US expands Iran-linked hacking case to 17 defendants over HBO’s $6 million Bitcoin ransom plot

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

A 14-count second superseding indictment unsealed Aug. 18 charges 17 people connected to Iran-based Mabna Institute, up from nine defendants named when the Justice Department first brought the case in 2018.

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

Six of the newly added defendants, including Behzad Mesri, Saeid Houshyar, Manouchehr Hashemloo, Keyvan Fayaz, Saber Shahbazi Ballojeh and Arman Kahzadian, are accused of participating in the 2017 HBO intrusion.

That breach led to an attempted Bitcoin extortion after hackers allegedly stole unreleased television episodes, scripts, and other proprietary material.

Prosecutors said the demand began at $5.5 million and rose to roughly $6 million before stolen HBO content was leaked online.

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