Iranian hackers attempted to interfere in the 2024 election by sending unsolicited emails to individuals associated with President Joe Biden’s campaign, offering information stolen from rival Donald Trump’s campaign. The FBI and other federal agencies revealed this information, stating that the recipients did not respond to the emails, and some media organizations approached with stolen material did not publish it. The emails were received before the hack of the Trump campaign was made public, and there is no evidence that the recipients knew the origin of the emails.
The U.S. government has been actively calling out Iran’s efforts to interfere in the election, including a hack-and-leak campaign linked to Tehran that aimed to undermine voter confidence and stir discord. This stands in contrast to the response in 2016 when the Obama administration faced criticism for not being transparent about Russian interference. The Biden campaign received emails from Iranian hackers in late June and early July, before Biden dropped out, containing excerpts from stolen material from Trump’s campaign. The agencies involved have stated that these hacks were part of an ongoing effort by Iran to interfere in the election.
In response to the emails, the FBI informed Trump aides that information hacked by Iran had been sent to the Biden campaign. The Trump campaign disclosed that it had been hacked by Iranian actors, who stole and distributed sensitive internal documents. News outlets such as Politico, The New York Times, and The Washington Post were also approached with confidential material but have not revealed any details about what they received. The Harris campaign has cooperated with law enforcement and condemned any efforts by foreign actors to interfere in U.S. elections.
It is speculated that Iran opposes Trump’s reelection, viewing him as likely to increase tension between Washington and Tehran due to his administration’s actions against Iran. The cyberattacks and disinformation campaigns identified by tech companies and national security officials, including Iran’s intrusion on the Trump campaign, were discussed during a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing. Executives from Meta, Google, and Microsoft briefed lawmakers on their plans to safeguard the election from foreign interference, highlighting the importance of cybersecurity measures in the lead-up to the election.
The efforts by Iranian hackers to interfere in the election by targeting the Biden campaign with stolen information demonstrate the ongoing threat of foreign interference in U.S. elections. The FBI and other federal agencies are actively working to address these threats and prevent any manipulation of the electoral process. It is crucial for all stakeholders, including tech companies, government agencies, and political campaigns, to collaborate and enhance cybersecurity measures to protect the integrity of the electoral process and prevent foreign interference. The swift response to these hacking attempts reflects a growing awareness of the importance of safeguarding elections from external threats.
