The U.S. Justice Department has announced charges against 17 Iranian individuals, alleged members of a hacking-for-hire entity known as Mabna Institute, for their involvement in a multi-year operation to steal data from American organizations. This latest indictment, made public on August 19, 2026, includes eight new defendants, expanding upon a March 2018 indictment that previously charged nine individuals for hacking over 300 universities and private companies.
According to U.S. Attorney Jamie McDonald, these charges reveal a broader, state-sponsored campaign to steal research and intellectual property from American universities, businesses, and government institutions. The Justice Department states that the accused individuals conducted cyber operations on behalf of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), other Iranian government bodies, universities, and private clients.
The newly charged individuals are Saeid Houshyar, Behzad Mesri (also known as Skote Vahshat), Manouchehr Hashemloo, Keyvan Fayaz (also known as Achilles, The Joker, and bc.monster), Amir Barati, Saber Shahbazi Ballojeh, Arman Kahzadian, and Mojtaba Galekuhi (also known as Mojtaba Ghaleh Koui). The U.S. State Department has offered rewards of up to $10 million for information leading to the location of five of these defendants: Behzad Mesri, Mojtaba Galekuhi, Arman Kahzadian, Keyvan Fayaz, and Saber Shahbazi Ballojeh, with a Tor link provided for anonymous submissions.
The operation is believed to have commenced around 2013, targeting the accounts of over 100,000 professors globally and successfully compromising approximately 8,000 of them. Through this access, the hackers reportedly exfiltrated 31.5 terabytes of academic data, including journals, theses, dissertations, ebooks, and research across various disciplines, with an estimated value of $3.4 billion.
The cyberattacks impacted 178 universities worldwide, with 144 located in the U.S. Additionally, at least 53 private firms (42 in the U.S.), two non-governmental organizations, and at least 10 U.S. state agencies were affected. One notable victim highlighted in the announcement was HBO, which was reportedly extorted for $6 million in Bitcoin.
The defendants face charges including conspiracy to commit computer intrusions, wire fraud, unauthorized access for financial gain, and aggravated identity theft. These charges carry potential maximum penalties of up to 20 years in prison. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
