Home / Crime and Justice / US Charges 17 in Massive University Hacking Scheme
US Charges 17 in Massive University Hacking Scheme
19 Aug
Summary
- 17 individuals charged with hacking on behalf of Iran's Revolutionary Guard.
- Campaigns targeted hundreds of universities, dozens of companies.
- A $10 million reward offered for information on key individuals.
Seventeen individuals accused of working with the Mabna Institute have faced new and updated charges from the U.S. Department of Justice. This group is alleged to have conducted widespread hacking and data theft operations on behalf of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and other Iranian governmental and university clients.
The extensive campaigns, which ran from at least 2013 through 2017, impacted hundreds of universities globally, including penetrating approximately 8,000 professor email accounts across 144 U.S. institutions and 178 international universities. Dozens of U.S. companies and at least five U.S. government agencies were also targeted.
These charges reveal a broader network behind a state-sponsored effort to acquire research and intellectual property from American institutions. The U.S. State Department has consequently announced a $10 million reward for information leading to the location of several people implicated in these charges.
