US Justice Department Indicts Iranian Hackers Over Massive Cyber Campaigns and HBO Extortion Plot

The Justice Department has unsealed a major indictment targeting 17 Iranians involved in extensive cyber crime and hacking operations directed at the US, including a high-profile attack on streaming service HBO.

According to court documents, operatives linked to the Iran-based Mabna Institute have targeted US businesses, agencies, and institutions since 2013. The Mabna Institute orchestrated a widespread campaign of cyber intrusions affecting computer systems across 144 US-based universities, 178 foreign universities, at least 42 US-based private sector companies, 11 foreign private sector companies, 5 US federal and state government agencies, and 2 non-governmental organisations, the Justice Department stated.

The indictment reveals that Mabna utilized and contracted "hackers for hire," with one individual operating under aliases such as Achilles, bc.monster, and The Joker. The suspects were also implicated in targeting the computer systems of Home Box Office, a division of Warner Bros.

Behzad Mesri, identified in the indictment by the alias Skote Vahshat, collaborated with others to breach HBO's network, steal proprietary data, and demand an extortion payment of approximately $6 million in Bitcoin. Convicted individuals could face maximum prison sentences of up to 20 years.

US cyber officials report that Iranian state-sponsored hacking activities have intensified, particularly following the onset of the conflict between the US and Iran at the end of February. Authorities indicate that Iranian hackers are likely responsible for recent compromises of water infrastructure control systems across multiple states, an investigation that remains ongoing. Additionally, hackers associated with Iran successfully compromised the personal computer and email accounts of FBI director Kash Patel in March.