US charges 17 Iranians for alleged cyber theft from universities and firms
The United States Department of Justice (DoJ) has charged 17 Iranian nationals for their alleged involvement in a coordinated cyber attack campaign that targeted academic institutions, private companies and government agencies over a period of several years. The charges were announced on Tuesday and are part of a broader effort by US authorities to counter state-sponsored cyber espionage.
According to the DoJ, the accused are members of the Mabna Institute, an organisation based in Iran. The group is said to have systematically hacked into the computer systems of 144 American universities and 42 private sector firms since at least 2013. In doing so, they allegedly stole more than 31 terabytes of academic data and intellectual property, which the DoJ values at approximately $3.4 billion.
The DoJ described the campaign as "massive" and said it involved a range of techniques, including phishing emails and credential harvesting, to gain unauthorised access to email accounts and databases. The stolen information included research data, academic papers, and sensitive intellectual property, which could be used for economic or military advantage.
The campaign reportedly affected more than 100,000 academics worldwide. Investigators say the hackers successfully compromised around 8,000 professor email accounts at 144 US-based universities and another 178 academic institutions in other countries. The scale of the operation suggests a deliberate effort to exploit the often less-secure networks of educational institutions.
According to the DoJ, many of the attacks were carried out on behalf of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as well as for "other Iranian government and university clients." FBI Assistant Director in Charge James C Barnacle Jr. called the cyber attacks "a serious threat to our national security," adding that the operation reflects a broader, organised effort to target US institutions and global partners.
The indictment also reveals that the Mabna Institute targeted employee email accounts from at least five US federal and state government agencies. Additionally, at least 42 US-based private companies and 11 foreign companies based in Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Sweden and the United Kingdom were targeted. This international dimension highlights the far-reaching nature of the alleged cyber operation.
The DoJ has announced a reward of up to $10 million for information leading to the location of five of the charged individuals, who are described as hackers-for-hire. The alleged campaign started in approximately 2013 and continued until at least December 2017.
US Attorney for the Southern District of New York Jamie McDonald said cyber operations have "become a central instrument of national power." He warned of the dangerous impact these attacks can have on US security and the economy, and stressed the importance of holding perpetrators accountable.
The Mabna Institute was founded in 2013 to assist Iranian academic organisations in "stealing access to non-Iranian scientific resources," according to the DoJ. Nine of the 17 individuals charged in this case were previously named in a seven-count indictment in March 2018, indicating that the investigation has been ongoing for several years.
These charges are allegations, and all those accused are presumed innocent until proven guilty. The case highlights the growing concern over cyber espionage and the vulnerability of academic and research institutions to sophisticated cyber attacks. It also underscores the challenges faced by governments in deterring such activities in an increasingly digital world.
