraljardi who is the brother-in-law of the Shirinkar brothers. He is also sanctioned by the US and CEO of a digital company in Tehran.