Former President Donald Trump’s presidential campaign announced on Saturday, August 10, 2024, that it had fallen victim to a cyberattack and suspected Iranian involvement in the theft and dissemination of confidential internal data.
While no concrete evidence was provided to support the claim of Iranian interference, the allegation followed a recent report by Microsoft outlining foreign entities’ efforts to influence the 2024 U.S. presidential campaign.
The report highlighted an incident in June where an Iranian military intelligence unit allegedly targeted a high-ranking official from a presidential campaign with a spear-phishing email.
Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung attributed the hack to “foreign entities hostile to the United States,” with no immediate response from the National Security Council regarding the matter.
Politico was the first to report on the cyberattack, receiving emails from an anonymous source named “Robert” containing a research dossier on Republican vice presidential nominee, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, dated months before Vance was selected as Trump’s running mate.
Cheung condemned the illegal acquisition and distribution of these documents, stating that they were intended to disrupt the election process and create chaos.
Referring to the Microsoft report, Cheung warned against media outlets publishing the stolen materials, claiming they were aiding America’s enemies in their malicious intentions.
In response to Microsoft’s findings, Iran’s UN mission denied any plans for election interference or cyberattacks in the U.S. presidential election.
Microsoft’s report pointed to a rise in foreign influence on the 2024 election, primarily from Russian operations initially but more recently from Iranian activities.
The report detailed an instance in June 2024 where an Iranian military intelligence unit sent a phishing email to an American presidential campaign using a compromised account.
Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign did not immediately respond to inquiries about the reported hacking or their cybersecurity measures.
