Title: Unveiling the Mabna Institute Cybercrime Case: Iranian Hackers Charged in U.S. for Targeting Universities and Companies
Seventeen Iranian individuals have been charged in a cybercrime case by the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York. The accused are linked to the Mabna Institute, an Iranian company known for hacking U.S. higher education institutions and private sector companies on behalf of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The hackers have targeted numerous U.S.-based universities, foreign universities, private sector companies, government agencies, and non-governmental organizations since 2013, stealing academic data and intellectual property. The 17 hackers face charges of computer and wire fraud, as well as identity theft. The FBI has issued a most wanted bulletin for them, considering them an international flight risk.
The charges against the Mabna Institute hackers reveal a broader network involved in a state-sponsored campaign to steal research and intellectual property from American universities, businesses, and government institutions. U.S. Attorney Jamie McDonald emphasized the importance of pursuing those who target the United States from abroad, stating that cyber operations have become a significant tool of national power with direct consequences for security and economic strength. The Mabna Institute, based in Tehran, was founded in 2013 to assist Iranian universities and research organizations in stealing access to non-Iranian scientific resources. The hackers targeted thousands of email accounts of professors worldwide, compromising accounts at U.S.-based universities and universities in other countries to steal academic research and other information.
The Mabna hackers' activities resulted in significant financial losses for U.S.-based universities and private sector companies, with universities spending over $3.4 billion to procure and access stolen intellectual property. The U.S. Department of State’s Rewards for Justice program is offering a $10 million reward for information leading to the location of five defendants involved in the cybercrime case. Individuals with information about the alleged hackers are encouraged to contact the FBI, the nearest American Embassy or Consulate, or the DOJ’s Rewards for Justice program through a Tor-based tips-reporting channel. If apprehended and prosecuted, the defendants could face lengthy prison sentences.