US charges Iranian hackers over $3.4 billion intellectual property theft

The U.S. has charged 17 Iranians, alleged members of a hacking-for-hire company called Mabna Institute, involved in years-long operations that stole data from American organizations.

Nine of the defendants were previously charged in a March 2018 indictment for hacking more than 300 universities and private companies.

The U.S. Justice Department (DoJ) has also announced rewards of up to $10 million for information leading to the location of five of the 17 Iranian defendants.

According to the U.S. government, the newly charged eight individuals stole academic research, intellectual property, emails, and other proprietary information.

The DoJ says that the Iranians listed below were involved in cyber operations for the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), other Iranian government bodies, universities, and paying customers.