Former President Donald Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign announced on Saturday that it had been the target of a hacking attack, which it believes was carried out by Iranian actors. The campaign suggested that sensitive internal documents were stolen and distributed as a result of this breach.
The Trump campaign did not provide specific evidence linking the Iranian government to the hack. However, their statement came shortly after Microsoft released a report indicating that foreign agents had attempted to interfere in the 2024 U.S. presidential election. This report highlighted an instance where an Iranian military intelligence unit, known as Mint Sandstorm, sent a phishing email to a high-ranking official from a compromised email account.
Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung attributed the hack to “foreign sources hostile to the United States.” The National Security Council responded to the claims by stating that it takes any report of foreign interference very seriously. However, the Council deferred to the Justice Department for further action.
Iran’s mission to the United Nations denied any involvement in the hacking. The mission stated that it did not take the claims seriously and had no intent to interfere in the U.S. presidential election. Iran has a history of conducting hacking campaigns and has previously threatened retaliation against Trump for the 2020 drone strike that killed General Qassem Soleimani.
In a related case, the U.S. Justice Department recently charged a Pakistani national with ties to Iran, accusing him of plotting assassination attempts against U.S. political figures, including Trump. The case highlighted Iran’s desire to target perceived enemies and seek revenge for Soleimani’s death.
Politico reported that it began receiving emails on July 22 from an anonymous account that appeared to be involved in the hack. This account, identified as “Robert” and using an AOL email address, provided a research dossier on Trump’s vice presidential nominee, Ohio Senator JD Vance. The document was dated February 23, several months before Vance was officially chosen as Trump’s running mate.
Cheung criticized the release of these documents, claiming they were obtained illegally and were intended to interfere with the election and create chaos. He referenced Microsoft’s report, which noted that Iranian hackers had targeted a high-ranking official in the Trump campaign around the time Vance was selected as the vice presidential nominee.
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Cheung warned that media outlets republishing the stolen documents were aiding America’s enemies. He did not immediately address questions about the Trump campaign’s interactions with Microsoft regarding the hack.
Microsoft’s report indicated that foreign influence in the 2024 election had been growing over the past six months. Initially, Russian operations were prominent, but recently, Iranian activity has increased. The report noted that Iranian cyber operations have been a regular feature in recent U.S. election cycles and are often aimed more at election conduct rather than swaying voter opinions.
The report detailed that in June 2024, the Iranian intelligence unit Mint Sandstorm sent a phishing email to an American presidential campaign through a compromised account. The phishing email contained a fake link that redirected users through an actor-controlled domain before reaching the intended site.
Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign has not yet commented on the hacking incident or on the cybersecurity measures it has in place.
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