US Charges 17 Iranians Over ‘Massive’ Cyber Theft Campaign
The United States Department of Justice has charged 17 Iranian nationals with orchestrating a multi‑year, coordinated cyber‑stealing effort. The indictment alleges that members of the Iran‑based Mabna Institute targeted over 144 U.S. universities and 42 private sector organizations from 2013 to 2017, stealing more than 31 terabytes of data worth approximately $3.4 bn.
FBI Assistant Director James C. Barnacle, Jr. described the attacks as a “serious threat to our national security.” He indicated that numerous operations were carried out on behalf of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and other government clients.
According to the DoJ, Mabna exploited the accounts of roughly 100,000 academics globally, hacking 8,000 professor email accounts at U.S. universities and 178 institutions worldwide. U.S. federal and state agencies also reportedly had their employee emails compromised.
In a move to help identify the remaining conspirators, the Justice Department offered a $10 m reward for information leading to the disposition of five alleged hackers‑for‑hire who have been charged.
The Mabna Institute was founded in 2013 to aid Iranian academic bodies in accessing non‑Iranian scientific resources. Nine of the 17 charges were previously addressed in a seven‑count indictment in March 2018.
U.S. Attorney Jamie McDonald emphasized that cyber operations “have become a central instrument of national power,” warning of the vulnerabilities they pose to both economic stability and national security.
