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| US Officials blame Iran for cyber intrusion into Trump and Biden-Harris campaign |
US intelligence officials announced on Monday that they believe Iran is behind the hacking of Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, marking the first time the US government has formally blamed Tehran for cyber intrusions aimed at interfering in American politics. The FBI and other federal agencies say the hacking was part of a broader effort by Iran to influence the outcome of the election and disrupt US political processes.
The assessment comes as intelligence agencies work to prevent foreign interference in US elections. The hacking of the Trump campaign underscores the ongoing concern posed by Iran, alongside other adversaries like Russia and China.
In addition to the Trump campaign, officials suspect that Iran attempted to hack into Kamala Harris's presidential campaign. The cyberattacks are seen as part of Iran’s strategy to “complicate the ability of any US administration to pursue a foreign policy at odds with its own interests,” according to the statement from the FBI, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. The goal, officials say, is to sow discord, weaken trust in democratic institutions, and influence the election’s outcome.
The FBI's statement highlighted "increasingly aggressive Iranian activity" during this election cycle, particularly through influence operations targeting the American public and cyber operations targeting presidential campaigns.
Iran has denied the allegations, with its mission to the United Nations stating that it had no motive or intention to interfere with the US election and challenging Washington to provide evidence.
The statement comes amid heightened tensions between the US and Iran, particularly regarding the situation in the Middle East. While the US has not detailed how it concluded that Iran was responsible for the hacks, it remains confident in its assessment that Iranian actors sought access to individuals directly involved in both the Trump and Biden-Harris campaigns.
Recent reports indicate that phishing emails targeted at least three staffers in the Biden-Harris campaign, although there is no evidence that these attempts were successful. The Trump campaign disclosed on August 10 that Iranian actors had hacked and leaked sensitive internal documents to several media outlets, though details of the leaks remain undisclosed.
The growing threats to US election security continue to be a focus of concern, with both Russia and Iran using similar tactics to interfere in electoral processes not only in the US but globally. Tech giants like Microsoft and Google have also reported attempts by Iranian groups to infiltrate the personal email accounts of individuals linked to both major presidential campaigns.
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