Iranian hackers allegedly sent emails containing stolen material from Republican former president Donald Trump's campaign to individuals involved in Democratic President Joe Biden's then re-election campaign, according to US agencies. This is part of a broader effort by Tehran to influence the US election, the agencies stated on Wednesday.
The FBI, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, and Office of the Director of National Intelligence issued a joint statement, revealing that Iranian malicious cyber actors have been sending stolen, non-public material associated with former president Trump’s campaign to US media organizations since June.
The agencies described this activity as the latest example of Iran’s multi-faceted approach to stoke discord and undermine confidence in the US electoral process. They also noted that there is currently no information indicating that the recipients of these emails responded. Further details on the nature of the stolen material were not provided.
In August, the United States accused Iran of launching cyber operations against the campaigns of both US presidential candidates and targeting the American public with influence operations aimed at fanning political discord. Iran has consistently denied interfering in US affairs.
On Wednesday, Iran's permanent mission to the United Nations in New York dismissed the latest US allegations as "fundamentally unfounded, and wholly inadmissible." The mission added that Iran neither has any motive nor intent to interfere in the US election.
The agencies reported that malicious cyber actors sent unsolicited emails to individuals in Biden's campaign in late June and early July, containing text excerpts from stolen material from the Republican presidential candidate's campaign. Biden dropped out of the presidential race on July 21, and was replaced by Vice-President Kamala Harris as the Democratic candidate. Polls indicate a tight race between Trump and Harris.
In response to the statement, the Trump campaign called on Harris and Biden to disclose whether they used the hacked material "to hurt" Trump. The former president further claimed at a rally on Wednesday night that Iran hacked into his campaign to aid the Democrats, labeling it as foreign election interference.
A spokesperson for the Harris campaign stated that they were not aware of any material being sent directly to the campaign. Instead, a few individuals were targeted on their personal emails with what appeared to be a spam or phishing attempt.
Tehran also asserts that Washington has interfered in its affairs over the decades, citing events ranging from a 1953 coup of a prime minister to the 2020 killing of Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani.
