Federal authorities on Tuesday unsealed an indictment against 17 Iranians affiliated with the tech firm Mabna Institute, alleging a campaign of vast cybertheft on behalf of the Iranian government against universities, governments and companies.
Expanded Indictment
It’s a second wave of indictments against the Tehran-based firm, expanding on and replacing a 2018 indictment of nine of the defendants from then and adding others. Jamie McDonald, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, stated that “Today’s charges, which include eight additional defendants, reveal the broader network allegedly behind a sweeping, state-sponsored campaign to steal research and intellectual property from American universities, businesses, and government institutions.”
Background
The Mabna Institute was founded around 2013 by Gholamreza Rafatnejad and Ehsan Mohammadi with the goal of helping Iranian universities and scientific and research organizations to steal from foreign scientific efforts. The institute paid hackers-for-hire listed in the indictment to carry out its operations.
According to the Justice Department, the institute has compromised more than 100,000 professors’ email accounts globally, and successfully compromised 8,000 accounts at 144 U.S. universities and 178 universities in other parts of the world. Its hackers used stolen credentials to take academic journals, dissertations and e-books across all fields of research, at least 31.5 terabytes worth in total.
Consequences
The indictment alleges that the institute sometimes sold stolen data, and that U.S.-based universities spent more than approximately $3.4 billion to procure and access such data and intellectual property. The defendants also have compromised and stolen from email accounts for at least five U.S. federal and state government agencies, 42 U.S. companies and 11 foreign companies, among them HBO.
In all, the indictment brings 14 separate, sometimes overlapping charges against the 17 defendants, with sentences for each offense ranging from two to 20 years. In conjunction with the indictment, the State Department’s Rewards for Justice program is offering up to $10 million for information leading to the location of four of the defendants.
Cyber operations have become a central instrument of national power, and attacks on American and allied institutions carry direct consequences for our security and economic strength.
As McDonald noted, “More than eight years after making the original indictment public, these charges make clear that the passage of time will not deter us from identifying and pursuing those who target the United States from abroad.”
Implications
The indictment highlights the ongoing threat of state-sponsored cyber attacks and the importance of protecting intellectual property and research. It also underscores the need for continued cooperation between law enforcement agencies and the private sector to combat cyber threats.
The case against the Mabna Institute and its affiliates serves as a reminder of the significant consequences of engaging in cybertheft and the commitment of federal authorities to pursuing those responsible.
- The Mabna Institute was founded around 2013
- Compromised more than 100,000 professors’ email accounts globally
- Successfully compromised 8,000 accounts at 144 U.S. universities
- Stolen data included academic journals, dissertations, and e-books
- U.S.-based universities spent over $3.4 billion to procure and access stolen data
The indictment is a significant development in the ongoing efforts to combat cyber threats and protect intellectual property. It serves as a warning to those who engage in such activities that they will be pursued and held accountable.
Source: CyberScoop