US Charges 17 Iranians in $3.4 Billion IRGC-Linked Cyber Theft Campaign

The US Justice Department unsealed charges August 18, 2026 against 17 Iranians tied to the Mabna Institute for stealing over 31 terabytes of academic data and intellectual property — roughly $3.4 billion — from 144 US universities, 42 companies, and several government agencies. The DOJ says many attacks served Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. A $10 million reward targets five suspects.