U.S. officials have determined that the Iranian regime was responsible for a hacking attempt targeting former President Donald Trump’s campaign. In a joint statement on Aug. 19, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the FBI, and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency confirmed that Iranian hackers had tried to gain access to individuals involved in both presidential campaigns.
The FBI had previously announced on Aug. 12 that they were investigating reports of potential Iranian-linked hackers targeting the Trump campaign. The statement revealed that the hackers had also targeted the campaign of Vice President Kamala Harris.
This hacking attempt was contextualized within a pattern of “increasingly aggressive Iranian activity” during the current election cycle. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence released an assessment stating that Iranian groups were spreading disinformation to sow distrust in U.S. institutions and escalate social discord.
The Iranian mission to the United Nations denied involvement in the cyber breach, claiming that Tehran was actually the victim of cyberattacks. They asserted that Tehran used its cyber capabilities for defense and to respond proportionately to attacks.
The intelligence officials pledged to remain vigilant in identifying and countering such threats to protect the integrity of elections from foreign interference. The recent breach was initially identified in a report from the Microsoft Threat Analysis Center, linking it to an Iranian group known as “Mint Sandstorm.”
In response to the breach, Trump’s 2024 campaign team acknowledged being hacked and having campaign documents stolen. Some of these documents were later leaked to Politico by an anonymous source, including research dossiers on potential vice-presidential candidates.
This campaign breach occurred amidst reports of an independent Iranian plot to assassinate the former president following a failed attempt on his life in July. The statement emphasized the importance of safeguarding elections from foreign influence or interference.
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