Iran-Linked Hackers Expand Reach with New Accused and Higher Stakes

US authorities have expanded an eight-year-old hacking case linked to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, adding eight defendants and tying six of them to a 2017 HBO breach that included a $6 million Bitcoin extortion attempt.

The alleged campaign compromised about 8,000 academic accounts, stole 31.5 terabytes of data, and caused more than $20 million in costs.

Prosecutors allege the Mabna Institute operated as a private company that carried out cyber intrusions on behalf of the IRGC and other Iranian government, university, and private-sector clients.