US Expands Iran Hacking Prosecution to 17 Suspects in Major Cyber Case

US authorities have expanded their prosecution of an alleged Iranian hacking network, bringing the total number of indicted suspects to 17 in a case involving attacks on universities, businesses and government agencies in the United States and other countries.

The US Department of Justice announced a new indictment on Tuesday naming eight additional defendants. Nine other suspects had already been charged in 2018 as part of an investigation into a large-scale cyber campaign allegedly carried out on behalf of the Iranian government and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Prosecutors are offering rewards of up to $10 million for information that leads to the prosecution of five of the newly identified individuals. They are Behzad Mesri, Mojtaba Galekuhi, Arman Kahzadian, Keyvan Fayaz and Saber Shahbazi Ballojeh.

US authorities said all five were linked to the Mabna Institute, an organisation based in Iran that prosecutors allege conducted hacking operations in support of Iranian government interests.

The cyber campaign was active mainly between 2013 and 2017 and focused heavily on stealing scientific research, intellectual property and other valuable information.

According to the Justice Department, the expanded indictment covers attacks on 144 US universities and 178 universities in other countries. The hackers also allegedly targeted at least 42 US companies, 11 foreign businesses, five US government agencies and two non-governmental organisations.

More than 100,000 accounts belonging to university professors were reportedly targeted during the campaign. Investigators estimate that the attackers stole about 31.5 terabytes of information, including scientific papers, dissertations and other research materials.

US authorities said the stolen information represented significant intellectual property and research conducted by universities and other institutions.

“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,” said Jamie McDonald, US attorney for the Southern District of New York.

The latest action extends a case that began publicly in 2018, when federal prosecutors charged nine individuals over the alleged hacking operation.

The US Treasury Department imposed sanctions that year on the nine people who were initially indicted, as well as a 10th Iranian suspect accused of involvement in an attempted extortion operation against HBO.

That separate case involved the theft of a script for an unaired episode of the television series “Game of Thrones”.

The expanded prosecution reflects continuing US efforts to hold foreign hackers accountable even when suspects remain outside the country and are difficult to arrest.

American officials have repeatedly warned that state-linked cyber groups in Iran and other countries target universities, businesses and government organisations to obtain sensitive information.

The new charges also signal that US prosecutors intend to continue pursuing alleged cyber operations years after the attacks took place, particularly when they involve the theft of research and intellectual property from American institutions.