The U.S. government has formally backed former President Donald Trump’s claim that Iran hacked his campaign, with the FBI, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence stating that Iran was behind attempts to hack presidential campaigns of both political parties. They noted increasingly aggressive Iranian activity during this election cycle, including influence operations targeting the American public and cyber operations targeting presidential campaigns. The agencies mentioned that Iran and Russia have used similar tactics in the past in the U.S. and other countries.
Google also alleged that the same hackers targeted the Biden-Harris campaign, although it’s unclear if they were successful. While the FBI continues to investigate, Democratic nominee Kamala Harris’ campaign stated they had no indication of being hacked.
Iran denied any interference in the election, calling the allegations unsubstantiated and lacking evidence. The U.S. agencies emphasized their commitment to protecting election integrity from foreign influence and interference.
Three news outlets reported receiving documents that appeared to be stolen from the Trump campaign, with a spokesperson claiming they were part of an Iranian operation to influence the election. The FBI is investigating attempts to hack both parties, while Google published a report on an Iranian hacker group targeting presidential campaigns.
In the previous election cycle, Iran was blamed for an operation sending harassing emails to Democrats in Florida to create the appearance of threats from the Proud Boys.
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