Google confirms Iranian hacking group targeted Trump, Harris presidential campaigns
A recent investigation by Google confirmed that an Iranian hacking group targeted the presidential campaigns of former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris.
A Wednesday report from the Google Threat Analysis Group found that the hackers, an Iranian government-backed threat actor known as APT42, attempted to infiltrate roughly a dozen email accounts affiliated with the campaigns.
‘Successfully gained access to the personal Gmail account of a high-profile political consultant.’
“Associated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), APT42 consistently targets high-profile users in Israel and the U.S., including current and former government officials, political campaigns, diplomats, individuals who work at think tanks, as well as NGOs and academic institutions that contribute to foreign policy conversations,” Google reported.
The technology company stated that it blocked “numerous” attempts by APT42 to log into the personal email accounts of those currently and previously affiliated with the campaigns. It noted that it prevented similar attacks from APT42 against Trump’s and Biden’s presidential campaigns in 2020.
Despite the many thwarted attempts, Google reported that APT42 “successfully gained access to the personal Gmail account of a high-profile political consultant.” However, it did not specify whose account was compromised.
Google notified the targeted campaigns and law enforcement.
Over the weekend, the Trump campaign reported that an Iranian group had hacked its internal communications in June. The infiltration resulted in a leaked campaign research paper on Trump’s running mate, Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio). The campaign noted that the 271-page report contained only publicly available information on Vance.
Microsoft also released a report confirming that an Iranian group tied to the IRGC sent a phishing email to “a high-ranking official on a presidential campaign.” Microsoft, like Google, did not identify the target of the attack.
The FBI has since released a statement announcing it is “investigating this matter.”
Harris’ campaign stated, “Our campaign vigilantly monitors and protects against cyber threats, and we are not aware of any security breaches of our systems.”
Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung told Politico, “These documents were obtained illegally from foreign sources hostile to the United States, intended to interfere with the 2024 election and sow chaos throughout our Democratic process.”
“The Iranians know that President Trump will stop their reign of terror just like he did in his first four years in the White House,” Cheung added. “Any media or news outlet reprinting documents or internal communications are doing the bidding of America’s enemies and doing exactly what they want.”
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