WASHINGTON: U.S. security agencies have confirmed that Iran was behind a recent cyber attack targeting former President Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, with Tehran accused of attempting to influence the 2024 election. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) issued a joint statement confirming the attack, which Trump’s campaign had previously reported.
The statement highlighted that Iranian activities this election cycle have included influence operations aimed at the American public and cyber operations against presidential campaigns. The agencies expressed confidence that Iran utilized social engineering and other methods to target individuals in both major political campaigns, aiming to impact the U.S. election process.
Trump’s campaign, which had claimed on August 10 that it had been hacked by foreign sources, noted that internal communications and documents related to running mate J.D. Vance were leaked. The campaign suggested that Iran was behind the breach, as reported by Politico, which received the campaign materials from an anonymous source.
In addition, Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris’s campaign reported on August 13 that it too had been targeted by foreign hackers, though the specific country involved was not disclosed. Google has also indicated that hackers affiliated with Iran were targeting both Democratic and Republican campaigns. The hacker group APT42, linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, has been implicated in these attempts.
This incident follows the 2016 hack of the Democratic National Committee, which was attributed to Russian operatives and exposed internal communications, including details about candidate Hillary Clinton.
