The person at the center of this case
United States financial sector and other U.S. companies
Cold Case · Open
10 years waiting · since 2016
IRANIAN DDoS ATTACKS
Justice for United States financial sector and other U.S. companies — the trail went cold in 2016, but the truth hasn't.
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Key leads to think about
🎯
suspect
Lead #1What specific roles did ITSecTeam and Mersad employees play in the attacks, and how were they directed by the Iranian Government?
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evidence
Lead #2What technical evidence linked the attacks to these Iranian companies and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps?
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location
Lead #3Which U.S. financial institutions were primary targets, and what was the impact of the attacks on their operations?
In January 2016, a federal grand jury indicted seven Iranian nationals for orchestrating a coordinated campaign of distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks against U.S. financial institutions and other American companies between 2011 and 2013. The defendants were managers and employees of ITSecTeam and Mersad, Iranian private security firms that operated on behalf of the Iranian Government and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The case remains significant as an early example of state-sponsored cyber warfare targeting critical U.S. infrastructure, raising ongoing questions about attribution, attribution methods, and international cyber crime accountability.
Case
#642
United States
U.S. Department of Justice, Southern District of New York
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More leads to consider
Beyond the top three above — each detail below could be the thread that pulls this case open.
💡
clue
Lead #4How were the seven defendants identified and located despite operating from Iran, and what extradition efforts were pursued?
Have information about any of these leads?
Even the smallest detail could be the key to solving this case.
Official wording
Source Narrative
Conspiracy to Commit Computer Intrusion. Caution: On January 21, 2016, a grand jury in the Southern District of New York indicted seven Iranian nationals for their involvement in conspiracies to conduct a coordinated campaign of distributed denial of service (“DDoS”) attacks against the United States financial sector and other United States companies from 2011 through 2013.
Each defendant was a manager or employee of ITSecTeam or Mersad, private security computer companies based in the Islamic Republic of Iran that performed work on behalf of the Iranian Government, including the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Timeline of Events
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2011-01-01
DDoS Campaign Begins
Coordinated distributed denial of service attacks against U.S. financial sector and other companies commence
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2013-12-31
DDoS Campaign Ends
Coordinated attack campaign concludes after approximately three years of activity
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2016-01-21
Federal Indictment
Grand jury in the Southern District of New York indicts seven Iranian nationals for conspiracy to commit computer intrusion and DDoS attacks
Case Information
Incident:January 1, 2011
Last Updated:September 5, 2026
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Case Information
Incident:January 1, 2011
Last Updated:September 5, 2026