Reported by 3 outlets
Iranian State Hacker Extradited to US
Why this score
- Breadth
- 1.50 / 2.0 · 3 sources
- Authority
- 1.80 / 2.0 · best outlet weight
- Severity
- 0.50 / 5.0 · CVSS + content signals
- Velocity
- 0.00 / 2.0 · updates in 48h
- Pickup speed
- 0.57 / 0.6 · time to second source
- Recency
- × 0.00 temporal multiplier
- Community
- + 0.00 / 1.5 · reddit signal
- Score
- 0.0 / 10 = base × recency + community
Desk analysis
Iranian-Turkish national Amir Barati, 40, was extradited from Montenegro to the US on an FBI warrant tied to the Mabna Institute. The indictment links him to state-backed hacking since 2013, targeting 144 US universities, 178 foreign universities, 42 private US companies, five government agencies, and NGOs. The attackers stole over 31 terabytes of scientific resources and employee email accounts, handing data to the Iranian government and selling it to Iranian universities. The campaign caused losses exceeding $3.4 billion. Montenegrin authorities arrested him on June 25; US authorities unsealed a 14-count superseding indictment charging 17 Mabna members. The suspect performed intrusions on behalf of both Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and private organizations. The extradition is a rare legal win for law enforcement against state-linked actors.
Watch for confirmation of trial scheduling, additional extraditions of the remaining 16 indicted Mabna members, and any disclosure of victim notification timelines. The scale of university and intellectual-property theft makes this a long-tail threat to academic research security.
Timeline
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original reporting
In Rare Move, Alleged Iranian State Hacker Extradited to US
securityweek.com · 11d ago · October 2nd, 2026
An Iranian national indicted in the US for hacking hundreds of organizations was extradited from Montenegro this week. Acting on an arrest warrant issued by the FBI, Montenegrin authorities arrested the individual, a dual citizen of Turkey and Iran, on June 25. The suspect is accused of involvement in numerous cyberattacks against US organizations starting in 2013. The attacks caused losses of more than $3.4 billion. The Montenegrin authorities did not name the individual, but mentioned his initials, A.B., and that he is 40 years old. In August, the US unsealed a 14-count superseding indictment charging 17 members of the Iran-based company Mabna Institute for hacking activities targeting hundreds of entities in the US and abroad. The indictment names Amir Barati as one of the Mabna Institute members who performed the intrusions on behalf of both the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and private organizations. According to the indictment, the suspects launched attacks against 144 universities in the US and 178 abroad, 42 private companies in the US and 11 abroad, five US government agencies, and at least two NGOs. The individuals stole over 31 terabytes of scientific resources, including academic data and intellectual property, as well as employee email accounts. The stolen information was handed over to the Iranian government and sold to Iranian universities. The US government is offering rewards of
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update from cyberworldops.eu
Montenegro extradited Iranian-Turkish national Amir Barati, 40, to the US on an FBI warrant linked to the Mabna Institute university-hacking
cyberworldops.eu · 11d ago · October 2nd, 2026
Montenegro extradited Iranian-Turkish national Amir Barati, 40, to the US on an FBI warrant linked to the Mabna Institute university-hacking
via Mastodon https://cyberworldops.eu/en/mabna-institute-case-brings-alleged-university-hacking-suspect-to-the
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update from fed.brid.gy
Iranian national extradited to US over alleged $3.4 billion state-backed hacking campaign in rare legal win for law enforcement https:// fed
fed.brid.gy · 9d ago · October 4th, 2026
Iranian national extradited to US over alleged $3.4 billion state-backed hacking campaign in rare legal win for law enforcement https:// fed
via Mastodon https://fed.brid.gy/r/https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/cyber-security/iranian-national-extradited-to-us-over-alleged-usd3-4-billion-state-backed-hacking-campaign-in-rare-legal-win-for-law-enforcement-operative-helped-steal-31-terabytes-of-data-from-over-300-universities