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3w ago

U.S. Charges 17 Iranians in Mabna Institute Cybertheft Campaign

The unsealed superseding indictment ties the group to theft of roughly 31.5 terabytes of academic research for Iran’s IRGC and includes Rewards for Justice bounties of up to $10 million.

A U.S. Justice Department logo or seal showing Justice Department headquarters, known as "Main Justice," is seen behind the podium in the Department's headquarters briefing room before a news conference with the Attorney General in Washington, January 24, 2023. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
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An image collage containing 2 images, Image 1 shows Laptop screen displaying the Iranian flag overlaid with binary code, representing internet and network security concerns for Iran, Image 2 shows A white, oval-shaped U.S. Justice Department logo with a drawing of the Justice Department headquarters building

Overview

  • The Justice Department unsealed a 14-count superseding indictment on Tuesday that adds eight defendants to a 2018 case and brings the total charged to 17.
  • Prosecutors say the Mabna Institute compromised about 8,000 professor email accounts from more than 100,000 attempted targets and stole roughly 31.5 terabytes of journals, theses and other research from 144 U.S. and 178 foreign universities.
  • The indictment alleges the group used spear-phishing, password-spraying and credential trading to access library systems and email inboxes, then monetized the material through resale sites including Megapaper and Gigapaper.
  • Federal authorities say many intrusions were carried out for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and link several defendants to a 2017 HBO hack and attempted $6 million bitcoin extortion; the State Department is offering up to $10 million for information on five named suspects.
  • None of the defendants are in U.S. custody, so prosecutors note arrests are unlikely in the near term and say the filing, public naming and reward offers are tools to pursue accountability while universities and companies absorb investigation and remediation costs.