Monica Elfriede Witt , a former counterintelligence officer with the U.S. Air Force , has been charged with giving the Iranian government classified information in an indictment unseal today . The U.S. Department of Justice ( DOJ ) says that information put up by Witt aid Persian cyber-terrorist in a phishing campaign directed against her former colleagues in the American news biotic community .
The 39 - year - old Witt work for the Air Force until 2008 and as a Department of Defense declarer until 2010 , fit in to point eject by the DOJ . The U.S. government claim that Witt traveled to Iran in 2012 for a league and then defected to the state in 2013 . The bill of indictment states that Witt once held Top Secret security clearance and had access to “ details of ongoing counterintelligence operations , straight names of sources , and the identities of U.S. agent . ”
The DOJ lay claim that Witt was given computer equipment and living accommodations accommodations by the Persian regime in exchange for her cooperation in mounting a campaign against U.S. intelligence . She also allegedly used her noesis of the U.S. intelligence biotic community to aid Iranian hacker target other Americans with spyware .
Using Witt ’s information , the hackers allegedly used Facebook to make phoney accounts that friended American spies and enticed them to sink in phishing link . From the DOJnews release :
In one such illustration , the Cyber Conspirators created a Facebook account that purpose to belong to a [ U.S. Intelligence Community ] employee and former fellow worker of Witt , and which utilized legitimate information and photos from the [ U.S. Intelligence Community ] employee ’s genuine Facebook story . This picky faux explanation caused several of Witt ’s former colleagues to swallow “ friend ” requests .
But Witt was n’t the only one charged today . The DOJ is also charging the Iranian hackers she allegedly worked with .
“ Four Iranian cyber hackers are also charged with various computing machine crimes targeting member of the U.S. intelligence operation community who were Ms. Witt ’s former colleagues , ” Assistant Attorney General John Demers said in astatement .
“ This case underline the dangers to our intelligence professionals and the lengths our adversaries will go to distinguish them , expose them , target them , and , in a few rare cases , ultimately turn them against the nation they swore to protect , ” Demers preserve . “ When our intelligence service professional are direct or betrayed , the National Security Division will unrelentingly follow up on jurist against the wrong - doer . ”
It ’s not observe in the DOJ release , but the FBI issued a miss soul poster for Witt sometime around 2014 , complete with photograph of her . The missing soul bill sticker did nothing to indicate that Witt was wanted for internal security reason . It simply state that her “ protagonist ” had report her missing . ( This poster was taken down shortly after today ’s announcement , and the FBI then releaseda want poster . )
Witt also bulge up in a story published by Persian United States Department of State medium inJune of 2016 . The clause admit a exposure of Witt converting to Islam from Christianity and state that Witt participated in the Occupy Wall Street protests of the early 2010s . That timeline would cope with up with Witt ’s departure from the American Department of Defense residential area in 2010 .
uncalled-for to say , the intelligence operation biotic community is not happy with Witt ’s allege betrayal .
“ The alleged actions of Monica Witt in assisting a uncongenial nation are a treason of our nation ’s security system , our military , and the American the great unwashed , ” Special Agent Terry Phillips of the Air Force Office of Special Investigations read in astatement .
“ While infringement like this are exceedingly rare , her actions as allege are an insult to all who have served our nifty land . ”
[ Department of Justice ]
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