Montenegro Police and FBI Arrest Hacker Who Targeted Hundreds of Universities with Rp60 Trillion in Losses

Montenegro police and the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) arrested an Iranian citizen suspected of carrying out a hacking attack that damaged US infrastructure worth 3.4 billion US dollars (Rp60,671,470,000,000), said Montenegro police.

The 39-year-old, with dual Iranian and Turkish citizenship, is wanted by the Southern District Court in New York on charges including conspiracy to commit computer fraud, hacking, and identity theft.

He was arrested at the Adriatic coastal resort of Kotor, Montenegro's police directorate said on Thursday.

"Since 2013 and beyond, he has carried out massive hacking attacks targeting more than 150 universities in the United States, causing losses estimated at more than 3.4 billion US dollars," the statement said, citing Al Arabiya from Reuters (26/6).

The case will now be taken to a High Court judge in Montenegro's capital Podgorica for extradition proceedings, police added.

"The data obtained, as well as access to the hacked university accounts, were used for the benefit of the Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and other Iranian entities, including universities," the statement said.

Meanwhile, the FBI has not immediately commented.

Iran and the IRGC have a long history of state-sponsored cyber operations targeting the United States, often linked to the IRGC.

In April, US cyber security, law enforcement and intelligence agencies warned of an increase in Iranian hacking campaigns targeting equipment across critical US infrastructure.