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Albania·Iran·Technology

Iran-linked hackers tried to sell Albanian citizens' data to FBI informant, court filing reveals

Wednesday, 22 April 2026, 06:43 · 1 min read

A federal lawsuit filed in the US District Court of Maryland in March 2025 has revealed that Iran-linked hackers attempted to sell a database of Albanian citizens' personal information — including national ID numbers, names, birth dates, and addresses — to an undercover FBI agent. The hackers are believed to be part of the Homeland Justice group, which US authorities and Microsoft have linked to Iran's Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS) and which has repeatedly targeted Albania's digital infrastructure since 2022, motivated in part by Albania's decision to host thousands of members of MEK (Mujahedeen e-Khalq, an exiled Iranian dissident organisation). Cybersecurity experts warn the breach reflects long-standing vulnerabilities in Albanian state systems, with one specialist cautioning that leaked data "never truly disappears" once it enters illegal markets, where it can be exploited for identity theft, fraud, and blackmail.

Sources
Balkan Insight‘Failure in Prevention’: Iran-Linked Hackers, Stolen Albanian Data and an FBI Sting ↗︎
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