type: incident · created: 2026-08-20 · updated: 2026-08-20 · tags: [incident, law-enforcement, iran, academic, espionage, irgc, indictment] · confidence: high · affected_sectors: [government, education, defence] · au_impact: true
US Charges 17 Iranians Over Decade-Long Academic Hacking Campaign
The US Department of Justice unsealed a 14-count superseding indictment charging 17 people connected to a campaign run through the Iranian company Mabna Institute on behalf of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), allegedly hacking universities and research institutions worldwide since 2013.
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Action | DOJ unsealed 14-count superseding indictment |
| Defendants | 17 people |
| Nexus | Mabna Institute, on behalf of the IRGC |
| Timeline | Since 2013 |
| Targets | Universities, research institutions; breached Dept of Labor and FERC email, UN agencies |
| Source | DOJ (via The Record) — Tier 2/4 |
The indictment documents a decade-long Iranian academic/espionage hacking campaign against universities and research institutions, breaching government agencies (Dept of Labor, FERC) and UN bodies.