US Finds Iran Responsible For Trump Campaign Hack

Topline

The U.S. intelligence community said Monday it is confident Iran was responsible for the recently reported hack on former President Donald Trump’s campaign and warned that Iran is increasingly trying to “shape the outcome” of the November election.

The FBI and other U.S. intelligence agencies said Monday they were “confident” Iran was behind the … [+] campaign hack on former President Donald Trump, confirming the campaign’s suspicions.

Key Facts

In a joint statement, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, FBI and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency said they are “confident that the Iranians have through social engineering and other efforts sought access to individuals with direct access to the presidential campaigns of both political parties.”

After the Trump campaign recently shared it had been hacked in June, the FBI also warned the Biden-Harris campaign about potential threats from Iranian hackers, CNN reported—though the campaign told the outlet it’s “not aware of any security breaches.”

The agencies had previously individually said Iran is working to “stoke discord and undermine confidence in our democratic institutions,” and that it sees this year’s elections to be “particularly consequential in terms of the impact they could have on its national security interests.”

The joint statement also said the recent attack not only shows Iran’s desire to interfere in U.S. elections, but the need for increased caution when using online platforms.

Get Forbes Breaking News Text Alerts: We’re launching text message alerts so you’ll always know the biggest stories shaping the day’s headlines. Text “Alerts” to (201) 335-0739 or sign up here.

Key Background

On Aug. 10, the Trump campaign said it was the victim of a hack “from foreign sources hostile to the United States” and pointed to a Microsoft report published shortly before then that found Iran-affiliated groups are engaging in disinformation and hacking to interfere in the upcoming election. At the time the Trump campaign first blamed Iran for its hack, it did not present evidence, but the Microsoft report had identified a spear-phishing email sent in June to a high-ranking official of an unnamed presidential campaign. Politico first reported the hack after it began receiving emails from an “anonymous account with documents from inside Trump’s operation,” including a research document from February labeled “potential vulnerabilities” on Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, who was later named Trump’s running mate. The FBI confirmed to multiple outlets last Monday it was investigating the hack after the Trump team alleged Iran was behind it, but gave few details into its investigation.

Big Number

3. That’s at least how many staffers on the Biden-Harris campaign received phishing emails that were designed to gain access to the recipients’ communications before Vice President Kamala Harris took over the campaign, The Washington Post reported. Investigators reportedly did not find any of the attempts had been successful.

Tangent

The intelligence community noted the tactics used by Iran in the hack were “not new.” The statement continued: “Iran and Russia have employed these tactics not only in the United States during this and prior federal election cycles but also in other countries around the world,” likely referencing the 2016 presidential election, when officials said Russian hackers obtained thousands of emails from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, the Democratic National Committee and Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign that they ultimately released on a website with the intention of helping Trump win the White House.