The US Department of Justice says 17 members of the Iran-based Mabna Institute have been charged over an alleged cybercampaign targeting hundreds of universities, companies and government agencies in the US and abroad, Al Jazeera reports.

Prosecutors say the group stole more than 31 terabytes of academic data and intellectual property after breaching 144 US universities, 178 foreign universities, dozens of companies and several US government agencies.

In a statement, the US Justice Department has alleged many of the intrusions were carried out on behalf of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and other Iranian government and university clients.

Nine of the 17 defendants were previously charged in 2018, while the latest indictment adds eight more defendants.