Iranian national extradited to US over alleged $3.4 billion state-backed hacking campaign in rare legal win for law enforcement

An Iranian-Turkish Man has been extradited to the U.S. from Montenegro over his alleged involvement in a $3.4 billion hacking scheme that affected numerous universities and companies across the country. The extradition, a rare move involving an individual accused of state-sponsored attacks, took place on October 1. According to a CNN report, Montenegrin police arrested the suspect, Amir Barati, in June at the FBI’s request.

The suspect and 16 other Iranians were indicted on wire and computer fraud charges in August, and are expected to face the charges in the U.S. Southern District of New York. According to the indictment, the 17 defendants are members of Mabna Institute — an Iran-based company known for state-backed global hacking activities.

In a campaign that began in 2013 and lasted several years, the defendants allegedly stole over 31 terabytes of academic data and intellectual property and breached 8,000 email accounts belonging to professors in the U.S. and worldwide. The attack affected 144 universities, 42 private companies, and five government agencies, including the Department of Labor and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. It also affected 178 universities and 11 companies abroad, as well as at least two NGOs, causing over $3.4 billion in losses and damages.

The attackers reportedly handed over the stolen data and illicit access to the Iranian government, after which it was used to benefit Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and other Iranian organizations and universities. Barati specifically allegedly “helped track the progress of the hacks of universities and helped create ‘targeting lists' for the private sector,” according to U.S. court documents.

The suspect’s extradition is a rare case, as accused Iranian hackers rarely ever face U.S. courts, and is widely seen as a win for law enforcement. Iran’s sizable hacking capabilities have caused considerable damage globally. In August, the country was suspected of conducting cyberattacks on U.S. water suppliers in 45 municipalities. Similarly, an Iranian-linked hacking group claimed an attack in March that wiped over 200,000 devices clean and extracted over 50 TB of data.

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