Sanctions shape cybersecurity by restricting transactions, technology access, and support linked to cyber operations and critical infrastructure risks.
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Sanctions are legal restrictions imposed by governments or international bodies on dealings with specified countries, organizations, individuals, or activities. They can limit payments, exports, imports, access to services, or provision of technical assistance; the exact prohibitions, exceptions, and licensing rules depend on the relevant jurisdiction. Cyber-related designations may identify operators, companies, or intermediaries linked to malicious activity, but sanctions are legal measures rather than technical indicators of compromise.
For security practitioners, sanctions create operational requirements around counterparties and technology flows. Organizations may need to screen customers, suppliers, service providers, and payment recipients, including aliases and ownership links, and restrict access or support where law requires. Export-control and sanctions rules can also affect distribution of cryptographic products, exploit research, cloud services, and incident-response assistance. Threat intelligence can help map sanctioned entities and evasion networks, while vulnerability-management and response teams should preserve records showing who received software, credentials, or technical help. Because lists and licensing conditions change, automated controls need human review and documented escalation rather than treating a name match as conclusive.
Funnull Technology Is Content Delivery Network for Criminals, Says US TreasuryThe U.S. government sanctioned a Philippine firm linked to romance bait scam websites. The Department of Treasury cut off Funnull Technology from the U.S.-dominated international monetary system for acting as a content delivery network for scam platforms.
The U.S. Department of Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has levied sanctions against a Philippines-based company named Funnull Technology Inc. and its administrator Liu Lizhi for providing infrastructure to conduct romance baiting scams that led to massive cryptocurrency losses
The U.S. government today imposed economic sanctions on Funnull Technology Inc., a Philippines-based company that provides computer infrastructure for hundreds of thousands of websites involved in virtual currency investment scams, commonly known as “pig butchering." In January 2025, KrebsOnSecurity detailed how Funnull was being used as a content delivery network that catered to cybercriminals seeking to route their traffic through U.S.-based cloud providers.
The U.S. Treasury Department has sanctioned Funnull Technology, a Philippines-based company that supports hundreds of thousands of malicious websites behind cyber scams linked to over $200 million in losses for Americans. [...]
Apple says it blocked over $9 billion in fraudulent App Store transactions over the last five years, with over $2 billion in potentially fraudulent sanctions prevented in 2024 alone. [...]