Donald Trump’s campaign has reported that its internal communications were hacked, and they believe Iranian operatives are responsible.
According to Politico, the hacked documents included research about Trump’s running mate, Ohio Senator JD Vance.
The Trump campaign told the BBC that the documents were illegally obtained by foreign sources hostile to the U.S., though they didn’t provide evidence directly linking the hack to Iran.
The FBI has started an investigation, as noted by the BBC. This comes after a report from Microsoft mentioned that Iranian hackers had targeted an unnamed U.S. presidential campaign in June.
The report said the hackers used a phishing email to try and trick the campaign into clicking a malicious link.
Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung stated that the timing of the hack coincided with Trump choosing his vice-presidential nominee and claimed it was meant to interfere with the 2024 election. The BBC pointed out that Iranian officials have denied any involvement.
Politico also revealed that the leaked documents included a 271-page report on JD Vance and a research document about Florida Senator Marco Rubio, another vice-presidential contender.
These documents are typically used by campaigns to identify any potential weaknesses in their candidates.
Microsoft’s report noted that Iranian hackers have been involved in influence operations in U.S. elections for several cycles now, as highlighted by the BBC.
Additionally, U.S. security sources have warned of an Iranian plot to assassinate Trump, which is separate from a recent attempted shooting in Pennsylvania.
Recently, the U.S. Justice Department charged a Pakistani man with ties to Iran, accusing him of plotting to kill U.S. officials, possibly including Trump.
Credit :BBC
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4ge30ze4dpo