Justice Department charges 17 Iranians over massive cyber theft campaign

The United States Department of Justice charges 17 Iranian nationals associated with the Mabna Institute for a massive, state-sponsored cyber theft campaign. Backed by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the group allegedly stole 31 terabytes of academic data and intellectual property valued at $3.4 billion. The operation targeted 144 U.S. universities, 178 international institutions, and dozens of private firms. The U.S. is offering a $10 million reward for five of the hackers.

DoJ charges against Iranian hackers

• ▪The United States Department of Justice charged 17 Iranian nationals on August 18, 2026, for conducting a coordinated cyber attack campaign to steal data from United States organizations.
• ▪Nine of the 17 Iranian nationals charged on August 18, 2026, were previously charged by the United States Department of Justice in a March 2018 indictment.

Mabna Institute cyber theft campaign

• ▪The Mabna Institute cyber theft campaign began in approximately 2013 and continued until at least December 2017.
• ▪The Iran-based Mabna Institute was founded in 2013 to assist Iranian academic organizations in stealing access to non-Iranian scientific resources.

IRGC-backed state-sponsored operation

• ▪FBI Assistant Director James C Barnacle Jr described the coordinated Mabna Institute cyber attacks as a serious threat to United States national security.
• ▪The United States Department of Justice stated that the Mabna Institute cyber attacks were conducted on behalf of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Targeted universities and companies

• ▪The Mabna Institute targeted the computer systems of 144 United States universities and 178 international academic institutions.
• ▪The Mabna Institute targeted at least 42 private companies in the United States and 11 foreign companies across Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.
• ▪The Mabna Institute targeted and compromised employee email accounts from at least five United States federal and state government agencies.

Stolen academic data and property

• ▪The Mabna Institute cyber campaign successfully compromised 8,000 professor email accounts after targeting 100,000 academics globally.
• ▪The Mabna Institute stole more than 31 terabytes of academic data and intellectual property valued at approximately $3.4 billion.

Reward for hacker information

• ▪The five individuals targeted by the $10 million United States Department of Justice reward are characterized as alleged hackers-for-hire.
• ▪The United States Department of Justice offered a $10 million reward for information leading to the location of five of the charged Iranian hackers.

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