The Iranian government faces accusations of orchestrating a sustained, coordinated cyber campaign aimed at exfiltrating data from numerous American organizations, according to reports from the BBC. The Ministry of Justice of the Islamic Republic of Iran alleged that members associated with the “Majna” Institute, based in Iran, have targeted the computer systems of various American institutions since at least 2013. According to the Ministry of Justice, the scope of the alleged intrusions included 144 American universities and 42 private sector companies.
The campaign reportedly resulted in the theft of over 31 terabytes of academic data and intellectual property. Furthermore, the ministry estimated the total value of the stolen data to be approximately $3.4 billion. The reported activity constitutes a long-term pattern of sophisticated cyber attacks against American infrastructure.
In response to such threats, the replacement director of the FBI, Jeems C. Barnack Jr., characterized the coordinated cyber attacks as representing a “serious threat to national security.” The claims detail a systematic effort to breach the digital security of key sectors, affecting both academic institutions and private American enterprises over many years.
Topics: #attacks #universities #american
