Trump, Biden, Harris targeted by Iranian phishing campaign
Illustrative image of a hacker (photo: Getty Images)
In a report dated June 13, Google revealed that Iran, as part of an ongoing phishing campaign, targeted around a dozen individuals associated with US President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and former President Donald Trump, according to Axios.
The report notes that this is the first official acknowledgment of Iran targeting the Biden-Harris administration and its associated presidential campaigns.
Google said in its report that APT42 - a government-linked Iranian hacking group also known as Charming Kitten and Mint Sandstorm - attacked around a dozen individuals in May and June. One of these attacks successfully targeted a senior political consultant.
Google’s security researchers continue to document APT42’s attempts to compromise personal email accounts linked to Biden, Harris, and Trump.
Axios reports that APT42’s methods include embedding malicious links in both the body of emails and seemingly benign PDF attachments, which complicates detection for users.
Additionally, it is known that this hacker group engages with victims on encrypted messaging platforms such as Signal and WhatsApp to gain their trust.
Insights on the hacker attack
On Sunday, August 11, the campaign headquarters of US presidential candidate Donald Trump reported that their computers had been breached.
The following day, The Washington Post reported that hackers working on behalf of Iran may have not only compromised the Trump campaign’s email but also targeted the computers of advisors to Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.
It was later revealed that the FBI was investigating the hacking of the US presidential candidates' campaign offices.
