Eye Spy - May 2018

22 EYE SPY INTELLIGENCE MAGAZINE 115 2018

BROKEN

Iran’s Global Cyber Spy Cell

FBI indicts nine Iranians of worldwide

cyber attacks sponsored by Tehran’s

military and intelligence agencies

gents of a cyber spy cell operated by
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps
(IRGC) and its spy agency - Ministry
of Intelligence and Security (MOIS),
Ahave been indicted by the FBI,
following a near five year investigation. The
charges relate to an extensive operation in
which the men attempted to hack into
government offices, US and international
universities and dozens of companies. At the

centre of the operation was the Tehran-based

Mabna Institute; this front, according to the

Bureau, assisted Iranian universities and

scientific and research organisations in

securing access to non-Iranian scientific

resources.

“The Mabna Institute, through the activities of

the defendants, targeted more than 100,000

accounts of professors around the world,” a

spokesperson said. “They successfully

compromised approximately 8,000 professor

email accounts across 144 US-based

universities, and 176 universities located in 21

foreign countries.” Other organisations

targeted included the United Nations, US

Depar tment of Labor, the Federal Energy

Regulatory Commission, the State of Hawaii

and the State of Indiana. Investigators from the

Justice Depar tment have valued the informa-

tion stolen from US universities alone at $3.4

billion.

RECONNAISSANCE AND TARGETING

A complex operation enabled by MOIS saw the

cell target specific high profile figures and

those thought useful in a variety of specialist

fields, from science to technology. Back-

ground profiling and reconnaissance then

ensued and masses of material allowed the

cell a deeper understanding of their interests.

Thereafter posing as colleagues contact was

Central reading room, Library of Congress