FBI Probes Alleged Iranian Hacker Targeting of Trump and Biden-Harris Campaigns
Federal authorities are investigating whether Iranian hackers have attempted to target individuals connected with both the Trump and Biden-Harris presidential campaigns, CBS News reports, citing three sources close to the inquiry.
The FBI initiated these investigations in early summer after both campaigns reported phishing attempts aimed at their personnel. Cybercriminals aligned with Iran are being considered as potential culprits, the sources say. The Washington Post was the first to break the news regarding the FBI’s examination of these cybersecurity incidents.
In a brief statement released late Monday, the FBI confirmed it is looking into claims made by the Trump campaign regarding suspected Iranian hacking. However, the agency did not provide additional details.
Over the weekend, the Trump campaign said it had been hacked, implying Tehran’s involvement in the theft and distribution of sensitive internal documents. While specifics linking the hack to Iran were limited, this statement came shortly after Microsoft released a report detailing an incident in June involving an Iranian military intelligence unit sending a spear-phishing email to a senior campaign official using a compromised account of a former advisor.
Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung attributed the breach to “foreign sources hostile to the United States” in a statement issued Saturday.
In contrast, a representative from the Biden-Harris campaign assured the broadcaster when reached for comment that their systems had not experienced any security breaches, outlining the campaign’s commitment to cybersecurity vigilance.
