Google says Iranian hackers are attempting to compromise emails of Harris, Trump and others

Google has confirmed that an Iranian hacking group, connected to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and known as APT42, has been trying to break into the personal email accounts of people linked to President Joe Biden, former President Donald Trump, and Vice President Kamala Harris. This effort, which started in May, has focused on current and former government officials, including important political advisors, as part of a plan to disrupt the U.S. presidential election.

According to Google’s Threat Analysis Group, these cyberattacks mainly use phishing, where attackers pretend to be trusted contacts to trick people into giving away their login information. Google has blocked many of these attempts and informed the FBI about a political consultant’s account that was compromised. This activity is part of a consistent pattern of spying by this Iranian group, which also targeted both Biden and Trump during the 2020 election.

The situation has become more serious due to rising tensions in the Middle East, including the Israel-Hamas conflict, leading the group to ramp up its cyber operations. The Trump campaign has publicly admitted that it was hacked and that sensitive documents were leaked, blaming Iranian hackers. On the other hand, the Harris campaign has acknowledged being targeted but has not reported any security breaches.

The FBI is currently investigating these hacking attempts, focusing on the Trump and Biden-Harris campaigns. U.S. intelligence officials have expressed concern about growing foreign interference in the election, particularly from Iran and Russia. These events highlight the ongoing and serious threat from foreign cyber attackers in the context of U.S. elections, with both Google and Microsoft closely watching and reporting on these activities as they happen.