Former President Donald Trump’s campaign is now claiming it’s been hacked, and guess what? They’re pointing the finger at Iran. Yes, you heard that right – the land of carpets and kebabs is dabbling in cyber shenanigans to mess with Trump’s run for the White House (again).
Now, before you start imagining Iranian agents sipping tea while they click away at their keyboards, let’s pump the brakes. The campaign hasn’t rolled out any hard evidence to support this claim. Instead, they’re riding on the coattails of a recent Microsoft report, which dropped just a day before this whole Iran accusation hit the fan.
That report mentioned some shady foreign activity targeting the U.S. elections, including an incident where an Iranian military unit sent a spear-phishing email to a bigwig in a presidential campaign. Was this Trump’s campaign? Who knows! But Trump’s team sure seems to think so.
Trump’s spokesperson, Steven Cheung, wasted no time blaming the hack on “foreign sources hostile to the United States.” Because, of course, it’s always the foreigners’ fault, right? Meanwhile, the National Security Council chimed in, saying they take foreign interference seriously (as they should) but are letting the Justice Department handle the nitty-gritty.
As for Iran? When questioned about the allegations from the Trump campaign, Iran’s mission to the United Nations firmly denied any involvement. They dismissed the reports as baseless, stating that the Iranian government has neither the capability nor the intention to interfere in the U.S. presidential election. The Iranian mission said, “We do not accord any credence to such reports.”
But here’s the kicker: Iran has been accused of hacking and cyber-meddling before, especially when it comes to avenging the killing of their top general, Qassem Soleimani, courtesy of a Trump-ordered drone strike back in 2020. So, could they be plotting something? Maybe. Could this be Trump’s campaign jumping at shadows? Also, maybe.
To add fuel to the fire, the U.S. Justice Department just unsealed charges against a Pakistani guy linked to Iran, who allegedly plotted assassinations on U.S. soil, targeting government officials and possibly Trump himself. This guy wanted to hire a hitman who turned out to be undercover law enforcement.
The cherry on top? Politico first broke the news about the hack, revealing that they started getting emails from an anonymous AOL account (yes, AOL still exists!) named “Robert.” This mysterious Robert sent them what looked like a dirt dossier on JD Vance, Trump’s VP pick, five months before he was announced as Trump’s running mate. Suspicious much?
Cheung stated that these documents were obtained unlawfully and were meant to disrupt the 2024 election, creating chaos in the Democratic process. In classic Trump fashion, Cheung warned the media that publishing these stolen docs would be “doing the bidding of America’s enemies.” Sounds serious, but is it really? Only time (and maybe a few more hacked emails) will tell.
Microsoft is standing firm, stating that Iranian cyber-attacks have been a recurring feature of recent election cycles, and it looks like they’re back at it again. According to Microsoft, foreign interference in the 2024 U.S. election started off slowly but has ramped up significantly over the past six months. Initially, Russian operations were the main concern, but more recently, Iranian activities have taken center stage. Unlike the Russians, who focus on swaying voters, Iran’s operations tend to emerge later in the election season and target the election process itself through cyberattacks.
Microsoft concluded: “Recent activity suggests the Iranian regime — along with the Kremlin — may be equally engaged in election 2024.”
Microsoft’s report detailed an Iranian military intelligence unit known as Mint Sandstorm that sent a phishing email to an American presidential campaign using the compromised account of a former adviser. The email included a fake forward with a hyperlink that directed traffic through a domain controlled by the attackers before redirecting to the intended domain.
So, is this a genuine foreign cyber-attack or just another day in the wild world of Trumpian politics? Only time will tell.
