Info:
The Mabna Institute is an Iran-based company that engaged in the theft of personal identifiers and economic resources for private financial gain;
The organization was founded in or about 2013 to assist Iranian universities and scientific and research organizations in obtaining access to non-Iranian scientific resources;
The Mabna Institute also contracted with Iranian governmental and private entities to conduct hacking activities on its behalf;
The Mabna Institute conducted massive, coordinated cyber intrusions into computer systems belonging to at least approximately 144 United States-based universities, in addition to at least 176 universities located in 21 foreign countries;
The exfiltrated data and stolen login credentials acquired through these malicious cyber-enabled activities were used for the benefit of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and were also sold within Iran through at least two websites;
The stolen login credentials belonging to university professors were used to directly access online university library systems;
Also Known As:
Mabna Institute
Involved In:
Cyber crime
Country:
Iran
Address:
Mirdamad, Naft Jonubi, Taban Alley, Plaque 2/1, Unit 102, Tehran, Iran;
East Shahid Hemmat Highway, North Emam Ali Highway, East Artesh Highway, Town of Qa’em, Banafsheh Street, Second Door, Plaque 2, Tehran, Iran;
Ansariyeh Boulevard, 6th Bustan, Plaque 488, 4515736541, Zanjan, Iran;
Person of interests:
Gholamreza Rafatnejad;
Ehsan Mohammadi;
Seyed Ali Mirkarimi;
Mostafa Sadeghi;
Sajjad Tahmasebi;
Abdollah Karima;
Abuzar Gohari Moqadam;
Roozbeh Sabahi;
Mohammed Reza Sabahi;
Reason for the color:
» U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated Mabna Institute under Executive Order (E.O.) 13694, “Blocking the Property of Certain Persons Engaging in Significant Malicious Cyber-Enabled Activities,” as amended. The entity designated today engaged in the theft of valuable intellectual property and data from hundreds of U.S. and third-country universities and a media company for private financial gain;
» Mabna Institute hackers penetrated systems belonging to hundreds of universities, companies, and other victims to steal research, academic and proprietary data, and intellectual property;