US charges 17 individuals with theft over Iran-linked cyberattacks

The US Department of Justice has charged 17 members of the Iran-based Mabna Institute in connection with cyberattacks targeting hundreds of universities, companies, and government institutions in the US and other countries.

According to prosecutors, the group infiltrated 144 US universities and 178 foreign universities, as well as numerous companies and various government agencies in the US. The indictment states that more than 31 terabytes of academic data were stolen as a result of the attacks.

US authorities alleged that the majority of the attacks were carried out on behalf of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the Iranian government, and university clients.

It was reported that 9 of the 17 individuals accused of cyber theft had previously faced similar charges in 2018.