Iranian hackers allegedly hacked Biden-Harris campaign advisers' emails
Illustrative photo (Getty Images)
Hackers working for Iran may have breached not only the email accounts of Trump campaign staff but also attempted to infiltrate the computers of advisors to Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, citing The Washington Post.
The FBI has launched an investigation into potential Iranian hacking attempts aimed at both Trump’s allies and Biden-Harris campaign advisors.
The report references sources who, under the condition of anonymity, stated that three Biden-Harris campaign staff members received phishing emails that appeared legitimate but could have given attackers access to the recipients' communications. Investigators have not yet found evidence that these attempts were successful.
Biden campaign targeted
Sources from The Washington Post indicate that the FBI began its investigation in June, suspecting Iran of attempting to steal data from both presidential campaigns. Agents reached out to Google to discuss the possibility of phishing attacks targeting individuals connected to the Biden campaign.
Updated information on the investigation reveals that it is broader and involves more potential victims than previously reported. This also highlights the ongoing and potentially recurrent foreign state-sponsored cyberattacks on US political candidates.
"We can confirm the FBI is investigating this matter," the agency said.
The Harris campaign reported that it "vigilantly monitors and protects against cyber threats, and we are not aware of any security breaches of our systems." They clarified that the intrusion attempt occurred before President Joe Biden withdrew from the race and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic Party’s nominee.
Trump ally targeted
Sources also disclosed that a phishing attempt led to the breach of communications of at least one individual not formally connected to any campaign. This person was Roger Stone, a longtime friend and advisor to Trump.
"I was informed by the authorities that a couple of my personal email accounts have been compromised. I really don’t know more about it. And I’m cooperating. It’s all very strange," Stone said in a brief interview.
According to informed individuals, Stone’s account was used to send emails to Trump campaign staff. The emails contained links that, if clicked, could have allowed Iran to intercept other emails from campaign staff.
Iran denies involvement
Last week, Microsoft released a public report warning that Iranian hackers attempted to hack the email of a "high-ranking official" involved in a US presidential campaign in June.
The company did not publicly name the campaign or confirm whether it believed the hack was successful. However, a source familiar with Microsoft’s work confirmed that the report referred to the Trump campaign.
The Washington Post also noted that while evidence of Iran's involvement is part of the FBI's investigation, it is clear that agents are investigating a wider range of potential hacking attempts.
Meanwhile, last weekend, a spokesperson for Iran’s permanent mission to the UN denied the hacking allegations.
"We do not accord any credence to such reports. The Iranian Government neither possesses nor harbors any intent or motive to interfere in the United States presidential election," the spokesperson said.
Trump's campaign hack attempt
On Sunday, August 11, the Associated Press reported on a discovered hacking attempt against Donald Trump's presidential campaign. According to the investigation, a unit of Iranian military intelligence sent a phishing email to a senior Trump campaign official.
Subsequently, analysts and Democratic lawmakers called for the declassification of information about the potential breach of Trump's campaign emails. They believe this could help prevent disruptions to the US presidential election.
