The FBI previously said it was investigating reports that hackers potentially linked with Iran had targeted the former president’s campaign.
U.S. officials have concluded that the Iranian regime was behind an attempted hacking operation targeting former President Donald Trump’s campaign.
In a joint statement on Aug. 19, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the FBI, and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency announced, “The IC is 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.”
The FBI on Aug. 12 had announced that it was investigating reports that hackers potentially linked with Iran had targeted the Trump campaign.
According to the statement, Iranian hackers appear to have attempted to hack both Trump’s campaign and the campaign of Vice President Kamala Harris.
The agencies placed the attempted hack into the context of “increasingly aggressive Iranian activity” during the current election cycle, saying “this approach [by Iran] is not new.”
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence released an intelligence community assessment last month, concluding that Iranian groups are working to fuel distrust toward U.S. institutions and increase social discord. The assessment states that Iranian groups use “vast webs of online personas and propaganda mills to spread disinformation and have notably been active in exacerbating tensions over the Israel–Gaza conflict.”
The intelligence community report further states that Tehran is “working to influence the presidential election, probably because Iranian leaders want to avoid an outcome they perceive would increase tensions with the United States.”
The Iranian mission to the United Nations has denied allegations of Tehran’s involvement in a cyber breach targeting the Trump campaign.
The Iranian mission insists that Tehran is instead the target of cyberattacks. The mission said Tehran uses its cyber capabilities for defense and for directing proportionate responses to the attacks that Iran faces.
In the Aug. 19 statement, intelligence officials vowed continued vigilance in identifying and countering such threats.
“Protecting the integrity of our elections from foreign influence or interference is our priority,” the statement said.
By Joseph Lord
