Seventeen Iranians Indicted for Extensive Cyber Theft Operations Targeting Global Institutions

New york: A 14-count superseding (S2) indictment was unsealed today, charging 17 members of the Mabna Institute, an Iran-based company, with orchestrating a wide-reaching cyber theft campaign. The operation, ongoing since at least 2013, targeted computer systems of 144 U.S.-based universities, 178 foreign universities, 42 U.S.-based private sector companies, 11 foreign private sector companies, five U.S. government agencies, and two NGOs. The Mabna Institute is accused of stealing over 31 terabytes of academic data and intellectual property, allegedly for the benefit of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and other Iranian entities. According to the United States Department of Justice, the indictment highlights the involvement of the Mabna Institute in a global effort to infiltrate and extract valuable data from numerous academic and corporate entities. This campaign resulted in substantial data theft, including email breaches of employees in various sectors. The defendants are believed to have oper ated under the direction of Iranian governmental bodies, including the IRGC, to support Iran's intelligence-gathering objectives. This indictment follows a previous one in March 2018, which charged nine of the 17 defendants. The case is under the jurisdiction of U.S. District Judge Jesse M. Furman. The U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jamie McDonald, emphasized that these new charges expose a broader network engaged in state-sponsored cyber theft targeting American research and intellectual property. The U.S. authorities remain committed to identifying and prosecuting those responsible for such cyber operations, which pose significant threats to national security and economic interests. The FBI's Cyber Division, led by Assistant Director Brett Leatherman, reiterated the agency's commitment to pursuing justice against cyber adversaries. The FBI, in collaboration with domestic and international partners, aims to disrupt malicious cyber activities and hold accountable those responsible for such attacks. The Mabna Institute, founded by Gholamreza Rafatnejad and Ehsan Mohammadi, employed a network of hackers-for-hire to execute sophisticated cyber intrusions. The defendants targeted a wide range of academic disciplines, exfiltrating approximately 31.5 terabytes of data, which they then sold through platforms like Megapaper.ir and Gigapaper.ir. These platforms facilitated the sale of stolen data to Iranian institutions, further implicating the Mabna Institute in commercializing stolen intellectual property. In addition to academic institutions, the defendants breached the systems of various U.S. government agencies, private companies, and international organizations. The indictment also links some defendants to a cyberattack on HBO, where they sought to extort significant sums in Bitcoin. The U.S. Department of State's Rewards for Justice program is offering rewards up to $10 million for information leading to the location of several defendants. The program aims to gather intelligence on indivi duals engaged in state-directed malicious cyber activities. The Justice Department continues to work with international law enforcement, including the UK's National Crime Agency, to address these cyber threats. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nicholas W. Chiuchiolo, Connie L. Dang, and Adam Sowlati are spearheading the prosecution, with support from the National Security Division. An indictment, it is important to note, is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.