Cyberattacks ordered by the Revolutionary Guards: US charges 17 Iranians

A new and updated indictment unveiled by the US Department of Justice charges 17 individuals working with an Iranian company that the department accuses of carrying out hacking operations and data theft targeting US universities, companies and government agencies.

In a statement, the US Department of Justice said the individuals worked with the Mabna Institute, which allegedly conducted hacking campaigns on behalf of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, as well as other Iranian government and university-affiliated actors.

The department said the campaigns targeted hundreds of US and international universities, dozens of US companies, and at least five government agencies at both the state and federal levels.

A previous indictment made public in March 2018 charged nine of the 17 individuals with involvement in a hacking campaign that targeted the US Department of Labor, the United Nations, and computer networks in the states of Hawaii and Indiana.

Iranian government representatives to the United Nations in New York had not yet responded to a request for comment. Contact information for the Mabna Institute was also not immediately available.