Affiliation: MOIS
Omid Palvayeh, born in 1992, is the co-founder, Chief Technical Officer (CTO), and board member of Espara Cybersecurity Company. He holds a bachelor's degree in Computer Engineering with a focus on software from Shiraz University. Palouyeh has won gold medals in the National Skills Olympiad for Network Systems Management (Iranskills) and an honorary diploma in the World Skills Olympiad. His background includes membership in the National Elites Foundation, senior cybersecurity analyst at Shatel Company, and co-founder, CEO, and board member of the Raha cybersecurity startup. Palouyeh is allegedly associated with the hacking group 'Banished Kitten,' which operates under the Ministry of Intelligence of the Islamic Republic of Iran. He is accused of being directly involved in cyberattacks against the Albanian government under the guise of a fake group called 'Homeland Justice,' which claimed to be Albanian. These attacks involved threatening innocent people with the release of personal information, blackmail, and data erasure. The group reportedly used similar techniques and tools as in their 2019 cyberattacks against neighboring countries, failing to conceal their tracks and deceptions.