Top Iranian cybercriminal on FBI most wanted list reportedly killed in US-Israeli strike
A top Iranian hacker long wanted by the FBI was killed last week following a joint Israeli strike on Iran, according to an Iranian media outlet.
Mohammad Mehdi Farhadi Ramin, an Iranian man accused of stealing the identities of American citizens and accessing national security data, died in the city of Hamadan, Iran International said, adding that his funeral was held on Monday.
Farhadi had been wanted by U.S. authorities since 2020 for his "alleged involvement in malicious cyber activity" dating back to at least 2013, according to the FBI.
Among his alleged crimes, Farhadi reportedly targeted companies, universities, U.S. defense contractors, and nonprofits to access sensitive data. Authorities say he also stole credit card information and Social Security numbers belonging to U.S. citizens to fund illicit activities, while marketing some of the stolen data on the black market.
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Ramin was first indicted on Sept. 15, 2020, by a federal grand jury in Newark, New Jersey, for his alleged involvement in a massive, coordinated cyber intrusion campaign on behalf of the Iranian government.
Ramin and a co‑defendant reportedly vandalized websites with ideological messaging meant to project Iranian influence, including images of burning Israeli flags and threats that appeared to "signal the demise" of countries viewed as rivals to Iran, including the U.S., Israel and Saudi Arabia.
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"They brazenly infiltrated computer systems and targeted intellectual property and often sought to intimidate perceived enemies of Iran, including dissidents fighting for human rights in Iran and around the world," the Justice Department previously said.
"This conduct threatens our national security, and as a result, these defendants are wanted by the FBI and are considered fugitives from justice."
Authorities alleged that the suspect also compromised email accounts by creating hidden automated forwarding rules that secretly sent all incoming and outgoing emails directly to him and his co-conspirators.
Officials emphasized that these actions allowed Iran to access a massive volume of stolen information, including hundreds of terabytes of data related to national security, foreign policy, civilian nuclear research, aerospace and unpublished scientific studies.
Fox News Digital reached out to the Pentagon for more information.