Cryptocurrencies

U.S. Indicts Iranians in Data Theft From Colleges, Companies

  • Mabna Institute group hit hundreds of universities, U.S. says
  • Value of stolen information pegged at more than $3.4 billion

Members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard in Tehran on June 7, 2017. 

Photographer: Hossein Mersadi/AFP/Getty Images

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The U.S. Justice Department on Friday charged nine Iranian citizens with hacking hundreds of companies and academic institutions to steal more than $3.4 billion in trade secrets and other data on behalf of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

The individuals charged did the hacking since 2013 and were connected to an Iran-based company called the Mabna Institute, according to an indictment unsealed Friday.