FBI Officially Gets Involved After Trump Campaign Is Breached by Foreign Operatives
The FBI is currently investigating a cyber breach involving the communications of the Trump campaign, which is believed to be the work of Iranian hackers.
The investigation began last week, following an announcement by Microsoft that a presidential campaign had been targeted by Iranian hackers. The Trump campaign confirmed that it had been attacked soon after. This revelation came shortly after a preliminary dossier on Republican Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio, who is the running mate of former President Donald Trump, was leaked to the media.
"The FBI is investigating the recent cyber intrusion into the Trump campaign. We can now confirm that the FBI is investigating," the FBI stated, according to Fox News.
In contrast, the campaign of Vice President Kamala Harris reported no cybersecurity issues. However, reports from The Washington Post indicated that Iranian hackers had also attempted to breach the Biden-Harris campaign during the time when Joe Biden was still a candidate. The report noted that three Biden-Harris staffers received spear-phishing emails designed to grant hackers access to their communications, although no evidence has been found that these attempts were successful.
The FBI began its investigation following the targeting of Biden’s campaign, according to the Post. The report also mentioned that after the Trump campaign realized it had been breached, it did not contact the FBI due to trust issues. Furthermore, it was reported that the emails of Trump ally Roger Stone were also compromised. Emails from Stone’s account, sent to the Trump campaign, included a link that, if clicked, provided Iran with access to the user’s emails.
Roger Stone acknowledged the breach, saying, "I was informed by the authorities that a couple of my personal email accounts have been compromised. I really don’t know more about it. And I’m cooperating. It’s all very strange."
On Friday, Microsoft provided details on how the breach occurred. The company explained that an Iranian group linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) sent a spear-phishing email in June to a high-ranking official within a presidential campaign using the compromised email account of a former senior advisor. The email contained a link that directed traffic through a domain controlled by the group before routing it to the intended website. Shortly after, the same group unsuccessfully attempted to log into the account of a former presidential candidate. Microsoft has since notified those targeted.
The Microsoft bulletin also highlighted that a separate Iranian group has been collecting strategic intelligence, particularly in sectors such as satellite, defense, and health, with some targeting of U.S. government organizations, often in swing states.
The report further indicated that two other Iranian groups were interfering in the election. One group aimed to inflame voter opinions across the political spectrum, while another group was potentially preparing for even more extreme activities, such as intimidation or inciting violence against political figures or groups, with the ultimate goal of inciting chaos, undermining authorities, and sowing doubt about election integrity.