(U.S. Justice Department): 17 Iranians Charged with Carrying Out Cyberattacks Against Hundreds of Government and Private Institutions

Washington, Aug 18 (KUNA) -- The U.S. Department of Justice announced on Tuesday that it has indicted 17 Iranians for carrying out a massive cyber campaign of electronic theft targeting hundreds of institutions on behalf of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps and other Iranian entities. In a statement, the department said that “cyber hackers affiliated with the MEBNA Institute carried out cyber attacks against systems belonging to hundreds of universities, companies, and other entities to steal research, academic data, confidential information, and intellectual property.” The statement added that the “amended and superseding” indictment includes eight new defendants, in addition to nine individuals who had previously been charged with seven counts in March 2018. It noted that the defendants targeted 144 American universities, 178 foreign universities, 42 companies, 11 foreign private-sector companies, five U.S. government agencies (at both the federal and state levels), and at least two non-governmental organizations. It further indicated that they stole more than 31 terabytes of academic data and intellectual property from these universities, as well as email accounts of employees in private-sector companies, government agencies, and non-governmental organizations. The department affirmed that the defendants “carried out many of these intrusions on behalf of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, as well as on behalf of other Iranian government and academic entities.” (End) R.S.R. / M.A.H.A.