Google Reports Iranian Hack Attempts on Trump and Biden-Harris Campaigns
Google Reports Iranian Hack Attempts on Trump and Biden-Harris Campaigns
Google revealed in a report on Wednesday that it identified efforts by Iranian hackers to target both the Trump and Biden-Harris campaigns in May and June, as part of a broader ongoing phishing operation.
This announcement by Google supports the Trump campaign’s recent claim that it was targeted by an Iranian hacking campaign aiming to interfere with the U.S. election.
According to Google’s Threat Analysis Group, which monitors government-backed cyberattacks, it disrupted a “small but persistent” phishing operation carried out by a hacking unit linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
During May and June, “targets included the personal email accounts of approximately a dozen individuals associated with President Biden and former President Trump, including current and former U.S. government officials and individuals connected to both campaigns,” the report stated. Google blocked numerous attempts to access the targets’ personal email accounts.
The report also noted that in July, Iranian hackers managed to breach the Gmail account of a prominent political consultant. Google secured the account and referred the case to law enforcement but did not disclose the consultant’s identity or whether they were involved with either campaign.
The hacking group tied to the Revolutionary Guard is known for its relentless persistence. Google reported that it continues to observe unsuccessful attempts to compromise accounts linked to Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and Trump.
These attempted hacks are part of a larger campaign targeting U.S. and Israeli entities, using Google products like Sites, Drive, and Gmail.
Last week, concerns about credible hacking threats to U.S. presidential campaigns escalated when Microsoft reported that Revolutionary Guard-affiliated hackers had breached the email account of a former senior adviser to a presidential campaign. However, Microsoft did not provide further details on who was targeted.
A spokesperson for Iran’s Mission to the United Nations did not respond to requests for comment. Previously, Iranian state news reported that a representative for the mission denied any involvement in hacking Trump’s campaign.
Over the weekend, three U.S. news outlets — Politico, The Washington Post, and The New York Times — reported receiving emails that appeared to contain Trump campaign files, suggesting a possible “hack-and-leak” operation intended to embarrass Trump. On Monday, the FBI announced it was investigating efforts to hack both the Trump and Biden-Harris campaigns but did not provide additional information.
So far, only the Trump campaign has claimed to have been hacked. The phishing attempts occurred before Biden exited the race and Harris became the Democratic nominee. A Harris campaign official told NBC News they were unaware of any security breach.
To date, no major cybersecurity firm or government agency has confirmed that Iran successfully hacked the Trump campaign. Microsoft has declined to elaborate on its report, with a spokesperson stating that the company’s policy is not to disclose details about hacking victims unless requested by the victim.
These developments follow a warning from a U.S. intelligence official from the Foreign Malign Influence Center, indicating that Iran was likely to continue efforts to undermine Trump.
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