DOJ Charges 17 Iranian Nationals for Cyber Intrusions, Offers $10M Reward

Cyber Intrusion Charges Against Iranian Nationals

The U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) has announced charges against 17 individuals associated with the Mabna Institute, an Iran-based company. These individuals are accused of conducting a widespread campaign of cyber intrusions into computer systems across various sectors.

Scope of the Attacks

Since at least 2013, the Mabna Institute allegedly targeted 144 U.S.-based universities, 178 foreign universities, 42 U.S.-based private sector companies, 11 foreign private sector companies, five U.S. federal and state government agencies, and two non-governmental organizations. The campaign continued through at least December 2017.

Data Theft and Compromises

The cyber intrusions resulted in the theft of over 31 terabytes of academic data and intellectual property from universities. Additionally, email accounts of employees at private sector companies, government agencies, and NGOs were compromised. The Mabna Institute targeted over 100,000 professor accounts globally, successfully compromising approximately 8,000 of them.

Affiliation and Reward

The defendants are accused of carrying out these intrusions on behalf of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The Mabna Institute was founded by Gholamreza Rafatnejad and Ehsan Mohammadi around 2013. The U.S. government is offering a $10 million reward for information leading to the identification or location of these individuals.