Trump Campaign Blames Iran for Email Hack

The Trump 2024 presidential campaign has accused Iran of being behind a cyberattack that compromised its internal communications. The FBI is investigating the incident, which comes as Microsoft reports increased foreign interference attempts in the US election cycle.

The Trump 2024 presidential campaign alleges that Iranian cyber actors hacked its email systems, compromising internal communications. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has confirmed that it is investigating the incident.

"FBI is investigating the recent cyber intrusion into the Trump campaign," the bureau said in a statement to Fox News. "We can now confirm that the FBI is investigating."

Trump Campaign Blames Iran for Email Hack

The campaign's spokesperson, Steven Cheung, stated that the documents obtained by the hackers 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 Trump campaign's accusation came after Microsoft issued a report detailing foreign agents' attempts to interfere in the US 2024 presidential campaign. The report mentioned an incident in June where an Iranian military intelligence unit sent a phishing email to a high-ranking official of a presidential campaign from a compromised account of a former senior advisor.

Trump Campaign Blames Iran for Email Hack

Politico reported that on July 22, it started receiving emails from an anonymous AOL account using the name "Robert." The emails contained documents that Politico claimed had been illegally obtained.

The Harris campaign, another presidential candidate for 2024, stated that it constantly monitors and protects against cyber threats and is not aware of any security breaches in its systems.

Trump Campaign Blames Iran for Email Hack

Iran's mission to the United Nations denied any involvement in the alleged hack. However, Iran has a history of conducting hacking campaigns targeting its adversaries in the Middle East and beyond.

Microsoft's report indicated that foreign influence attempts targeting the 2024 election have escalated in recent months, initially from Russian operations but increasingly from Iranian activities.

The report highlighted that Iranian cyber operations have been a consistent feature in at least the last three US election cycles. Iran's campaigns often appear later in the election season and focus on cyberattacks that directly target election conduct rather than swaying voters.

Microsoft concluded that its analysis suggests that the Iranian regime may be as actively engaged in influencing the 2024 election as the Russian government.

The FBI continues its investigation, and no arrests have been made at this time. The incident underscores the ongoing threat of cyberattacks on political campaigns and the potential for foreign interference in US elections.