New york: A 14-count superseding indictment was unsealed today, charging 17 members of the Mabna Institute, an Iranian-based company, with conducting a widespread cyber theft operation. The group is accused of infiltrating the computer systems of 144 U.S. universities, 178 foreign universities, numerous private sector companies, government agencies, and non-governmental organizations, stealing over 31 terabytes of academic data, intellectual property, and confidential emails. These cyber intrusions were allegedly carried out on behalf of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and other entities within the Iranian government. According to the United States Department of Justice, the indictment outlines that the Mabna Institute, founded in 2013 by Gholamreza Rafatnejad and Ehsan Mohammadi, executed the cyberattacks to assist Iranian universities and research organizations in acquiring non-Iranian scientific resources. The operation involved hiring hackers-for-hire to breach systems and steal valuable dat a, which was then exfiltrated to servers controlled by the conspirators. The stolen data was also sold through websites like Megapaper.ir and Gigapaper.ir, further benefiting Iranian institutions. The indictment highlights a global hacking campaign targeting over 100,000 professor accounts, successfully compromising around 8,000 accounts across various countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, and Germany. The stolen data encompassed a wide array of academic disciplines, costing U.S.-based universities approximately $3.4 billion in procurement and access expenses. Furthermore, the defendants are accused of targeting email accounts of employees at multiple U.S. federal and state agencies, private sector companies, and international entities. The indictment also charges eight additional defendants for their involvement in hacking into private companies like HBO, demanding a ransom in Bitcoin for the stolen data. The U.S. government, through the Department of State's Rewards for Justice prog ram, is offering up to $10 million for information leading to the location of key defendants. The FBI, alongside international partners, remains committed to pursuing justice against these cyber adversaries, emphasizing the long-term resolve to protect American innovation and security. This case underscores the persistent threat of state-sponsored cyber operations and their impact on global security and economic stability. The prosecution is being led by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nicholas W. Chiuchiolo, Connie L. Dang, and Adam Sowlati, with support from the FBI and international law enforcement agencies.