Google confirmed that Iranian-backed hackers are targeting the presidential campaigns of Kamala Harris and Donald Trump. The hacker group, known as “APT42” and linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, has been targeting high-profile individuals and organizations in both Israel and the United States, including political campaigns.
According to Google’s threat report, APT42 has been attempting to compromise personal accounts associated with President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and Trump.The Harris campaign acknowledged being targeted by foreign hackers, following Trump’s campaign’s earlier suggestion of Iranian involvement. “In July, the campaign legal and security teams were notified by the FBI that we were targeted by a foreign actor influence operation,” a Harris campaign official said reported AFP. However, they reported no security breaches.
APT42 uses sophisticated phishing techniques to gather information and deceive victims into revealing login credentials for accounts like Gmail. These techniques often involve posing as reputable organizations or creating fake video meeting pages to lure targets.
Google’s report highlighted that APT42 had attempted to hack into personal email accounts of about a dozen individuals linked to Biden and Trump this year. The company also disrupted several of the group’s phishing campaigns and blocked numerous login attempts. Additionally, the group accessed the personal Gmail account of a prominent political consultant.
“APT42 is a sophisticated, persistent threat actor with a demonstrated ability to run simultaneous phishing campaigns, particularly targeting Israel and the United States,” Google noted.
The US State Department issued a warning to Iran on Monday about potential consequences for interfering in the election following the Trump campaign’s breach announcement. The Trump campaign claimed that Iran was behind the breach, which involved the leak of private documents, and cautioned media outlets against publishing the documents, accusing them of aiding “America’s enemies.”
This stance contrasts with Trump’s 2016 remarks, when he infamously encouraged Russia to find Hillary Clinton’s emails, amid US intelligence findings that Russia had intervened to support his election.
According to Google’s threat report, APT42 has been attempting to compromise personal accounts associated with President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and Trump.The Harris campaign acknowledged being targeted by foreign hackers, following Trump’s campaign’s earlier suggestion of Iranian involvement. “In July, the campaign legal and security teams were notified by the FBI that we were targeted by a foreign actor influence operation,” a Harris campaign official said reported AFP. However, they reported no security breaches.
APT42 uses sophisticated phishing techniques to gather information and deceive victims into revealing login credentials for accounts like Gmail. These techniques often involve posing as reputable organizations or creating fake video meeting pages to lure targets.
Google’s report highlighted that APT42 had attempted to hack into personal email accounts of about a dozen individuals linked to Biden and Trump this year. The company also disrupted several of the group’s phishing campaigns and blocked numerous login attempts. Additionally, the group accessed the personal Gmail account of a prominent political consultant.
“APT42 is a sophisticated, persistent threat actor with a demonstrated ability to run simultaneous phishing campaigns, particularly targeting Israel and the United States,” Google noted.
The US State Department issued a warning to Iran on Monday about potential consequences for interfering in the election following the Trump campaign’s breach announcement. The Trump campaign claimed that Iran was behind the breach, which involved the leak of private documents, and cautioned media outlets against publishing the documents, accusing them of aiding “America’s enemies.”
This stance contrasts with Trump’s 2016 remarks, when he infamously encouraged Russia to find Hillary Clinton’s emails, amid US intelligence findings that Russia had intervened to support his election.
Source : Times of India
