Feds charge 17 in Iran-backed hacking scheme

Federal prosecutors unsealed a 14-count superseding indictment charging 17 people tied to Iran's Mabna Institute with a hacking campaign against 144 U.S. and 178 international universities since at least 2013, allegedly stealing more than 31 terabytes of academic data. The scheme also reportedly hit private companies including HBO, government agencies, the UN, and the Department of Labor.

Prosecutors say the hackers sent personalized phishing emails impersonating fellow academics to steal login credentials from over 100,000 professors worldwide. Nine of the 17 defendants were already charged in a 2018 indictment; the State Department is offering up to $10 million for information on five of them.

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