Former President Donald Trump’s campaign announced on Saturday that it has fallen victim to a cyber hack, alleging the involvement of Iranian actors in the theft and distribution of sensitive internal documents.
While the campaign did not provide concrete evidence to support claims of Iranian involvement, this announcement comes on the heels of a Microsoft report that identified foreign agents working to disrupt the upcoming 2024 U.S. presidential campaign. The report referenced a June incident involving an Iranian military intelligence unit that allegedly sent a spear-phishing email to a senior official in a presidential campaign from a breached email account of a former advisor.
Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung attributed the hack to “foreign sources hostile to the United States.” A statement from the National Security Council emphasized its serious stance on foreign interference, denouncing any government or entity attempting to undermine U.S. democracy, while deferring investigations to the Justice Department.
In response to the campaign’s allegations, Iran’s mission to the United Nations refuted the claims, declaring, “We do not accord any credence to such reports.” The mission insisted that the Iranian government neither has the capability nor the intent to interfere in U.S. elections.
Despite the denial, Iran has been linked to various hacking campaigns targeting its adversaries across the globe. Tensions with the U.S. heightened following the 2020 drone strike ordered by Trump that killed Iranian General Qassem Soleimani.
According to reports, the hack became public when emails were sent from an anonymous AOL account on July 22. These emails included what seemed to be a research dossier on the Republican vice presidential nominee, Ohio Senator JD Vance, dated prior to Trump’s selection of Vance as his running mate.
Cheung remarked that the illegally obtained documents were intended to disrupt the 2024 election and create chaos within the democratic process. He highlighted Microsoft’s recent findings about Iranian hackers infiltrating the account of a high-ranking official in a U.S. presidential campaign around the same time that Trump prepared to announce his choice for vice president.
Cheung warned that media outlets disseminating the hacked internal documents are aiding U.S. adversaries.
Microsoft’s report details a notable increase in foreign influence operations regarding the 2024 U.S. election, initially linked to Russian activity but increasingly attributed to Iranian sources. The report underscores that Iranian cyber-enabled operations have remained a consistent factor in recent U.S. election cycles, characterized by an emphasis on election processes rather than direct voter influence.
The report specifies that an Iranian intelligence unit, known as Mint Sandstorm, executed a phishing attack targeting a U.S. presidential campaign in June 2024, utilizing a compromised email to deliver misleading content aimed at cyber infiltration.
The campaign for Vice President Kamala Harris did not provide immediate comments regarding the reported hacking incident or its cybersecurity measures.
