In a significant development ahead of the 2024 U.S. presidential election, Iranian hackers attempted to interfere by sending stolen materials from Donald Trump’s campaign to individuals associated with President Joe Biden’s team. The cyber actors, believed to be linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), targeted Biden’s campaign with unsolicited emails containing non-public information obtained from Trump’s campaign. This is part of a broader effort by Iran to sow discord and undermine confidence in the U.S. electoral process.
According to U.S. intelligence agencies, the Biden campaign did not engage with the stolen materials, and there is no indication of any response from Biden’s staff. These hacking attempts occurred between late June and early July 2024. The documents sent to Biden’s team included sensitive internal communications from Trump’s campaign, continuing a pattern of election meddling that Iran has been accused of in past cycles.
The hackers have also been accused of sending stolen materials to U.S. media outlets in an effort to manipulate public opinion. In a prior attack, Iranian hackers breached the email account of Roger Stone, a close ally of Trump, in an attempt to infiltrate senior Trump campaign staff accounts.
U.S. authorities have strongly condemned these actions, with the FBI and other agencies continuing to monitor the situation. The meddling attempts are seen as part of Iran’s ongoing cyber warfare strategy aimed at destabilizing Western democracies by exploiting internal divisions. As the 2024 election approaches, both campaigns are tightening security measures to prevent further breaches(Rediff) .
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