U.S. Charges 17 Iranians in Mabna Cyber Campaign Linked to $6 Million HBO Extortion

The Mabna Institute, founded in Iran around 2013, allegedly operated a hacking-for-hire network serving the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and other Iranian clients. Prosecutors said the group used spearphishing and stolen credentials to obtain research, intellectual property and email data from universities, companies and public agencies. Its campaign targeted more than 100,000 professors worldwide, underscoring the persistent economic and national-security risks posed by state-backed cyber theft.

The U.S. Justice Department unsealed a 14-count superseding indictment on Aug. 18, 2026, charging 17 Mabna members, including nine first indicted in March 2018. The group allegedly breached 144 U.S. universities and 178 foreign universities and stole about 31.5 terabytes of data. Prosecutors also tied several defendants to the 2017 HBO intrusion, in which hackers demanded about $6 million in Bitcoin, while other attacks generated more than $20 million in investigation and remediation costs.