August 20th 2024.
According to United States intelligence officials, Iran is believed to be responsible for the hack of Donald Trump's presidential campaign. This cyber intrusion is seen as part of a larger effort by Tehran to interfere in American politics and potentially influence the outcome of the election. This assessment from the FBI and other federal agencies is the first time the US government has named a specific country as the perpetrator of recent hacks, which have raised concerns about foreign interference in the election.
The officials also noted that while Russia and China are often seen as more sophisticated adversaries, Iran remains a top concern for those responsible for safeguarding democratic processes. In addition to the Trump campaign, it is believed that Iran also attempted to hack into the campaign of Vice Presidential candidate Kamala Harris. These actions, according to federal officials, reflect Iran's determination to disrupt any US administration that goes against its own interests.
"The goal is to create discord, undermine trust in democratic institutions, and influence the outcome of elections that Iran sees as particularly consequential for its national security interests," the officials stated.
The statement released by the FBI, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency also mentioned that there has been a noticeable increase in aggressive Iranian activity during this election cycle. This includes influence operations targeting the American public and cyber operations targeting both presidential campaigns.
In response to these allegations, Iran's mission to the United Nations denied any involvement in the hacks, stating that they had no motive or intention to interfere with the election. They also challenged the US to provide evidence to support their claims.
These accusations come at a time of heightened tensions between the US and Iran. The US is currently trying to prevent a retaliatory strike on Israel after the assassination of Hamas official Ismail Haniyeh. While Iran and its ally Hezbollah have vowed to retaliate, they have not yet launched any attacks as diplomatic efforts continue.
The US did not provide details on how they reached the conclusion that Iran was responsible for the hacks, nor did they disclose what information may have been obtained from the Trump campaign. However, they did state that the intelligence community is confident that Iran used social engineering and other methods to gain access to individuals with direct connections to both political parties' presidential campaigns.
There have been reports of at least three staffers in the Biden-Harris campaign receiving phishing emails, but there is no evidence that these attempts were successful. The Trump campaign also reported a hack on August 10, in which Iranian actors allegedly stole and released sensitive internal documents. Three news outlets were also given confidential material from inside the campaign, but so far, they have not disclosed any details about what they received.
Earlier this month, Microsoft released a report detailing attempts by foreign agents to interfere in the election. One instance involved an Iranian military intelligence unit sending a phishing email to a high-ranking official in a presidential campaign, using a compromised email account of a former senior adviser.
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