The FBI is investigating allegations that sensitive documents from Donald Trump’s presidential campaign were stolen in a cyber intrusion, as well as attempts to gain access to Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign. The Trump campaign claimed it had been hacked by Iran, although no specific evidence was provided. This claim came shortly after Microsoft issued a report detailing foreign agents’ attempts to interfere in the 2024 U.S. election. The report cited an instance of an Iranian military intelligence unit sending a spear-phishing email to a high-ranking official of a presidential campaign.
The Biden-Harris campaign was also targeted in the suspected Iranian cyber intrusion that is under FBI investigation, according to sources familiar with the matter. Politico reported receiving emails from an anonymous account containing what appeared to be a research dossier on the Republican vice presidential nominee, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, dated five months before Trump selected Vance as his running mate. The Trump campaign denounced these documents as illegally obtained and intended to interfere with the 2024 election.
Three staffers in the Biden-Harris campaign were targeted with phishing emails, but there is no evidence that the attempt was successful. The FBI began investigating the cyber incident in June, with intelligence officials believing Iran was behind the attempts. Tech companies have been contacted about the possibility of people linked to the Trump and Biden-Harris campaigns being targeted through email. Harris’ campaign stated that they vigilantly monitor and protect against cyber threats, but did not address whether they had identified any state-based intrusion attempts. Iran’s mission to the United Nations denied involvement in the Trump campaign claim, despite being suspected of running hacking campaigns targeting enemies in the Middle East and beyond.
Microsoft’s report highlighted foreign malign influence concerning the 2024 U.S. election, attributing initial operations to Russian interference and more recent activity to Iranian activity. The report noted that Iranian cyber-enabled influence operations have been consistent in recent U.S. election cycles, with operations distinct from Russian campaigns in terms of timing and tactics. Microsoft concluded that recent activity suggests both the Iranian regime and the Kremlin may be equally engaged in influencing the 2024 election. With ongoing investigations into cyber intrusions targeting both the Trump and Biden-Harris campaigns, concerns about foreign interference in the upcoming election continue to be a priority for law enforcement and intelligence agencies.
