Justice Department Announces Charges in $3.4 Billion Cyber Theft Campaign

Justice Department Announces Charges in $3.4 Billion Cyber Theft Campaign

The cyber theft campaign was targeting American universities, companies and government entities.

The Justice Department has charged nine Iranians as part of a massive state-sponsored cyber theft campaign that targeted hundreds of universities, companies and government entities in the U.S. and abroad, federal authorities said on Friday.

The suspects allegedly breached the computer systems of the U.S. Department of Labor, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the United Nations and the states of Hawaii and Indiana. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein said that the suspects allegedly stole more than 31 terabytes of data, about 15 billion pages, from 140 American universities, 30 U.S. companies and five government agencies, while targeting another 176 universities abroad.

The stolen information, including academic research in technology, medicine and other sciences, is valued at $3.4 billion, authorities said. Federal officials believe the information was stolen over the course of four years.

At least 100,000 email accounts help by university professors and researchers were targeted and about 8,000 accounts were compromised.

Mahattan U.S. Attorney General Geoffery Berman characterized the coordinated cyber attacks as "one of the largest state-sponsored hacking campaigns ever prosecuted."

"The hackers targeted innovations and intellectual property from our country's greatest minds," Berman said. "These defendants are now fugitives from American justice, no longer free to travel outside Iran without risk of arrest."

The suspects were all affiliates of an Iranian-based company known as the Mabna Institute, which was founded in 2013. Prosecutors believe the company served as a contractor for the Iranian government with the specific mission to steal valuable research and other proprietary information, some of which was sold inside of Iran.

The nine suspects range in age from 24 to 39 and were charged with conspiracy, unauthorized computer intrusion, wire fraud and identity theft.

About the Author

Sydny Shepard is the Executive Editor of Campus Security & Life Safety.

Featured

New Products

  • ResponderLink

    ResponderLink

    Shooter Detection Systems (SDS), an Alarm.com company and a global leader in gunshot detection solutions, has introduced ResponderLink, a groundbreaking new 911 notification service for gunshot events. ResponderLink completes the circle from detection to 911 notification to first responder awareness, giving law enforcement enhanced situational intelligence they urgently need to save lives. Integrating SDS’s proven gunshot detection system with Noonlight’s SendPolice platform, ResponderLink is the first solution to automatically deliver real-time gunshot detection data to 911 call centers and first responders. When shots are detected, the 911 dispatching center, also known as the Public Safety Answering Point or PSAP, is contacted based on the gunfire location, enabling faster initiation of life-saving emergency protocols.

  • Automatic Systems V07

    Automatic Systems V07

    Automatic Systems, an industry-leading manufacturer of pedestrian and vehicle secure entrance control access systems, is pleased to announce the release of its groundbreaking V07 software. The V07 software update is designed specifically to address cybersecurity concerns and will ensure the integrity and confidentiality of Automatic Systems applications. With the new V07 software, updates will be delivered by means of an encrypted file.

  • Luma x20

    Luma x20

    Snap One has announced its popular Luma x20 family of surveillance products now offers even greater security and privacy for home and business owners across the globe by giving them full control over integrators’ system access to view live and recorded video. According to Snap One Product Manager Derek Webb, the new “customer handoff” feature provides enhanced user control after initial installation, allowing the owners to have total privacy while also making it easy to reinstate integrator access when maintenance or assistance is required. This new feature is now available to all Luma x20 users globally. “The Luma x20 family of surveillance solutions provides excellent image and audio capture, and with the new customer handoff feature, it now offers absolute privacy for camera feeds and recordings,” Webb said. “With notifications and integrator access controlled through the powerful OvrC remote system management platform, it’s easy for integrators to give their clients full control of their footage and then to get temporary access from the client for any troubleshooting needs.”