Iran Intensifies 2024 Election Meddling, FBI Discloses Trump Hack Details

In Washington, D.C., Iranian hackers targeted individuals linked to President Joe Biden’s campaign, sending unsolicited emails containing stolen information from former President Donald Trump’s campaign. Federal agencies, including the FBI, confirmed these attempts on Wednesday but noted the outreach was disregarded by the recipients.

This warning adds to a growing list of cybersecurity alerts regarding Iran’s intentions to influence the forthcoming election. These efforts also included a hack-and-leak strategy directed at Trump’s campaign, likely retaliating against his actions against Iran during his presidency, particularly the assassination of General Qasem Soleimani of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

The FBI, together with the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, issued a joint statement elucidating their findings on Iran’s attempts to incite discord and manipulate the U.S. electoral process.

According to the statement, “Iranian malicious cyber actors in late June and early July sent unsolicited emails to individuals then associated with President Biden’s campaign. These emails contained excerpts taken from stolen, non-public material from former President Trump’s campaign as text in the emails.” The report emphasized there is no evidence that any of the recipients engaged with the information sent. Furthermore, Iranian actors have persisted with their campaign of sending stolen materials linked to Trump’s campaign to U.S. media outlets.

In response to this breach, the Justice Department is reportedly preparing legal charges. Additionally, federal officials have indicated that Iran, along with Russia and to a lesser extent China, have intensified their focus on the 2024 presidential race, aiming to erode public trust in the electoral process and stoke societal discord.

In July, Biden withdrew from the race, allowing Vice President Kamala Harris to emerge as the Democratic nominee. Recent polls indicate that she is in a tight contest with Trump.

Morgan Finkelstein, a spokesperson for Harris’s campaign, remarked that they have “cooperated with the appropriate law enforcement authorities” since learning of the foreign influence attempts. “We’re not aware of any material being sent directly to the campaign; a few individuals were targeted on their personal emails with what looked like spam or phishing attempts,” she stated. Finkelstein strongly condemned any foreign meddling, calling it unacceptable and harmful.

In a contrasting viewpoint, Karoline Leavitt, the national press secretary for Trump’s campaign, asserted that the federal announcement signifies ongoing Iranian interference meant to support Harris and Biden. Leavitt further questioned whether the Biden campaign utilized any of the hacked information against Trump, demanding transparency on the matter.

Rep. Mike Turner, the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, raised concerns about how the recipients of the hacked material handled it, questioning whether they reported it to law enforcement and insinuating possible collusion between the Biden-Harris campaign and Iran.

Rep. Jim Himes, the ranking Democrat on the committee, contested these allegations, underscoring that the joint statement by federal agencies lacks evidence that Biden campaign affiliates engaged or responded to the hackers’ outreach. Himes reminded that Harris and Biden are committed to rejecting foreign interference in elections, irrespective of any potential benefits or detriments.

The article drew parallels to Trump’s controversial 2016 remarks, when he urged Russia to hack Clinton’s campaign, a move that many view as inviting foreign interference. U.S. intelligence agencies had previously established that Russia’s hacking efforts were geared towards benefiting Trump and undermining Clinton’s campaign.

Sen. Mark Warner, chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, stated that the actions taken by Russia in 2016 have paved the way for other nations to actively meddle in U.S. elections. “With Russia’s 2016 playbook out in the open, it’s no surprise that other malign actors would seek to follow suit,” he commented.

Last month, intelligence agencies confirmed that Iran was behind the hacking efforts aimed at both the Trump and Biden-Harris campaigns. This confirmation followed Trump’s campaign’s claims that some internal documents had been breached.

Iran’s mission to the United Nations denied these hacking allegations, declaring, “The Iranian government neither possesses nor harbors any intent or motive to interfere in the United States presidential election.” Reports indicate that media outlets including Politico, The Washington Post, and The New York Times received the stolen materials, but there is no evidence suggesting they published any related content.

Additionally, Harris’s campaign reported an unsuccessful spear-phishing attempt aimed at penetrating their defenses. U.S. intelligence officials also indicated that Russia is amplifying its efforts to interfere in the upcoming elections as Election Day approaches, specifically targeting Biden and Harris.

Source: USA Today