The Trump campaign revealed on Saturday that it had been hacked and suggested that Iranian actors were responsible for stealing and distributing sensitive internal documents.It cited an instance of an Iranian military intelligence unit in June sending “a spear-phishing email to a high-ranking official of a presidential campaign from a compromised email account of a former senior advisor.”
However, the campaign did not provide specific evidence linking Iran to the breach.
Microsoft report and Iranian activity
Microsoft’s report, released on Friday, outlined increased foreign malign influence in the US election, initially attributed to Russian operations but recently involving Iranian activity.
The report highlighted an instance where an Iranian military intelligence unit, Mint Sandstorm, targeted a US presidential campaign with a phishing email in June 2024. This email was sent from a compromised account of a former senior advisor.
Trump campaign’s response and Iran’s denial
Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung attributed the hack to “foreign sources hostile to the United States” and criticized media outlets for reporting on the stolen documents. The National Security Council stated it takes reports of foreign interference seriously but deferred to the Justice Department for further investigation.
Iran’s mission to the United Nations denied involvement, asserting that it had no intent or motive to interfere in the US election. The denial comes amid ongoing suspicions about Iran’s hacking activities and its threats of retaliation against Trump for the 2020 drone strike that killed General Qassem Soleimani.
Related developments
Recent developments include criminal charges against a Pakistani national with alleged ties to Iran, who is accused of plotting assassination attempts against US political figures. Court documents reveal Iran’s interest in targeting enemies of the regime and avenging Soleimani’s death.
The Politico report, which first disclosed the hack, noted that the Trump campaign had received emails from an anonymous account containing a dossier on Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance, dated February 23, five months before Vance was officially selected.
The Trump campaign has not commented on its interactions with Microsoft regarding the hack. Microsoft has declined further comment beyond its report, which detailed an increase in foreign cyberattacks and interference efforts as the election season progresses.
Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign has yet to respond to inquiries about the hacking incident or its cybersecurity measures.
Source : Times of India
